I Really Need Your Help Next Monday

From C.J.
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Hi everyone.

I’ll try and make this quick:

I have a mission for you next Monday. A crucial quest. And it will only take 60 seconds to complete.

The Book of Briars was recently reviewed on Reedsy Discovery, which is an excellent resource for discovering indie lit, and it was given a 5-Star “Must Read” Review!

I can use that review for marketing materials, back cover blurbs, etc.

But!

On Monday the 24th, the link above goes public, and you’ll also be able to upvote The Book of Briars by clicking a button on the page that will look like this:

Screen Shot 2021-05-20 at 8.50.57 AM

If enough people upvote the book, The Book of Briars will be featured in their weekly newsletter and on the main page of the site. Getting that kind of exposure would be AMAZING, not only for revenue and reviews but also for finding new Mountaineers! My contact at Reedsy made it clear that anyone can upvote the book, even if it’s still on their TBR pile. The exact quote was:

We recommend that you reach out to your readership, social network, friends, and family on your launch day and remind them to upvote your book on Discovery.

All that’s required to upvote is a free Reedsy account which takes 60 seconds to create. In summary—

The Main Quest:

Next Monday, May the 24th, will you go to this link, and upvote The Book of Briars for me?

Optional Side Quest:

Could you tell anyone who loves books and/or wants to support small businesses to do the same?

Finally:

If you’re in for either or both quests, could you like and respond below to let me know you’re in so I don’t stress all weekend? :cjheart:

Mark Your Calendars:

I’ve even created a calendar event with a reminder that you can subscribe to by clicking the button or link below:


Calendar Event Link

P.S. Most of you know how hard this is for me to ask, but I’ve struggled to get reviews on my latest books, and upvoting The Book of Briars on Reedsy could really help me with exposure and gaining social proof for new readers to take the leap into the Briarverse. :purple_heart:

26 Likes
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Saved on my calendar and prepared to recruit new readers!

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:cjheart: thank you so much! This review also notes that The Book of Briars works as a new entry point into the series (which I really worked hard to do) because they didn’t read anything before the BoB but still enjoyed it, so that’s helpful!

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Reminder ready! Anything to help the series, and maybe even the community!

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Definitely making a note to do this during my break tomorrow and have been trying to tell my new co-workers about this without seeming crazy, lol. It’s a fine line, but it’s one way to make an instant impression on people :steve:

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Added to my calendar!

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OMG, this is the easiest thing anyone has asked of me in weeks! Added to my calendar - you providing those links made it even easier!!

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:+1: You got it, boss!

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I’ve got it on my calendar (the link didn’t work, but I made my own reminder), so I should be set!

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On my calendar! Mission accepted!

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You got it boss!

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Upvoting time! Asking Spouse and Friend to do it, too!

EDIT: What the hell. I’m gonna post the link over at the New World Witchery forum, too, and see if they’ll upvote.

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Thank you so much, @Heather!

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The book page is live and I’m giving everyone who upvotes the book today a HUGE virtual hug (if that’s your thing. If not, I’m giving you a huge, virtual head nod from an appropriate distance!)

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Mission accomplished :eaveshug:

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Done!

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76 upvotes as I write this! I have no idea if it’s enough to push me into Featured territory. Still, they did email, asking for my story about the book and how it was working with an editor and Micaela, my cover designer, both of whom I found on Reedsy.

More importantly, for everyone who took the time to go help me out, it means so much to me. If you’re in the Briar Society, you might have seen an impromptu “publisher’s diary” video I uploaded last week where I said that I’m going through my annual “Does anyone even care about all this?” episode. And this helped to turn me right around. Thank you. :cjheart:

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I want to physically shake you out of every “does anyone even care about this” episode. WE ARE HERE AND WE ARE SO INVESTED IN THIS WORLD :triumph:
I will aggressively validate you until you believe me

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I will definitely. As an aside, it’s ok to share the “upvote” link to my social media, yes? I’d also like to share the Briarverse and the Guide with my bookworm friends., So mebbe expect an influx, because I have a lot of roleplaying friends and interactive reader friends! :slight_smile:

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