New Release "Sir Louis Curlewy" by Susan Crow... the ups and downs of publishing a book

Today (on #MGMonday) was supposed to be a blog about creating worlds for fantasy stories, but that will have to wait, because I have some amazing news to share!

Happy Release Day to our latest book, Sir Louis Curlewy by Susan Crow!

Happy Birthday, Sir Louis Curlewy! (Balloons and Curlews don't actually mix that well!)

This wonderfully informative book contains heap-loads of facts about this vulnerable bird, but all told in engaging rhyme. I've been sharing information about this book for a few months now, starting with the cover reveal, then the book teaser and now I'm finally able to share with you the book itself. Thank you to all those who pre-ordered the ebook. It should have made its way onto your e-reader by now (if it hasn't, get in touch!) If you were waiting for the paperback, it is now available to buy from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sir-Louis-Curlewy-non-fiction-endangered/dp/1913182517

Blurb

This captivating book combines storytelling with fun facts about these remarkable birds, teaching young readers about their habits, habitats, and importance in nature. Perfect for curious minds, Sir Louis Curlewy inspires a love for wildlife and encourages the protection of these treasured creatures.

A must-read for nature-loving families and budding bird enthusiasts!

To mark Release Day, I'm going to share a behind-the-scenes look on the ups and downs of publishing a book. We at Crowvus are often guilty of pretending everything is going swimmingly, but that isn't always the case.

What Went Wrong?!

We had this great idea to create an audiobook of Sir Louis, with the hope of giving everyone who purchased the book (ebook or paperback) a free audio version. We had a bit of a budget put aside for this so, rather than completing this in-house, we decided to contract it out to a Fiverr voice actor. We've had mixed experiences with fiverr before, particularly with book covers. My cover for Taking Wing was through a Fiverr artist and I absolutely love it! However, when we paid another artist to do the book cover for Caledon by Virginia Crow, it was, at first, a disaster! This man's photoshop abilities were not up to the price he was charging.

Sadly, our experience with Sir Louis Curlewy's audio was more like the latter with some mistakes that would have been hilarious if we hadn't paid good money for it. We requested a revision and, while the voice actor was happy to comply and correct the mistakes, his tone was so incredibly boring that we decided not to use the end product. I can only assume he had borrowed someone else's voice to do his adverts for him!

The other part that went awry was the blog tour organiser we were working with. To begin with, we booked a cover reveal but, on the big day when we shared the book cover on this blog and our newsletter, the tour organiser did nothing. When we got in touch, she asked if she could send out the details to her subscribers in two days time. That just isn't how a cover reveal works - it's all on one day, or nothing at all.

More recently, as we were coming up to the launch date for Sir Louis, I realised we hadn't heard anything from the tour organiser and went onto her website. She had posted a page about her upcoming April tours, but there was no mention of Sir Louis Curlewy. The money was returned through Paypal but, sadly, it was too short notice to organise a blog tour with another organiser.

(I'll be reviewing all the blog tour organisers we've worked with at the end of the year, in the hope of helping fellow authors make informed decisions).

So, if I've learned anything from these points, it's to think twice before involving external agencies!

What Went Well?

Well, I may be biased, but the book itself is a gorgeous little gem! But that aside...

After the disaster that was the Fiverr Voice Actor, we decided to do the audio ourselves, and I'm really pleased with the result. There is a link in the books, and a QR code in the paperbacks that will take you to an unlisted Youtube video with the audio. Audio books are something we've started to consider more seriously. Up until now, the price has been prohibitive but, as Crowvus is beginning to grow, audio books are beginning to hold our interest!

We sent free ebooks to several charities who do work with curlews and the feedback we got was amazing! It's always great to have a boost like that pre-publication. Of course, we think the book is great, but it's good to hear it from other non-biased people! Here's a quote from one of the charities we contacted:

"I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and looking at the beautiful artwork. It is very clever with lovely verses!"

It's always a little nerve-wracking when you put the finishing touches to a manuscript, and this one was no exception. However, after meticulous checks, I'm convinced that this super book is going to delight children and adults alike!

Putting the finishing touches to the ebook!

Would I recommend book publishing?

It may not surprise you, but yes! Sure, there are problems with every book release, whether it is down to someone else or not, but don't let that discourage you. The feeling of putting your book, that you have spent months perfecting, out into the world is thrilling and fills you with adrenaline! In my opinion, it is the best kind of extreme sport!