This past weekend I traveled to the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia to gather with 30 men of faith. We shared “overcoming” stories and my lifelong friend, Ben Arment, asked me to share about the power of beauty in the modern world.
One of the many highlights was our group hike to the top of the mountain behind the property where we gathered. I took this photo to capture the moment. I love Virginia.
We spent three days together. And it was Holy-Spirit-Deep. I left the mountains and farms with a full heart.
A Note on the Importance of Pre-Ordering
The publishing world looks different than it was 10 years ago when I published my first book. Imagine a world without Instagram. And Twitter was just a baby.
Authors and publishers launched books into the world, and they slowly built up steam, spreading largely by word of mouth and foot traffic in big bookstores and in the myriad of Christian book stores all over the country.
But today, many of those Christian bookstores don’t even exist (like Borders!). Amazon is king, plain and simple. Yes, other sellers exist, and maybe one last Christian book chain remains.
Books today rely on a strong pre-order campaign. Why?
Because the online distributors like Amazon and Barnes and Noble gauge how many books they will order based on pre-order sales. If the pre-orders are strong, they order more and return less (generally speaking). Strong pre-orders trigger algorithms and placement on sites like Amazon.
You’ve probably seen an author post on their social media feed that their book was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Well, even though that #1 New Release is temporary and changes within hours, it is important because it shows a strong pre-release campaign has worked. By hitting #1 that book will now find placement in other areas on Amazon.
Things change fast on the internet. And with so many books releasing every week, it’s a battle to get your book seen by people. And “online” is now really the only place it can be seen.
So you’ll be hearing from me over the next two weeks before my book releases, gently reminding you about the pre-order. Why? Well, I believe in this book so much. It chronicles a long journey, not only of writing, but of living and learning. This book is the “why” behind what I do as a writer. And I’m so delighted to share it with you.
So, I do hope you will consider pre-ordering it.
And remember, when you pre-order, you only get charged when it releases. And, if it goes on sale before the release date, you are guaranteed that sale price.
Pre-ordering is a special grace you can give to authors you care about and want to see their work flourish. Thank you so much for supporting my work!
How to Support the Tour
Many of you have asked about the tour and how you can support. The biggest way to support us as we travel around, meeting people face to face, and spreading the word about The Beauty Chasers, is to contribute to our GiveSendGo page.
We’ve set the page up to accept donations that go towards travel expenses. To most places, we will be traveling as a family. I’ll give “Beauty Chats” in the homes of readers just like you.
This week, we’re off to Texas and OKC! So very excited! For more information on what the tour is about and how to support it, check out the GiveSendGo campaign page.
See you out there, in God’s glorious world!
Cheers,
Tim
I just pre-ordered my copy and will probably be ordering another one shortly. I'm so excited for what you're doing and this message! Finding beauty through the works of Eric Owyoung (Future of Forestry) and Ryan O'Neal (Sleeping at Last) is what lead me to your work, and I think that's no coincidence. The message of beauty is one that this world needs so desperately. I don't suppose you'll be anywhere near Corpus Christi, TX will you?
Yes, it is!!!!!