Pre-orders, pauses, and panic
A behind-the-scenes look
So, apparently, my book Accidentally Wise is so wildly anticipated that Amazon paused pre-orders. And it turns out, that story is actually true—my publisher received a note from Amazon about a 'surge in demand' and a temporary pause. I imagined the note reading something like, “Dear Publisher, Please tell your overenthusiastic author that we need a moment to catch our breath.”
At first, I panicked. Was it a sign? Had the universe decided that my little book needed to cool its heels? I imagined my book sitting somewhere in Amazon’s virtual warehouse, sipping on a cup of chamomile tea, waiting for someone to click “resume.” I spent an embarrassingly long time refreshing pages, wondering if the pause would clear up on its own, or if I had to perform some sort of pre-order rain dance. (Spoiler: I did both. Just to be sure.)
Then there was social media. The glamorous, fast-talking world of hashtags, reels, and “engagement strategies.” I confess, I went into it thinking, “I’ll post a few things and hope for the best.” What I did not expect was how much fun (and yes, how much work) it would be to genuinely connect with people. There is something both humbling and hilarious about seeing people’s reactions to your book cover, your nervous videos, and your dogged attempts at self-promotion. I found myself learning tricks I never thought I’d care about—like how to position a book just so in a photograph, or how to avoid looking like I’m about to be eaten alive by my own camera setup.
Of course, since Amazon has decided to misbehave, we’ve had to get creative. We set up a workaround where readers can sign up for pre-orders directly on the publisher’s website, and, surprisingly, that’s been working quite well. It turns out that even tech glitches cannot keep a good book down—or determined readers away.
Now, with the release date looming ever closer (10-June-2025), I feel like I am standing at the edge of a very high diving board, looking down into the unknown. Will people love the book? Will they laugh, reflect, and maybe even feel a little more them in its pages? Or will it flop like an undercooked pancake? I swing wildly between giddy anticipation and the urge to run and hide under a blanket.
But here’s the thing: despite the hiccups, the social media experiments, and the pre-order chaos, this has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my life. I have learned more about resilience, curiosity, and human connection than I ever thought possible. I have learned to laugh at my own awkwardness and to lean into the uncertainty. And I have come to believe that maybe—just maybe—the book will find its way to the right hands, and the pause on Amazon is just the universe’s way of saying, “Hold on, you’re in for a ride.”
So, if you’re out there, waiting to read Accidentally Wise, thank you for your patience, your curiosity, and your clicks. And if you’re me, hovering over the refresh button, maybe it’s time to close the laptop, take a deep breath, and enjoy the ride—pre-orders, social media mishaps, and all.
PS: Audio version created using Google NotebookLM