How to Pre-Order a Book

We recently wrote about why pre-orders are increasingly important when it comes to supporting your favourite authors in the competitive world of book publishing.

Not only do they help build buzz around a book and count towards the first week of sales, but they also help book retailers estimate how many books they should order.

That’s right, your pre-order helps the author, but it also helps the bookshop with their order, and the publisher with their print run numbers. So, you can see why pre-orders are important – everyone benefits.

Here are some ways to pre-order…

Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara
Better Reading’s Jane is getting excited about the release of her novel, about a woman in her fifties who’s diagnosed with invisibility and must learn to see herself again. Witty, wise… We can’t wait. While you can pre-order Tilda is Visible everywhere, Jane’s mother and her friends have pre-ordered copies from Big W, where it’s significantly reduced. While we love supporting our local bookshops, sometimes cost is definitely a factor, and that’s where stores like Big W come in.

To the River by Vikki Wakefield
Vikki Wakefield’s new psychological thriller To the River is about class, corruption, love, loyalty, and the vindication of truth and justice. And a brave dog called Blue. It’s out at the end of the month. Vikki has an author talk at the Port Adelaide Library (SA) on Wednesday 14 February 2024 at 6.30pm. We love our libraries – if your local doesn’t have a copy available, ask them to order one in.

The School Run by Ali Lowe
Readers are comparing Ali Lowe to Liane Moriarty. Her latest thriller shows asks how far a group of women go to protect their reputations – and their families. Readings has Ali’s novel for pre-order, as does your local QBD Books.

What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan
Roaring Stories in Sydney’s Balmain is an excellent indie bookstore that frequently holds events. On Monday March 4, Dervla McTiernan will be in conversation with Michaela Kalowski at State Library NSW Auditorium. They’ll be discussing Dervla’s latest thriller, What Happened to Nina? You can often pre-order your books when you book an author event, which really helps the bookshops. For those outside of Sydney, your local independent can certainly order What Happened to Nina? for you.

There’s also a fantastic site called yourbookstore.io that shows stock at independent bookstores. They don’t have a pre-order capability (yet!), but it’s a great tool for finding where your local bookshop is so you can drop by.