Holiday books promotion and fundraiser

Hi :) A lot of you probably know that both of my cats were sick in September and October and all combined I had to take them to six separate vet visits. It was kind of a nightmare and it was definitely an unexpected expense. Taz is participating in a clinical trial for a diabetes medication, so luckily most of his expenses were covered, but I ended up spending about $2000 on vet bills and medication for Mufasa. And now I'm in the process of setting up a food allergy trial for him, which will probably cost me another three hundred dollars.

I thought about making a GoFundMe, but ultimately decided not to because even though I am unemployed (hire me to be your editor, scheduler, ghostwriter, or author assistant!) and making only a couple thousand dollars a year from my writing, I am lucky enough to have multiple credit cards and a manageable amount of credit debt. I know there are people who use GoFundMe to ask for donations for extravagant honeymoons and other non-emergencies, but I also know there are a lot of pet owners on there faced with the gut-wrenching decision of euthanizing their beloved animals if they can't raise enough money to pay for veterinary care. I'm not one of those people, at least not yet, so I didn't want to steal any bandwidth from them by posting a competing campaign.

Instead, I decided I would try to raise some money by offering to send you and your loved ones signed books for the holidays :) I can ship books to you or directly to a recipient. Sorry, U.S. addresses only.

I buy a lot of my own books from online retailers when they're on sale or when I need to add an item to get free shipping, and I've got multiple copies of most of my titles on hand. Right now I can sign and personalize any of the following YA novels:

HIDDEN PIECES (hardcover)
THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENED (hardcover or international paperback)
LIARS, INC. (hardcover or paperback)
VICAROUS (hardcover or paperback)
FEROCIOUS (hardcover or paperback)

I also have a couple copies of Spanish translations available in paperback.

Prices are $15.00 for hardcovers or $10.00 for paperbacks. That includes FREE SHIPPING via media mail. If you would like your book shipped priority mail, there is a $5.00 surcharge for one or two books or an $8.00 surcharge for three or more titles. Promotion ends December 6. Books will be mailed on Dec 3 and Dec 7.

If you would like me to sign one of my other novels, I can order copies and ship them out, but they probably won't arrive in time for Christmas or Hanukkah and the prices might be slightly higher. Email me for more details.

To order: email pstokesbooks [at] gmail [dot] com and let me know which titles you are interested in. I will verify I have the stock and then invoice you via your choice of PayPal or Square. Sorry I cannot accept checks or take credit card info directly unless I know you personally.

If you're not interested in signed books but you love my not-so-lil furballs and just want to contribute to this fundraiser for veterinary care, you can donate via my new Ko-fi page or directly to my PayPal account, which shows up as Manuscript Critique Services because I use it primarily for the editing business. A million thank yous for your kindness :)

RELATED NOTE: If you've got writer-friends looking for professional feedback, they can check out what we offer at Manuscript Critique Services and right now bid on an Agent Submission Package over at Shooting Stars Mag. Ends Nov 29.

UNRELATED NOTE: Did you know I'm releasing a full-length YA contemporary novel for free in December? Stay tuned or sign up for the newsletter for all the deets!

Thank you for reading and/or sharing this post. Happy holidays, and may you and your own furballs (and human relatives) have a happy, healthy rest of the year :)

Free shipping for signed copies of my books!

Photo credit: Vintage Books

Hi peeps. I just wanted to let you know that if you've been wanting a signed copy of any of my recent books, Vintage Books in Vancouver, WA has you covered. [Use the direct links below.] And I totally understand that paying full price for a book is expensive, but those extra few dollars (or one or two dollars in the case of a paperback) go toward extremely important expenses, like better wages for workers, adequate staffing, and sponsoring author events. If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford the occasional full-price hardcover, consider buying from an independent bookstore now and then. It really is a great way to support the literary community, including bookstore cats!

The true manager and assistant manager of Vintage Books

I'm going to sweeten the pot for anyone who orders two or more of my signed books from Vintage Books before May 31, 2018. While supplies last, I will reimburse you for the media mail U.S. shipping costs. This is a promotion I am running on my own, so you'll need to pay Vintage Books for the shipping and then email me a copy/screen cap/picture of your receipt and I will reimburse you via PayPal, Square, or by sending a check if you prefer. This is not a money-making opportunity for me. In fact, if all of my signed books sold in the next month, I would pay out about $80 in shipping and make less than $8 in royalties. (Currently, only LIARS, INC. has sold enough copies to earn royalties.) Even if we count unpaid royalty credit, I would still "make" less than half of what I am willing to pay out.

Books. Are. Awesome.

So why am I doing this then? First, because I want my loyal readers to be able to get signed copies of my books. I know the cover price of a hardcover is cost-prohibitive to many, so I figure if someone is willing to pay extra for a signed copy, why not help out with the shipping fees while the books are readily available? Second, I want to do my part to help the literary community and to support the bookstores who have supported me. Paying for shipping these books means I might have to go without somewhere else, but I am more than happy to skip a few coffees or buy a couple less books a year (thank you, libraries!) so that a store employee can make a fair wage and author events can continue to be a thing. And third, as an author it obviously helps me professionally each time someone buys one of my books. Succeeding isn't just about making a lot of cash. It's about growing business relationships and cultivating a readership. I never had a signed book as a kid, and if paying for shipping means I can help put a signed book into the hands of someone who will really appreciate it, well, that's a win-win situation, and those are too far and few between these days :)

THE LINKS:

Ready for some signed books? Order via these direct links:

LIARS, INC. (paperback) $9.99

GIRL AGAINST THE UNIVERSE (paperback) $9.99

THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENED (hardcover) $17.99

VICARIOUS (paperback) $10.99

FEROCIOUS (hardcover) $18.99

Are you an international reader or a U.S. reader who can't afford indie prices? I may not be able to sign your book, but if you own a finished copy of any of my titles and are willing to review that title in two places online (can be bookseller websites, library websites, book blogs, your Instagram, etc.), email me a picture of the book and links to two reviews and I will mail you a signed bookplate for that book. Reviews can be positive, negative, or neutral, but must be at least three sentences long. Offer good while supplies last.

Girl Against the Universe Pre-Order Incentive!!

EDITED TO ADD: If you want a signed book instead of a signed bookplate, you can pre-order from Vintage Books in Vancouver, WA using this link. Be sure to note in the special instructions that you want the book signed, and if you want it personalized to someone, give them that info too.

Are you planning to buy Girl Against the Universe? If so, you might want to order early and take advantage of this awesome pre-order incentive :D Everyone who orders a new hardcover or e-book, from any store or website, by May 15th (so yes, if you ordered last week or 6 months ago it counts) is eligible to receive 2 signed bookmarks, a signed bookplate, a magnet, and 2 reader-designed GATU stickers (Thanks, Ri and Silvana!) Also, thanks to Eli Madison for laying out the book cover on the magnet and to Julie Heidbreder for designing my GATU bookmarks!

This incentive is international. In order to get your free goodies, you need to email your mailing address to pstokesbooks [at] gmail [dot] com subject: GATU pre-order, and include a photo, scan, or screenshot of your order confirmation or receipt. Lovely international peeps: It helps me a ton if you type out your address on multiple lines like my super-clueless self should address the envelope. Also, don't forget to include your postal code if that's something you're not used to using. Please allow four to six weeks for arrival.

BONUS: OMG I am so excited about this bonus. One lucky pre-orderer will be chosen at random to receive a deluxe Girl Against the Universe swag bag to include all of the above swag, plus a Girl Against the Universe notebook, a box of Lucky Charms cereal bars, an adorable dolphin plushie (because everyone likes dolphins!), and a mystic knot and neko bead good luck bookmark, all packed in a brilliant, painted tote, created by the queen of brilliant, painted totes, Ms. Becca Fowler!

Bookmark: the red woven knot is similar to Maguire's mystic knot necklace.

If you are not on my mailing list (why are you not on my mailing list?! ;D) this is the ONLY chance you'll have to win this killer prize pack. So if you want the book and you want the goodies, pre-order today from the vendor of your choice!

Wanna try before you buy? Click here to read the beginning of Girl Against the Universe.

March Madness Preorder Incentive and MORE! :D

I actually debated printing this out and writing LIARS on every line.
But then laziness prevailed. But no, LIARS is gonna be one of those
#12 seeds that upsets a #5 and goes on to take it all :D

Happy March! I can't believe how fast time flies :) Here are a couple bookish things going on with me this month that might interest you:

PREORDER INCENTIVE: Sorry. This incentive is now over. Watch my Twitter feed during release week to see how you can win signed bookmarks.

#MysteryTwitterTheater is an online game like Clue or Cluedo that will play out over blogs and Twitter. Game details go up on Fri March 20th. The game starts Saturday March 21st. The "victim" is a blogger. The "suspects" are bloggers. The clues will be hard. The prizes will be awesome. You should probably play.


LIARS, INC. Twitter Release Party. Because clearly I don't know when to say when, I'm also throwing an epic Twitter bash under the #LiarsIncBook hashtag on March 24th, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Pacific (9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern). NOTE: THIS TIME HAS BEEN UPDATED. Please double-check the time and hashtag on the date of the party if you plan on attending as sometimes these things change. Prizes will include finished copies of LIARS, INC., LIARS T-shirts, LIARS swag, a copy of CATALYST (or CONTROL) by @LydiaYKang a copy of THE CEMETERY BOYS by @HeatherBrewer, and more. Games will be varied and fun. You should probably come.

That's all the mayhem on tap for now. Don't forget to check out this Max vs. Micah handy comparison chart over at Adventures of a Book Junkie and enter to win LIARS or LAINEY!

WIN-WIN-WIN: Get Signed Books and Help an Indie Bookstore Help Kids

So my heart broke a little bit when I found out my beloved St. Louis indie, Left Bank Books was closing its downtown St. Louis store. Teen Specialist, Sarah, assured me this was a business decision involving an issue with the lease and that the company is still going strong. There are talks of expanding the flagship (45 years selling books!) Central West End store or possibly opening up a second location elsewhere in the city.

This is the Central West End store in my old neighborhood, still going strong!

The people from Left Banks Books have always been fantastic to me. They had me sign tons of stock, invited me to do events with them, ran a pre-order contest for my first book (writing as Fiona Paul), and got me on a panel at STL ComicCon, even though Venom is the least ComicCon-ish book ever. Did you know it was always my dream to go to a ComicCon? I'm happy my first CC experience was with Left Bank in St. Louis. It made me less nervous to know I was among friends. All of my events with LBB were more fun than scary, because I knew they had my back. No one there ever made me feel like I wasn't important because I wasn't a mega bestseller.

And they make their customers feel important too. I know this personally, but if you don't, you can see it reflected in their reviews on yelp, among other places.

I don't live in St. Louis anymore, but when I needed a location for a St. Louis event for the forthcoming Mighty Mississippi Book Blast tour that I set up with my friend Philip Siegel (more on that in May), Left Bank Books was only too happy to accommodate us.

And when I needed a store who was willing to offer signed, personalized copies of my books, once again Left Banks Books said they'd be happy to help me out.

So, as a way to pay back some of this kindness, I am going to donate a dollar (up to a max of $5000) to the Left Bank Books foundation for every signed copy of my books ordered before July 4th, 2014. The LBB foundation works to increase literacy in St. Louis. In their own words: The Foundation’s primary program is River City Readers, a project to bring books and authors to St. Louis Public School students. We intend to expand these efforts and expand the definition of literacy itself.

It'r true that ordering from Left Bank means paying an additional dollar for a paperback or a few dollars more for a hardcover compared to the cheapest internet deal. But you'll get a signed (and personalized, if you like!) copy of one of my books and a bookmark for The Art of Lainey, featuring the iconic St. Louis Arch. You'll also be supporting an indie bookstore, the lovely bookish people who work there, and the 2012 BEA Bookstore Cat of the Year.

Spike sez: Dear human. Support me, or else.

I have personally snuggled Spike (well, he's not much of a snuggler, but he put up with me stalking him and picking him up on repeated occasions) and can vouch for his awesomeness. He's so awesome he gets to do his own staff picks.

And since your purchase means a dollar toward the foundation, you can think of that "extra dollar" you're spending as also helping get books into the hands of kids who need them. That's what I call a WIN-WIN-WIN situation. Unfortunately, this incentive has to be limited to US buyers because international mailing would be prohibitively expensive and complicated for the store. But if you are an international reader and you donate any amount of money to the Left Bank Books Foundation via their website, I will send you a signed bookplate and bookmark.

The only catch: Because I don't live in St. Louis anymore, I won't be available to sign your books until early July when I return to visit my friends and fam. So, if you support Left Bank Books and literacy in St. Louis by buying from this link between now and July 4th, you will not receive your purchases until July. But hey, your TBR pile is probably huge. You don't mind waiting, if it's for a good cause, do you? :-) Be sure to note in the special instructions if you want your book personalized to you or someone else. They make great gifts *wink* :-D

Thank you for reading. Thank you for thinking about supporting indie bookstores, their staff, and their awesome bookstore cats.