About two years ago I launched the crowdfunding campaign for Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? Today it is published. It’s a cliché to say things like ‘it couldn’t have happened without you’, but in this case it is quite literally the complete and utter truth.
At the time I was feeling somewhat glum about my writing credentials and prospects, so it was a tremendous boost when Unbound showed faith in me by commissioning the idea. But there was still the crowdfunding campaign to launch and negotiate, and while I knew I could count on some people to contribute to it – either because of family links or because they knew their lives would be miserable if they didn’t – there still remained a daunting amount of money to raise to produce the beautiful hardback edition that now adorns your shelves. From the start I was genuinely overwhelmed by the response – people who had no real reason to commit their hard-earned cash proved fantastically generous. Thank you all.
As the book flutters to the edge of the nest and takes its first tentative wingbeats into the wild world outside, keeping an eye out for predators (yeah yeah we get the idea), I have one further favour to ask. If you’re in the mood to be as helpful as Arthur Shappey in a helpful mood, here are a couple of things you could do. They would cost you nothing but a few minutes of your time, and would really make a huge difference.
- Leave a review. I know quite a few of you have already read it, and several of you have had kind things to say. We’re often asked for reviews of things (“tell us how much you love our bulldog clips!”), but in the case of the struggling artist, in whatever medium, a few short reviews in key places can make the difference between visibility and oblivion. So. If you’ve read Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? (whether you enjoyed it or not), may I point you towards Amazon (yes I know) and/or Goodreads? Even the shortest of reviews would be massively appreciated. I'm reliably informed that it’s the number of reviews, not the star rating, that tells the algorithm to show it to other people.
- Spread the word on social media and (gasp! shock!) in real life. Small publishers like Unbound have limited resources at their disposal, and while they’ve been extra helpful, the commercial success of a book like this in a ridiculously crowded marketplace will rely almost entirely on word of mouth. So if you're on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, MySpace (ok, maybe not MySpace), anything you can do to help it reach a wider readership would be rewarded at the very least with huzzahs and benisons, and maybe with a cup of coffee the next time I see you. And for those who prefer physical media, I have a big box of flyers in my office – if you’d like me to send you some for display in any kind of public space or distribution to friends etc, do please let me know.
Thank you all again. You are, quite literally, the best.