Courtney Ellis

My book is getting ready to be born! Almost Holy comes into the world on June 3, after which we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming here on the ol’ blog.

The days leading up to a book launch run the spectrum of human emotion for me. Exhiliration that we are almost there! Exhaustion. Thanksgiving that I get to do what I love and share it with the world. Worry. Hope that the book will do well. Gratitude to all the people who have brought this book to life. Grounding in my family, my church, and the reminders that all does not rise or fall, live or die in these 256 pages. Hunger for chocolate. Near-constant over-caffeination.

A few fun facts about new books that I’ve learned this past year:

• Writers are crazy generous. As a new author I’ve reached out to some pretty big names for endorsements, words of wisdom, and encouragement, and more often than not, they’ve come through in spades. It’s a great community, and I’ve been so excited to start paying some of this foreword when other up-and-coming authors have asked me for support.

(Are you one of these new authors? Need some help? I’m here for you!)

• The best thing you can do for an author (besides buy their book) is leave a review on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Goodreads or anywhere else the book is sold. Most readers won’t try out a new author without some word-of-mouth, and the more reviews a book has, the more visibility it gains.

• If you’re on a tight budget and can’t buy the book, you can always request that your library purchase it. You get to read it for free, and the book gets into wider circulation. Win win!

• Another way you can support authors is by subscribing to their email lists. Not only is it a great way to stay connected with the writing of your favorite peeps between books, but publishers look at these numbers before signing future book deals. The more subscribers an author has, the better chance they have of landing publishing contracts to write more books in the future.

Just a reminder that you can read the first chapter of Almost Holy Mama free here. It’s on Kindle and audiobook as well (and there’s a sweet little surprise at the very end of the audiobook, too!).

Thanks for all the love and support, friends. I write for you and because of you, and I can’t wait to share this story with you!