I Saw You First: A Labor of Love

The Labor Part

Today is Labor Day in the US, and while many people I know have today off (including my husband, who is upstairs playing guitar as I write this), most of the writers and authors I know are working. 

Being a career novelist (or even aspiring to be a career novelist) is not a 9-to-5 gig (RIP Dolly). These last couple of years, I've worked hard to establish a routine that gets me closer to a M-F regular writing and marketing time, but the fact of the matter is, I will work any time of the day or night if that's what I have to do. 

My fourth novel and my adult romance debut, I Saw You First, will be available on Thursday, September 10. It's also the first book I've self-published. And although every book is a labor of love, this one takes the cake. 

A Brief History of the Path to Publication

This book is like a cat with its nine lives (and counting). It has been around the block. My agent took it out on submission and it didn't sell. Then he retired. So I revised the book with higher stakes and a dual POV with the intention of self-publishing (maybe)... but suddenly, my agent, who was actually only sort-of retired, put the first version back on sub (!) and an editor showed interest (!). But it didn't make it through the acquisitions meeting and that was the end of that. A couple of months later, I pitched a different book to a potential agent at a writing conference and she expressed interest in this book instead. So I revised it again... and then she rejected it. 

Well. Shit. 

I'd put so much work into the book, so I decided to publish it myself. I sent it back to my lovely developmental editor for a second round, leaned on my smart author friends who've done this before, and set the publication date: September 10, 2026, which happens to be 30 years to the day that I walked into Best Buy #281 in Richfield, Minnesota, and applied for a part-time job selling music, movies, software, and video games. 

I knew that independent publishing would be a lot of work, but this was more than I expected and I did it in a condensed timeframe. If you've ever considered self-publishing, don't do this to yourself. I only decided to publish it myself in early June, allowing only three months to finish the book (haha) and figure out all the moving pieces of independent publishing. 

Zero stars. Do not recommend. 

Or maybe I do. Maybe giving myself this ridiculously short timeline was exactly what I needed to make it happen (or, as the general manager of Hometown Electronics, the primary setting of I Saw You First, frequently writes: Akme it happen). 

It's happening and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Many of the cogs of this machine have done their worst to prevent me from publishing this book (I still don't have preorder links for the paperback, for which I apologize) and half the time (maybe three-quarters), I don't know what I'm doing. But here we are, and I know of at least one retailer where you'll be able to order on September 10, and you can always contact me directly. 

What the Actual...

Speaking of cogs... many pieces of this process have been frustrating and distressing and even a little horrifying. When my traditionally published books came out, people would ask me, "Where should I buy the book? Where will you make the most money?" and I'd tell them to buy it wherever it made sense for them because it didn't make a difference to me. 

Let me tell you. For an independently published author, it makes a difference. If you want to know the numbers, I'll tell you the numbers. Personally, I'm going to try to buy directly from independently pubbed authors in the future or purchase a digital version as an alternative. Friends, this industry is not for the faint of heart in so many ways. 

The Love Part

But I love this book. I love Wil and Abbey and their story. I love the music that's woven through the narrative. I've loved reminiscing about the Best Buy Days. I hope that if you read I Saw You First, you'll find things to love, too. Because that's what it's all about. Finding joy and love in story. No matter how a book arrives into the world, that's what I want to share with you. 

Find out more about the book including buy links here.