I tell wonder-filled stories about hope and healing
These are the days that make all the years of effort an author puts into a book worthwhile. Today, I got to hold my second novel for the first time, and it was even more magical than I imagined it would be. She’s beautiful! Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads launches globally everywhere books are sold on May 14th, a week from today! 
Pre-order available now at https://www.amazon.com/Emerson-Page-Where-Light-Leads/dp/1958901806
Julie and the wonderful team over at Chapter Break kindly published an author feature about me and my upcoming novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads. You can read the feature here: https://chapterbreak.net/2024/04/23/christa-avampato-introduces-emerson-page-series/
I talk about my five jobs as a writer: cartographer, painter, mason, tourist, and sculptor. I also discuss how I manage multiple writing projects and critique, my writing process, the relationship between my business experience and my writing, and advice for other writers. Thank you to Julie and Chapter Break for all you do for writers and readers.
Almost all my writing is re-writing. I write my first draft of a book in a month, and then spend many months re-writing and editing. This means a lot of content never makes it into the book. Now, for the first time, I’m sharing a few of these cut scenes with you!
Here are three cut scenes from my upcoming novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads. I’d love to know what you think — drop me a line. The novel is available now for pre-order and will be released everywhere books are sold on Tuesday, May 14th.
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Hello all – I’m popping in here to say a big thank you. Last week 1,202 people downloaded and bought my first novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters! World Book Night was the first special promotion I’ve ever done, and I had no expectation of how it would go. I’m so grateful to every one of you who downloaded and purchased the book.
It means so much to me, and I hope Emerson’s story brings you joy. If you feel inclined to write a review, you can do so here. Reviews help new readers discover the book.
Thank you again for all your wonderful support. I can’t wait to share the launch of my second book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads, in just two weeks on May 14th!
It’s World Book Night and the eBook for my first novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is FREE on Amazon all over the world TODAY ONLY! Click this link to go right to the Amazon page for the eBook and download it.
I’m so happy to be able to offer the first book of Emerson’s story to everyone to support this wonderful cause. Happy reading!
(I took this photo in the Long Room at the Library of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland when I was there doing research for Emerson’s second book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads, which launches on May 14th.)
To support World Book Night, the eBook for my first novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, will be free on Amazon all over the world on Tuesday, April 23rd. World Book Night is an annual program created by The Reading Agency to encourage people to read a book for an hour every evening. I’m grateful for all the love readers have shown Emerson over the years, and I’m so happy to give back and support this wonderful cause.
All day on Tuesday, April 23rd, you’ll be able to download Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters for free at this link. Happy reading and happy Earth Day today!
Closing out the week on a high! I just found out that my upcoming novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads, is an official selection for the 2024 New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles in June. One of my big goals for Emerson is to have her story made into a film or series so bumps like this within the film industry mean a lot. I’m grateful for this honor and I’m hoping I can get to LA for the festival in June.
On Coverfly, a platform that curates film, book, and media awards, my book is ranked in the top 34% of over 135,000 projects in all genres and formats, and top 19% of books and manuscripts.
Thank you to everyone who continues to champion Emerson and support me in my creative work. Your encouragement means everything to us.
On May 14th, the book will be available everywhere books and eBooks are sold. Pre-orders can be placed now on Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes & Noble. The first book in the series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is available now in paperback and as an eBook everywhere books are sold.
My second novel, Emerson Page and Where the
Light Leads, will be released everywhere books are sold
in less than a month on May 14th. This week I’m focused on pitching the book to
individual book reviewers. These are reviewers with popular websites and social
media accounts who primarily focus on reviewing books. I wanted to share some
top tips for authors who are pitching these reviewers:
Review their websites
There are sites like BookSirens.com that make it easy to find book reviewers.
It may be tempting for authors to just contact all reviewers on platforms like
this and let the chips fall where they may. This hurts you and it hurts all
other authors, too. Use these platforms to go to the individual websites. What
does a reviewer care about? What’s their style and brand? Would your book be
appealing to them, and if so, what you can you highlight about your book to get
their interest?
Respect the reviewer’s guidelines
By going to their websites, you will almost always find review guidelines.
Please follow these to the letter. What do they want in the pitch? What do they
not want in the pitch? What types of books and authors interest them? If they
are not a match for you, don’t contact them. Again, they are flooded with
requests. If they aren’t a match for your book, save your time and theirs, and
move on.
Respect the reviewer’s genre and format preferences
Within their guidelines, they will often define the genres and formats
(paperback, ePub, PDF, etc.) they prefer. They may also define what they don’t
want. Again, if they aren’t a match for you and your book, move on. I started
out sending my PDF as an attachment in my pitches. Then I decided it was best
to send the pitch without any attachment because the PDF is a big file and may
clog their inboxes. So just send the pitch as an email with no attachment and
include a link to your book or author website instead.
Personalize the pitch
Now that you have all this information from the reviewer’s website, personalize
your pitch. Give them everything they ask for and give them a reason to be interested
in your book. Is there something on their website, social platforms, or in
their bio that you love? Do they have a personal interest that matches with a
unique aspect of your book? Touches like that show your care and generate
connection.
Respect the reviewer’s time
Authors are strapped for time whether or not they have an agent, and whether or
not they have a publisher or have chosen to self-publish. (FYI — I don’t have
an agent and I have a publisher.) Having a book published is launching a
business. You, the author, need to do a lot of marketing and promotion of your
book. There’s a temptation to save time and send mass emails to reviewers or
take a “spray and pray” mentality. I get it. But please don’t do that. You are
asking a reviewer to give hours of their time reading and reviewing your book.
Make it easy for them to say yes by following their guidelines, preferences,
and personalizing your pitch.
Have you successfully pitched book reviewers? What are some other top tips
you would share?
Yesterday was a big day for me, marked by many milestones:
I’ll be sharing more about all of this throughout the week. For now, I’m feel so much gratitude for all of this, and for the people who made all of this possible. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
This is my first spring in my new neighborhood in Brooklyn and it’s loaded with flowering trees! I went out for a long walks over the last few days, taking in the warmth and light, the scent of flowers, and the explosion of colors. My dog, Phinny, would have loved these days. I loved them for both of us.
It’s hard to believe Phin passed away two months ago. I’ve been looking for a locket for a few months to carry him with me everywhere I go. On Monday, the day of the eclipse!, this one arrived. It has a blue forget-me-not flower pressed into the front. It now holds a lock of Phinny’s fur. All he ever wanted in life was to always be with me. I took him with me whenever I could (and then some!) Spiritually, he’s forever with me. Now, he’s physically with me always, too, and we’re traveling together. Our love story continues.
Today is also the anniversary of the founding of the ASPCA in New York City in 1866. Phinny prompted me to become a monthly donor almost 9 years ago for his birthday. I’m so grateful for their work and honored to support their lifesaving mission for all these years.
It’s also national hug your dog day. I wish I could hug Phineas today, so please hug your dogs for me. They are never with us long enough no matter how long their lives are. Love every day you get with yours. Here are some blooms to brighten your Wednesday.
Christa Avampato 