ARCs and Updates 🔴 blood worm moon letter
It's only three bloody weeks away!
*Okay, I’m a little late for the blood moon, but you try balancing pre-launch book marketing with a full-time film festival job during the festival! It’s a lot!"
Since I last remembered to write a newsletter…
I got my proof copies from both printers. One looks better than the other, but the better one won’t ship until release day, so all my friends who ordered from me are getting the less great one but it’s fine, it’s fine.
I signed my first book! And 15 more! I’m waiting on more stock to be able to sign, wrap, and send the rest of my friend sales.
I gave my website a makeover, so it’s a much more impressive and on-brand landing place for people finding my book.
In my non-author life, I am busy working at a film festival. Actually, there is no non-author life, because even when I am Tish Black: Film Programmer, I am also Tish Black: Fairy Tale Author. Film Programmer Tish will be talking up the festival films and Author Tish will be talking up her own book to guests, hoping to make some in-person sales.
Advance Reader Copies (ARCs)
I offered ARCs to a bunch of book influencers, some accepted, and I’ve got a couple of reviews already up on Instagram and Goodreads!
If you’d like an ARC (or a ‘review copy’ when it’s not in advance), you can fill out this form. I don’t have a strict deadline or rules for what you have to post; I’m just happy to share with active readers who want to share the books they like!
Do I have feelings?
That’s perhaps a larger existential question for another time.1
Some feelings I’ve felt as I become a published author: excitement, dread, happiness, worry, hope, stress, confidence, and overwhelm, to name a few.
I hope to feel some relief after launch week- yes, I have to keep marketing and selling my book, but without the deadline of a launch it will be more fun. And I plan to write more on this Substack than just book updates: essays about fairy tales and their tellers (like extended versions of my short-form video content), more Tiny Tales, and some writing challenges to create a community. (I mean, I’ve been putting content on the internet for 20 years, wanting to find community, and haven’t yet, but maybe it’s finally the time…)
Your homework:
Apply for an ARC: Fill out this form.
Read my book: Get it from any online book retailer, your favourite indie bookstore, or request from your library.
Tell people about my book: Do you know any angry feminists? Anyone who reads fairy tale retellings (and not just the smutty ones)? Any Angela Carter fans? Anyone who loves fun facts like “Did you know in the Grimms’ first edition, it was Snow White’s mother, not stepmother, who tries to kill her?” Tell them they’ll like my book.
Invite me to be on your podcast, Substack, blog, IG Live, etc.: I’m very good at talking about fairy tales, my book, self-publishing, the patriarchy, etc. Here’s the book media kit.
Follow me on Instagram and/or TikTok: for book vibes, for more about fairy tales and their tellers, and to send my content to friends who you think should read my book.
Listen to my book playlists: Official Book Playlist (Apple, Spotify) and Official Vibes Playlist (Apple, Spotify)
Bathing in the blood of my enemies under the blood moon,
.tish
I’ve been using the self-care app Finch, which is cute, but every time I open the app, it asks me how I’m feeling right now with the option to choose five emoji faces from sad to happy and almost every time I assess and decide I feel neutral 😐 and it’s making me worry that I do not have feelings other than tummy aches ☹️ and laughing at British comedy shows 🤣. I can’t tell if I feel happy when exciting things happen like my friend saying her friends want to start a book club for my book or a magazine contacting me for an interview. 🫤 Like, what’s the point of all this if it doesn’t make me feel good?