Promoting her newest book, “Well Versed,” has become something of a full-time job for Tucson author Jen DeLuca.
There are the tour dates, the social media posts, the group chats, the interviews, the bookmarks, the gift items, the e-books, the audiobooks, the all-the-rest-of-it that comes with launching a new novel.
The plot twist is this: “Well-Versed,” the fifth and final installment of DeLuca’s popular “Well Met” romance series, will not be available for another month.
“September 22nd,” DeLuca said with a smile, and a look at her calendar evidenced the growing importance of advance sales in the modern world of publishing.
“Pre-orders are really important now,” DeLuca said. “Publishers, booksellers, libraries … they all look at the pre-sale and early wait lists to gauge the interest in upcoming books. If the numbers are strong, a publisher might lengthen the print run or bump up the marketing budget. Bookstores and libraries might increase their orders. And since all pre-sales are counted in your first-week total, there’s a chance you might even make a bestseller list here or there.”
People are also reading…
Tucson author Jen DeLuca, shown at Stacks Book Club on Broadway.
Another benefit? Pre-order promotions can generate enthusiasm within an author’s existing fan base, a perfect example being the latest book by Jen DeLuca.
She first found an audience with “Well Met,” a romance novel set in a fictional Maryland renaissance fair, in 2019.
The series would continue with “Well Played” in 2020, "Well Matched" in 2021 and "Well Traveled" in 2022.
DeLuca will be ending the series with “Well Versed,” and her followers are eager to see how she does it.
“There’s a throughline in all five books, so this will be like the series finale of a good TV show,” DeLuca laughed. “I’m bringing back some of my guest stars, and I put some Easter eggs in there for people who’ve been following all along.”
Indeed, the central character is Caitlin Parker, who appeared as a 14-year-old in Book One. Now 24, she returns to a life — and maybe even a man — she once loved.
“I’m hoping the people who’ve been reading my books will be happy with the way I’m wrapping things up,” DeLuca said. “It would be great if we could all celebrate the journey these characters have shared with us.”
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These Well Read followers will have plenty of opportunities to do just that.
DeLuca’s upcoming book tour will begin with a sneak-presale and signing at the 50th annual Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis on Sept. 19.
In the months that follow, she will visit five additional ren fairs and seven bookstores — including The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn.
“After Maryland, all my trips will include a bookstore on one day and a renaissance fair the next,” DeLuca said. “I like renaissance fairs, what can I say.”
Jen DeLuca, in costume, at last year's Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis.
DeLuca was working as a paralegal in Florida when she began toying with the idea of writing a book 10 years ago. She knew from the beginning it would be a romance novel. After that, it was a simple matter of “write what you know.”
“When I was a little younger, I spent two summers working as a volunteer tavern wench at the Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire outside of Orlando,” DeLuca said. “Even then I remember thinking it would be a fun place to set a romance novel. There’s just so much over-the-top romanticism there. Women in fancy dresses, men with swords, hand-kissing, flowers … When I was in costume, I felt like a different person. I think all of us did.”
Another plus? This make-believe world could exist in a real one.
“My characters can order Chinese takeout. They can head to urgent care if they get sick. It’s pretty easy to make them feel real.”
DeLuca was within weeks of releasing her second book, “Well Played,” when she, her husband and their three cats moved to Tucson in the summer of 2020.
Although they arrived during a monsoon rain, it proved to be a lull before the storm when it came to her career as an author.
By year’s end, a new online community called BookTok was making romance the bestselling genre in all of literature, and DeLuca was one of the authors riding the first wave.
DeLuca later introduced a second romance series with “Haunted Ever After” in 2024 and “Ghost Business” last year, but she has a warm place in her heart for fetching ladies and kind sirs.
“You know, after my first ren fair in Florida I realized I had signed up for a parttime bartending job, in the woods, in an uncomfortable outfit, for no money. My last day, I couldn’t feel my feet, but by the next year I couldn’t wait to do it again. It’s been fun staying connected through these books.”
So far, her efforts to spread the word about “Well Versed” seem to be bearing fruit.
The wait lists for e-books and audiobooks are growing daily at the Pima County Public Library. Pre-orders at Tucson bookstores have been brisk. Fittingly, this story seems headed for a happily ever after, too.
Footnotes
Mostly Books, at 6208 E. Speedway, will host a pub-day launch party for DeLuca and “Well Versed” on Sept. 22. To learn more, visit mostlybooksaz.com.
DeLuca will discuss her new book with fellow Tucson author Sarah T. Dubb Oct. 2 at the new Stacks Book Club location on Broadway. To get tickets and learn more, visit stacksbookclub.com/events.
This week’s Tucson Love Letter includes a long list of things we can do with a Pima County Public Library card. Too see it, visit tucsonloveletter.com.
The Stacks Book Club store in Oro Valley will present Tucson Poet Laureate Logan Phillips Sept. 4. He will read from his latest collection, “Reckon,” and discuss his hopes for his three-year term as poet laureate. To learn more, visit stacksbookclub.com/events.
