Kopp Sisters Literary Society--Ready for a Book?

Kopp Sisters Literary Society

Are You Ready for a Book?
Then I Need Your Address!

Hello good people of the Kopp Sisters Literary Society,

When I sat down to write this, I was astonished to see that I haven't written to you since January. What an innocent time that was, January!

Well, most of you read my newsletter and you know that the publication of Dear Miss Kopp was put off until January 2021 owing to--well, all this.

But now it's time to send you a book! First I need to verify your shipping address. Please go here and give me a good shipping address for you, even if nothing has changed. If I don't have your address on this new list, I won't be shipping Dear Miss Kopp to you.

I will email you when the packages go out, probably late Oct or early Nov. 
 

Also, I have a bit of dire news...

So, this is not something I'm telling anybody else. Do you mind keeping this just between us? It's a weird thing to talk about. In fact it generally isn't talked about in the publishing world, where everyone tries to be absurdly optimistic all the time.

BUT...the future of the Kopp series is a bit uncertain right now.

You're about to get #6, DEAR MISS KOPP. Then #7, very tentatively titled MISS KOPP INVESTIGATES, comes out in September 2021, according to the usual schedule.

But after that? I...uh...don't have a book contract.

My publisher wants to wait and see how DEAR MISS KOPP does before they decide whether they want to continue with the series.

Now, this is not actually that surprising a position for them to take. The last contract I signed with them was for books 6 and 7. So why would they want to sign a new contract when they haven't published a single book under the old contract?

I get that. A lot of this is due to the fact that the schedule is a little messed up this time around.

But still, it leaves me in the position of not knowing whether I should start writing the next book, when I don't know when or if it might be published.

I decided to start writing it anyway. (I mean, what else am I going to do right now? Without a new book to write, I'm basically unemployed.) But really, I couldn't NOT write it. I feel like I owe it to the Kopps to give them every chance I possibly can.

So by the time DEAR MISS KOPP comes out in January, I might have a rough first draft ready to show my publisher. Hopefully they'll love it, and we'll be off and running.

But what will REALLY make the difference is how DEAR MISS KOPP does! And...uh...it's coming out in January, right after Christmas, which is a terrible time for book sales generally, and of course there won't be a book tour. Also, the media is every so slightly distracted with current events.

This is all a long-winded way of saying...

I need your help
now more than ever!

I started the Kopp Sisters Literary Society because I knew there were people who loved the Kopps as much as I do and were already out there telling their friends and family and anyone who would listen about these books. I wanted a way to sort of round some of you up, give you early access to the books, and thank you for helping to spread the word.

A lot of that "spreading the word" stuff is tricky this year, because we are all cooped up inside, and we are all just so distracted and traumatized and barely functioning.

So all your efforts--on social media, among your friends, etc etc--are so much appreciated this time around. You'll get a reminder about what kinds of things help when we send you your package.

A few things that are maybe a bit different this time:

DEAR MISS KOPP can be pre-ordered for the holidays! It might not arrive until January, but getting presents in January is fun, right? Any indie bookstore would love to take an order, but also Bookshop.org supports indie bookstores and you can order right from their website and have it shipped. Maybe your friends would just like to add it to their holiday wish list? Notice that this year, we're releasing the hardcover and paperback at the same time, so you can have either (or an ebook. Or an audiobook).

I am always happy to send signed bookplates. More on this coming up in my regular newsletter, but you all can just email me anytime with a mailing address and I can pop those in the mail.

I will do virtual events anytime! Book clubs, community groups, or just random assortments of people (and pets, I would like to see your pets) who want to get together on the platform of your choice to talk books. I'll be setting up virtual events and announcing them in the newsletter, but you can also just reach out to me and say, "Hey, me and my mom and her cat and a couple of my co-workers want to Zoom/Skype/whatever with you" and that can happen!

Also, I Made This Video

I made a video about the book earlier this year, but I wanted to fix one tiny thing in it, so I re-shot it and added a few more historical pictures. Here it is. Feel free to share. I actually have one for every book in the series.

Here's Another Little Secret Thing Just For You

I've started making these collages about the Kopps. I don't know much about collage and it turns out there's a lot to learn. I have nearly filled a notebook with them, but I'm not showing the new ones to anybody, because I'm not sure what I think of them or what to do with them. Also, some of them contain spoilers pertaining to future books. Here's one that is not a spoiler, exactly, but it does tie in to something that happens in Book 7. It's made from a mixture of vintage paper scavenged from thrift stores and printouts of my digitized research materials.

I'm kind of thinking of starting a Kopp Sisters Instagram account where I only post things like this, and other vintage photos, articles, etc etc pertaining to the Kopp world. Kind of like what the Kopps would post, if they had Instagram.

Should I do that? I can't decide.

Anyway, stay in touch and thanks for reading this far. Feel free to just hit reply and write me back about anything and everything. I'm always happy to hear from you.

Stay safe, be well--

Amy