The Spare Room is out in paperback today!

+ exactly what to do on YOUR publication day

Big news, buds! The Spare Room is finally out in paperback wherever books are sold! I’m so proud of my queer, twisty suspense about a lockdown affair that turns deadly, and the paperback has all sorts of cool bonus content: texts and DMs between Kelly and Sabrina, a playlist, an essay about the story’s origins, discussion questions, and more. I really hope you dig it!

You can find signed copies in both the Hudson Valley and, later this week, Brooklyn¹. (There are also some book giveaways running at the moment!) I’m doing a virtual AMA on 7/10 at 8pm ET with Jo Piazza on Bookspark’s Instagram, and on 7/11 I’ll be signing copies at the Barnes & Noble Philadelphia at 5pm. I’d love to see you, and I so appreciate your support!

For the authors among you, I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone by sharing my publication-day checklist (steal it for your own book birthday)! My top tip, and here I am begging you: MAKE IT INCREDIBLY EASY FOR PEOPLE TO SIGNAL-BOOST YOUR BOOK. (Yes, I am shouting.) Here’s how:

• Post a great photo of the book (or, better yet, a selfie with the book cover) to Instagram so people can easily share it to their Stories. Bonus points if there are a number of great shots of the book in your grid, so folks have options.

• Post a short book description and buy link to X, Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Voila, now people can repost!

• Send an email to your contacts informing them of the release date and begging for their help, spelling out exactly what you’d like them to do. People like marching orders + not having to think too hard! (I only do this for the hardcover release so that no one can accuse me of emailing them too often, lol.) Here’s the email I sent out for The Spare Room’s hardcover release last year; feel free to follow a similar format! Notice how I literally wrote people’s tweets for them. (Just remember to bcc so that no one gets stuck in reply-all hell.)

Hi friends,

After three+ years of work, my new domestic suspense novel, The Spare Room, is finally out in the world! It's a queer, twisty thriller about a down-on-her-luck woman who moves in with a couple during lockdown and finds herself falling for them. They open up their marriage for her, and at first, she loves being part of their sexy new world—but when she discovers their last lover is missing, she starts to wonder if they're actually dangerous...and if she's next. People Magazine calls it "a fresh and sexy ride, perfect for reading poolside," and I can't wait for readers to dive in!

Word of mouth is such an important part of building buzz around a book, and I'm so grateful for all the support this book has garnered so far—so to everyone who's preordered, cheered it on, or talked it up, THANK YOU! I appreciate you so much.

If you're willing to support The Spare Room, here are some ideas:

1. The first week of sales determines whether a book will hit the bestseller list, so if you'd like to buy a copy, now is a great time! Your local independent bookstore is always the most author-friendly bet, but here are some other buy links:

Amazon
Target
Bookshop.org (a portion of proceeds supports indie bookstores!)
Barnes & Noble

The Spare Room is also available as an e-book and audiobook.

2. If you belong to your local library, you can request the book and they'll special order it for your branch. (Fun fact: Libraries pay a higher price per book than consumers, so this $0 act helps authors bigly!)

3. I'd be so grateful if you posted about the book via Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, sky-writing, billboard, LinkedIn—wherever! (You could even forward this email to friends who might enjoy the book.) Feel free to share posts from my Instagram or Twitter or to post the cover (attached) or a photo you take of the book. Anything you'd like to write is fab, but if you're stuck, here are some ideas:

My friend @andibartz's new suspense book is out TODAY! #TheSpareRoom is about a woman who moves in with a couple during lockdown, becomes romantically involved with them—and then discovers their last partner is missing. Get your copy here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-spare-room/18857856

#TheSpareRoom by my friend @andibartz is out now! People Magazine called her new domestic suspense, about a lockdown love triangle that turns deadly, "a fresh and sexy ride, perfect for reading poolside." Order here! https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-spare-room/18857856

Happy pub day, @andibartz! #TheSpareRoom is a twisty mystery about a pandemic setup that goes from dreamy to deadly. Get your copy here: amzn.com/gp/product/1984820494

4. The best way to throw even more love my way is to leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon (you do not need to purchase it to write a review). Even a one-liner helps immensely. Once a book hits a certain number of reviews, the algorithm recommends it to more people.

5. I have in-person events coming up in Brooklyn, DC, Philadelphia, and Milwaukeeland! I'd love to see you there: andreabartz.com/events

Emails like this come but once a book launch (that's every two years or so, for those keeping track at home!), but if you'd like to stay up to date on my books, you can sign up for my newsletter here.

Wow, you're still reading!? From the bottom of my heart, thank you for celebrating this book with me! I'm so grateful for each and every one of you. Happy reading!

Warmly,

Andi

1. Find signed copies at: Rough Draft in Kingston, Barnes & Noble Kingston, and—by the end of the week, if all goes according to plan—Terrace Books, Community Bookstore, and Barnes and Noble Park Slope! + Greenlight Bookstore, The Center for Fiction, and Books Are Magic very soon, hopefully, depending on how mobile the weather and my sprained ankle leave me.