More than 150 authors have come together to support one of their own for the ongoing “Bid My Soul Farewell Preorder Giveaway,” which offers readers a chance to win one of 40 signed book prize packs by preordering Beth Revis’s new YA novel, Bid My Soul Farewell (Razorbill, Sept.). The DIY preorder campaign was spearheaded by Amie Kaufman, who said she hoped to aid fellow author and friend Revis during a “tough time.” In early July, Revis shared via Instagram that her husband had gone] into advanced heart failure “with no warning and no known cause” and that she had spent the last weeks by his side in various hospitals. Kaufman recognized that, while Revis was focused on her family, she couldn’t actively promote her forthcoming novel.
Determined to find a way to help, Kaufman settled on the idea of a preorder campaign. “Beth’s so engaged with her readers and so generous in the way she communicates with them. I didn’t want her to look back and regret not having been able to devote the time to her book that she wanted to, and I didn’t want her to feel tugged in more directions than she had to be. I emailed her to ask her if she’d let us do this thing for her. ‘Please just say yes,’ I said, and told her how relieved her friends would be to be able to show her they cared. The author response certainly proved that right.”
Kaufman began by reaching out to authors she knew were friends of Revis, asking them to forward information about the preorder campaign to others she may have missed, and sent out a tweet to reach those she didn’t have a connection to. The positive response was swift. “I didn’t anticipate being buried under a pile of over 150 responses in a few days—but I also wasn’t surprised,” Kaufman said. “Beth’s one of the most beloved and generous souls in YA, and she’s supported so many people. It was beautiful to see the number of volunteers who didn’t know Beth personally, but who’d heard how lovely she was, and who wanted to support a member of their community, too.”
With authors from all over the world contributing copies of their books, the campaign is unique because it has brought writers together across publishers and countries. “It’s been an opportunity for our village to come together for one of its own. Because it’s run by authors, we’re able to offer prizes no publisher ever could,” Kaufman explained. “Readers could pick up an autographed copy of one of the big books of 2019 or 2020 before they’re released, or they could discover a new favorite author they haven’t read before. It’s also a chance for readers to win books signed by authors they might not meet in person, including international authors.” Each of the 40 prize packs will contain five books, all signed by the author. Among the prizes are a signed, leather-bound edition of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, ARCs of highly anticipated books—including The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu and The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White—and finished copies.
Among the upwards of 150 authors participating are Victoria Aveyard, Alan Gratz, Veronica Roth, Rainbow Rowell, and Adam Silvera. Leigh Bardugo, who volunteered to cover the costs of having all the book packs assembled and shipped, said of Revis, “[She] is one of the kindest and most generous members of our community. She has consistently supported new authors and met the challenges of this industry with creativity and candor. As authors, we're usually working without a safety net. I'm glad we could step in at a difficult time.”
In response to the campaign, Revis said, “This summer's chaos made me sort of drop the ball on... everything… including making sure everyone knew about my upcoming book release. I have amazing, awesome friends, and when they saw that I was in trouble, they stepped up to ease my load.” Of Kaufman, Revis added, “She is the genius and kind-hearted angel who is allowing me to focus on my family right now rather than promo, a gift of time I could never foresee the need for and for which I will always be grateful.”
