It’s something that doesn’t usually happen even to big-ticket bestselling authors, but it happened to me: two books coming out on the same day. Different pen names, different publishers, but one writer, yours truly, and one date: March 25th.
The first big question: How did we get here? A perfect storm of production glitches, honestly. One book was initially planned for last July, but the publisher, a wonderful little startup, was sold to a big and equally wonderful company, and the schedule shifted. At the other publisher, a well-respected small press, several unexpected issues combined to push a November book back six months.
As most writers do these days, I’d already scheduled a bunch of promotional opportunities for the books and had to start moving them as the schedules changed. One day late last fall, I woke up and realized the eclipse was coming—and I was standing right in between the sun and moon.
Now what?
“You can either lead the parade or get run over by it.”
That advice from my husband, after he found me tearing my hair out as I tried to move previously scheduled promotional opportunities for the books, became my plan. We christened March 25 “2Fer Day,” and I started talking it up that way.
It was a bit of a shift—the books are from series that had been positioned somewhat differently.
The Stuff of Mayhem is the second Old Stuff mystery from Level Best Books, featuring historian Christian Shaw, who solves crimes with her knowledge of old things. The main appeal for this one is the close-knit town and colorful cast, including Christian’s “two dads,” and her son, who has a photographic memory and type-1 diabetes. It’s basically a modern riff on a classic cozy.
Nikki Knight’s Hound of the Bonnevilles, the second Grace the Hit Mom mystery from Turner Publishing’s Keylight Books imprint, is an edgy screwball comedy. Grace, a full-time suburban mom and part-time lawyer, has a secret life as a member of an order of lady poisoners who take out evil men. This time, she’s defending a woman accused of killing her second husband—and she’s sure her client is guilty because Grace poisoned the first one!
Different concepts, but both light, fun mysteries. And one writer in a very unusual situation. So, “2Fer Day” became the headline.
It’s worked so far.
At this point in my writing career, I don’t usually get a lot of attention outside a small circle of regular readers and writer folks. No whining intended, but I’m not a big ticket.
The 2Fer, though, actually did help move the needle a little. It’s such an unusual thing that even my “day job,” the top all-news radio station in NYC, did a feature on it. I’ve gotten requests for more guest posts and podcast interviews . . . and my Temple Sisterhood even threw me a Double Book Launch Celebration party.
While it’s too early to have sales figures, both books do seem to be doing better than my usual launches. And I’m shifting gears for my next book . . . in addition to these two, my third book of the year is coming out soon!
That one is on schedule, and how I ended up with all these series is a whole different conversation. The short version? I’m terrible at giving up.
But I do a pretty good 2Fer!
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Kathleen Marple Kalb describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom . . . not in that order. An award-winning weekend anchor at New York’s 1010 WINS Radio, she writes short stories and novels, including the Old Stuff series, and as Nikki Knight, the Grace the Hit Mom Mysteries. Her stories have been in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and other major publications and anthologies, and short-listed for Derringer and Black Orchid Novella Awards. She, her husband, and son live in a Connecticut house owned by a large calico cat.
