Book Discussions

The Five Stages of Anticipating a Book’s Release

Melissa @ BookNerdMomo53 Comments

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Originally I had another discussion-esque post planned for this month but then I started thinking about how I react when I’m really anticipating the release of a book and decided that would be more fun to talk about. Between The Song Rising releasing at the beginning of the year and two of my other most highly anticipated reads releasing this month (one of them tomorrow as I’m writing this on May 1st) I’ve realized that I go through different stages when I’m excited about a book. Five stages to be exact, and I have a feeling a lot of us go through these. Especially when it comes to anticipating books in a series we love. This is going to be half serious half over dramatic but I hope it makes you guys laugh. 

The Five Stages of Anticipating a Book’s Release

Stage 1: I need this book to be released right now!

I need it, I want it! How am I supposed to wait a whole year for this book to be released? Why hasn’t someone invented a time machine just for bookworms so that we don’t have to wait for books to be released? AKA the stage you enter as you finish a book in a series and realize you have to wait for the next one, that books don’t just magically grow on trees. Or even just the stage that comes with being really excited for a new book that sounds like it could be your next favorite. 

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Stage 2: Out of sight out of mind.

Okay, the amount of time I spend thinking about how much I want this book is getting out of hand. Thinking about it constantly isn’t going to make time go by faster. Maybe if I just move on for a bit, pretend it doesn’t exist, time will go by faster? Before I know it the book will be released! AKA the stage where you try the out of sight out of mind method, try to read another book and forget.

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Stage 3: HA! You thought pretending would work? It’s called denial.

I can totally do this! It’s only a year long wait. That’s not that long away. I’m a good, patient bookworm. Look at me reading other books and not thinking about the book I really want to read. I got this! *author/publisher reveals the cover, synopsis, and/or excerpt* WHO AM I KIDDING!? I NEED THIS BOOK! I CAN’T WAIT! AKA the stage where you’re completely in denial over how much you want the book and only realize it when they throw you a bone. 

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Stage 4: It’s almost here!

Oh, look! Only a few weeks/months left until the book is released. *jumps up and down in excitement and starts counting down the days again* I can’t wait! AKA the stage where you finally start letting yourself really think about the book and admit to the excitement again because it’s nearly here. 

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Stage 5: ONLY ONE MORE DAY! 

Oh my god, it’s releasing tomorrow! I’m excited but I’m scared. I want to read it but I’m scared. What if one of my favorites die? What if it ends in a cliffhanger? What if my expectations are too high? What if I don’t love it? I lied. I’m not ready for this! I need more time! AKA the stage where you have all of the feelings before reading and don’t know whether you’re anxious or excited or both. But, of course, you’re still going to dive head first into it!

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I’m actually on stage five at the moment, which is what prompted this post. Which also brings me to what I want to ask you guys –

Have you ever gone through the five stages of anticipating a book’s release?

If you’re going through it right now what stage are you on?

spsig

 

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53 thoughts on “The Five Stages of Anticipating a Book’s Release”

  3. Ahah I love this and can relate to all of this so, so much. Actually, there’s a moment when I kind of forget about the book altogether because it’s been so long, then I’m reminded by a cover reveal or anything, really, and I’m like, “damn, but I have to wait again and now I’m excited about it all” ahahaah. This is currently happening to me with the new series about Noah Shaw, a sort of spin-off for the Mara Dyer series 🙂

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    • Glad you loved it, Marie! 😁 For some books there’s a moment I forget about it too because it’s book so long but then, like you, a cover reveal will remind me of it and how much I want to read it lol. And I’m so excited for the Noah Shaw spin-off! Has there been something revealed for it? I haven’t been paying attention. 🙈

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      • NOOOO there has been NOTHING for so long, I am tired of waiting haha. I think the author saw the cover of the book – she said so on Twitter or Instagram, I don’t remember – but…she did not show it to us ahah. CRUEL.

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      • I don’t know if you’ve seen my tweet to you yet but the cover and an excerpt were revealed today! The cover looks awesome. 😱 Funny timing since we were talking about it on here lol. Definitely just made me a million times more excited about it! I also realized I’ll need to reread the Mara Dyer books before then because it’s been so long.

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      • YES I saw it and YES it looks INCREDIBLE ahah. It’s because we talked about it that it arrived haha and I am SO HAPPY. Now onto waiting a couple more months, ugh…
        It has been SO long since I read these books as well, I need to re-read them!

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      • I know it’s pretty far away but we should totally try to plan a buddy-read of this book?! That would be SO great (if you’re up to it, of course!) 😀

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  4. I go through three stages: the first I’m so psyched but I know it will be awhile (Three new Shatter Me books), and then second I’ve forgotten about it because other books are coming out (Ever the Brave until three weeks ago). And then finally there’s the last step: the ARCs are rumored to come out and all I want is that book right now in my hands and I will be miserable until I have a copy to read (Warcross, The Glass Spare).
    😂😂😂

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    • I think I go through those stages whenever I know there’s going to be an ARC for a book and then I go through the ones in my post whenever there isn’t or I don’t get approved for the ARC. 😂 That’s actually how it was whenever ARCs for The Song Rising went out, I remember obsessively checking NetGalley so I could request it. 🙈

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  6. I love this post! It is so accurate haha. Waiting a year for the next book in a series is the worst!

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  7. This is a great post Melissa, and an appropriate one given how much we’ve spoken about anticipated releases and how many amazing books have been released so far this year we’ve been highly anticipating.
    For some reason when there are books I really really really need more than anything else in the world (ACOL) I tend to get stuck on the first phase and never really move past it. I’m in a constant state of needing this book to be released right now, until it gets to the stage where’s there’s just one more day and I simply can’t believe that it’s being released in one more day (it happened with TSR and ACOWAR). One thing you’ll hear from me when it comes to anticipated releases of mine is that I can’t believe it’s being released so soon. I know I’ve probably said that to you before, especially when it comes to ACOWAR and TSR. 😀
    See now ACOWAR has been released I’m not sure what book is currently my most anticipated. Most of the ones I’m looking forwards to (TBS4) aren’t being released for so long I’m not even on the board yet when it comes to what stage of anticipation I’m on! I’m in book limbo at the moment! 😀
    Again great post Melissa! 🙂 ❤

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    • Thanks so much, Beth!! 😁♥ Right? Honestly, it was inspired by a combination of us talking about all the books we’re excited for and ACOWAR’s release. I wrote it the day before it released and was definitely on stage five. I think I’m still on stage five even though I’m nearly finished with the book. 😂
      There are times whenever I get stuck on stage one too! And sometimes even stage two. For TSR I was definitely in a constant state of just needing the book ASAP. I know we talked about it so much before it released that all I was wishing for was time to go by faster. And then with Lord of Shadows I’ve been stuck in stage two. I thought about it so much after finishing Lady Midnight and went into a mini slump so I haven’t let myself really think about the fact that it’s released soon. It’s helped time go by quicker, I think lol. But with ACOWAR I went through the full spectrum of stages and got stuck on the last one. 😂 But yeah, we’ve definitely talked about not being able to believe a book is coming out so soon. Especially with ACOWAR and TSR. Just wait it’ll be the same for TBS4! 😊
      Besides ACOWAR I only have Lord of Shadows and the second Gilded Cage book for this year. After that I don’t have any really highly anticipated reads either. Aside from TBS4 anyway. I mean there are books I’m excited for but not ones on the same level of excitement the others were on.

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      • That’s all right! 😀 And ahh, another topic inspired by a conversation we’ve had as well. There seem to be many of them, and actually I’ve literally just had another idea for a conversation topic from our comments right this second.
        I was the same, until I got to the end I was pretty much stuck on stage five, or more of an ‘I can’t believe I actually have this book in my hands now’ stage. There are always some books that you’re so excited for you get stuck on one stage, I know for a fact the next TBS book will be one of them, and ACOL was a major one for me earlier this year, to the point that it overshadows the waits for all the other books I was excited for.
        I’m always getting stuck on that stage, I think you spend so long waiting and anticipating releases that when they’re finally released its still a little unbelievable that the book is nearly being released!
        For me whenever a book I’ve been anticipating has been released I have a new most eagerly anticipated release. At the moment it’s The Love Interest, which I cannot wait for! 😀

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      • There really does! And I’m intrigued by whatever idea you just got from our comments. I can’t wait to see it! 😁
        YES! I thought that too about not being able to believe I actually had the book in my hands. Or that I was reading it. I was so beyond excited for ACOWAR that honestly just couldn’t believe I was already reading it. Like how I can’t believe I’ve already finished it. I thought it would take me half the month to read it because 700 pages is a lot but apparently it wasn’t enough. And even though I loved the ending I was wishing for more pages.
        There are definitely some books that you get stuck on stages with and I’m with you on TBS being a series that that will continue happening to me for. Especially with how much I look for information about future books on Samantha Shannon’s twitter and tumblr. 😂
        Sometimes I have a new most anticipated and then sometimes I don’t. At the moment I have Lord of Shadows but after that I don’t have one for a while. It’s weird how most of the highly anticipated books released so early in the year this year.

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      • Well it’s an idea that’s going to take a lot of work but one I am so so excited about so we’ll see. Either way I won’t be posting it for the first time until June maybe? Who knows.
        Ahh, once I have a book in my hands I very quickly believe that it’s in my hands and I move onto being excited that it’s finally been released and that I can get started on it. It’s the run up to the dispatch from Amazon and seeing that email letting me know it’s been shipped! 😀
        TBS is going to be one of those series for me as well. I’m pretty much in a constant state of wishing for the fourth book, and actually even though the fourth hasn’t been released yet I feel the same way about books five, six and seven! 😀
        I know, but it does mean we have less time to wait for them in one way. I hope you enjoy Lord of Shadows Melissa! 😀 ❤

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      • I think I go through a whole stage, which I am naming stage 6, where I can’t believe I have a book I was really excited for and I just keep staring at it on my shelves even after I’ve finished it. I’ll admit I still do that for TSR but I blame the two year wait. 😂
        Same! I’m already thinking about TBS5 and 6 and 7. I swear we think the wait is long now but just wait until it gets to book 7. I foresee a giant slump because I’m not going to want it to end.
        True and I hope so too! 😁♥

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      • I have experience stage 6 myself, but I can only remember it happening with ACOL. I think it will likely happen with the last TBS book as well just because that will have the same feeling for me as the last Shades of Magic book did.
        We can be slumped together then when it comes to TBS7. I feel we’ll both need emotional support after that series ends! 😀

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      • Oh we will definitely need emotional support after TBS ends. It’s such a long wait for each book and a long series that once it ends it will be weird knowing there isn’t another book to wait for. That and I’ll never want to say goodbye to the characters. 😢
        Which, it’s probably weird thinking about how TBS7 is the last book whenever we don’t even have TBS4 yet. 😂

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      • We may have to start one of those anonymous support groups, but I’m sure one will pop up on Goodreads closer to the release date! Or I’ll create one closer to the release date! 😀
        We really do plan ahead when it comes to the books we want don’t we? 🙂

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      • We just might have to! I know there’s a regular TBS group on GR, where they did that Q&A, but you should so create a support group once TBS7 is here. I would join it in a second and tweet about it. 😁
        We really do! 😂

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  8. This is great! I’m on board with step five all of the way. I was on that one on May 1st as well. What if the book isn’t as good as I hope? What if a character I can’t part with dies? What if the ending doesn’t actually tie anything up and I’m left on that cliff? Do I even want to read the book now? I hate that stage. The anticipation is much more fun.

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    • Glad you enjoyed it! And right? The anticipation is definitely more fun. When it hits stage five I’m over here being a giant ball of anxiousness and excitement and just worrying about how the book will end. 😂

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  13. Oh yes except I then have an additional stage, where I then look at the price of the brand new hardback and then wait for the paper back and maybe a sale as well.

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  14. I totally relate to all of these steps especially step three. You finally believe you may actually be able to survive the wait and them they spring cover reveals and sneak peaks at you. I swear they enjoy torturing us 😀

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  15. Arghhh yeeees! I go through this with both of Sarah J. Maas’ series, The Illuminae Files, and I just read Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton and I am DYING to read the third book in the series! I feel like my heart has been ripped out. So I’m trying to forget about it by distracting myself with A Court of Wings & Ruin o_o

    Jordon @ Simply Adrift

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    • I’m so glad I’m not the only one! I haven’t read Illuminae yet nor Alwyn Hamilton’s books but same about SJM. Especially for ACOWAR. I was on stage 5 big time the day before the book released and even while reading it. Now I’m trying to get out of a major book hangover. 😂
      Hope you’re enjoying ACOWAR so far! 😊

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  17. Hahahah stage 1 and 5!! Permanent state of being literally omg. 😂😂 I loved reading this so much!! Waiting for a book to be released is so painful aghhhhh, especially if it’s either in a series or it’s the start of one by your favourite authors (which is a case of sooooo many books this year for me). Either way waiting for them is endless pain! For books releasing in a year though, I’ve gotten pretty good at the whole out of sight out of mind thing? Because I only have so much spacs in my brain haha but if someone reminds me I go back into full on stage 1 mode? It’s horrible really. 😂😂

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