By Leah Murphy, Emily Lavin, Georgia Rees, Chante-Marie Dante and Annamária Rátki
Following the success of her previous series, When the Moon Hatched is Sarah A. Parker’s latest venture into the fantasy genre. She has already made the Sunday Times bestseller list since its release on 13 June. Originally self-published, Parker’s novel was signed by HarperVoyager in April 2024 after a nine-way auction. Described as a world of “magic, dragons and heartbreak,” this first instalment to the new Moonfall series follows Raeve, an assassin captured by a group of powerful fae, as she encounters dragon rider Kaan; together, they discover secrets about their world, and each other, that could change everything they thought they knew.
In this issue, we look at the campaign for When the Moon Hatched. From stunning Waterstones displays to must-have proofs and a well-rounded social media campaign particularly capitalising on the novel’s popularity within the BookTok community, the HarperVoyager team have succeeded in making sure Parker’s book is what readers are talking about!
Social Media
The author has been extremely active on her Instagram page, keeping readers updated and teasing announcements. On 9 November 2023, Sarah A. Parker posted a mysterious picture with a note that read, “I have a secret.” In the following week, the author embarked on seven days of snippets. These teasers included several quotes from the book accompanied by previews of the internal artwork by Alice Cao, an introduction to the central character Raeve, reactions from Sarah A. Parker’s friends and family and a title reveal.
A competition was also held for fans to win an e-ARC (digital advanced reader copy) of the novel. To be in with a chance of winning, fans had to guess the book's title. The only clue they were given was the first initial of each word – WTMH.
The author frequently shared quotes and promoted fan artwork to continue building excitement for her upcoming release. One popular post depicted a trope map, teasing fans on what to expect from the book, such as “he falls first,” forbidden love and star-crossed lovers. Clearly, this post was directed at BookTok readers with a keen interest in book tropes.
Sarah also gave fans a glimpse behind the scenes of promoting her book, compiling her latest events into a short video. In the video, the author talks about attending a panel at ApollyCon (a four-day reader event held in Washington and organised by Jennifer L. Armentrout), several book signings and her visit to New York to celebrate the US book release.
Events
Sarah kicked off publication week in her resident Australia, touring local bookstores to sign huge amounts of stock and meet fans eagerly anticipating the release. Honouring the close connection that she has with her fans, Sarah chatted via video link to two book influencers, @skyeslibrary and @haus.of.fables, about all things When the Moon Hatched, as well as discussing her transition from indie to traditional publishing and what her writing days look like. Creating a rapport with fans like this helps to build a sense of community and excitement for upcoming releases.
Sarah has yet to attend any events in the UK (although she assures us these are coming soon) but did appear via video at a Waterstones online event held on 13 June. Here she was joined in conversation by Thea Guanzon, author of The Hurricane Wars. Ticket holders could submit questions upon purchasing their Waterstones exclusive copy.
Sarah has participated in a few panel events in the weeks after publication. She first appeared at ApollyCon where she shared a panel with romance authors Raven Kennedy, Ivy Asher and Ann Denton. On 14 August, Sarah is set to appear on an online panel with Jordan Ifueko and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé to celebrate Jordan’s new novel The Maid and the Crocodile. The Wielding Female Rage in Fantasy panel will discuss how they channel female rage in their narratives and how they craft complex female characters.
Bookshops
In Waterstones, many When the Moon Hatched books are stacked on tables, along with dragon-shaped cut-outs that emphasise the fantasy element, drawing readers in with its bright design. Then, in front of the store, there were more books on display, with small banners on top of the pillar and a displayed picture frame detailing that it was a book perfect for fans of romantasy, a perfect and dazzling combination of romance and fantasy. They were also selling special editions of the book, the cover being a cool blue and white shade rather than purple and white. This made the book stand out among others, as unique editions will attract new readers, as they can proudly own a one-of-a-kind.