Gone, But Not Forgotten

How I'm engaging in a little alchemy to transform a horrific publishing error into a potential opportunity

“Where the f*** is this coffee shop I keep hearing about?”

After I figured out she meant in the books, not my village (we have a few here in Amana 😅), I almost instantly knew which spot she was asking about. First book, second chapter, the same scene everyone else seems to have forgotten by the time they get to the second book, Heir of Oberon, in a phenomenon I’ve darn near compared to the Mandela Effect.

Because listen—I’m meticulous when it comes to my writing.

And I’ve not only published a few books, but Ithandryll in particular won both accolades and awards with its debut.

So it’s been puzzling to me how suddenly I’ve been seeing reviews on Goodreads and a couple of other places—as well as it being mentioned in my private Discord server for ARC Readers/Street Team mega-fans—that no one seemed to remember how or when we met Krav.

“The parts with Krav were still confusing, I feel like we were missing a scene that introduced him in the first book.”
-excerpt from an actual Goodreads review

“It’s at the very beginning of the first book,” I typed back, “where Roxi meets Krav.”

“I looked!”

Hm. Okay… “Remember the creepy brownie fae? The double chocolate chip muffins? Their discussion about Dracula?”

I swear I could see her peering through the screen at me like that one meme of the guy staring hard at the parchment in his hand, even though I was simply watching the three little dots bounce for a moment.

This is what Google has to say about Krav and his mysterious appearance/disappearance from memory…up until now.

After a little more back-and-forth trying to establish the spot in Ithandryll where I know for sure Roxi goes to a coffee shop in downtown Chicago that’s run by brownie fae, and a hilarious-but-real screenshot from another reader on this Where The F*** Is Krav syndrome (pictured above), I opened up my Kindle app on my phone so I could pinpoint the exact location of the scene/chapter by cross-referencing events around it.

That’s when my stomach dropped.

And also simultaneously threatened to empty itself of church-brewed coffee and the best blueberry cruller I’ve had in ages all over the back of the car.

It’s not there.

I mean it.

The scene—the whole dang scene, practically a chapter unto itself (for a moment I thought it was)—is literally missing from the book.

Every. Version.

Including the stack of paperbacks I’d just sent to a new-to-me bookstore who already exhibited glorious patience when my gold-foiled editions didn’t work out and I had to pull them from my website until I get a better printing option.

It’s been two days since the discovery, and I still feel nauseous writing this out. But I’m doing so, Dear Reader, in the hopes that you can/will learn alongside me one very important life & career lesson:

Everything—even our worst nightmare—can become opportunity.

Done-For-You “Reader Magnets” are easier than we tend to think

If you’re wondering, does this mean Nikki’s going to use this “Deleted Scene” as a way to entice new readers to her books? You’re right on track.

I’m going to do exactly that.

What’s actually going to happen (probably, hopefully) is that in my organic and honest attempt to provide the missing intro for who is Definitely Important In the Series, in a way that will (potentially, hopefully) reach all…eheh, 1000+ people…who have a copy, it will grab the attention of new readers who are ready to fall in love with the Otherworld.

Of course, I am still going to add the scene back into the ebooks on all 25+ platforms and work on making the adjustment in the paperback edition.

I’m not exactly looking forward to that part, though. When it comes to formatting for print, the slightest adjustment can change the page count, cover spine size, the cover design itself, and not to mention the fees involved on Some Platforms (side-eyes IngramSpark) that charge for alterations after an allotted period.

And since none of us discovered this embarrassing gap of story for roughly 10 months, it’s safe to say I’m well beyond that deadline.

So when it comes to marketing your own book, there’s nothing wrong with plucking a random scene from the middle (or the middle of the beginning) and sharing it openly on your platforms: Substack, Instagram, your website, etc.

Think of it this way: whenever you go to a streaming app and let the screen rest on a movie or show while you read the blurb or use the bathroom, it usually starts playing a part of the content, right? You just never see them start at the beginning title/credits/intro narration. It’s always a middle-ish scene that starts somewhere intriguing and oftentimes fades away mid-sentence.

I mean, I know Amazon has that “Look Inside” option, and that’s great.

Here’s a chance for you to create your own version, though—while reaching new readers who don’t use Amazon/Kindle and have been looking for books exactly like yours.

The most important thing of all is to remember the exact phrase one of my amazing readers said to me: “You are literally a single human being.”

Even if you’re not an author/writer, there’s still something to be said about allowing a moment of panic when mistakes happen—but ONLY a moment. A very, very brief moment that must pass so you can get back up and keep going.

Mistakes happen.

Glitches happen.

In a way, complete perfection is almost weird and uncomfortable.

You have to give yourself some forgiveness and grace. Your readers will, your people will, and anyone who doesn’t…isn’t one of them.

Amiright? 😏

News & Updates

• Clearly, there will be a publication of what I’m officially calling “The Deleted Scene”—in the ebooks, paperbacks, and right here in Substack! I’m planning on having the digital side updated/posted by the end of this week. I’m praying that I’ll have paperbacks updated by the end of this month 😅

• I’m slowly but steadily reopening my calendar for editing clients! It’s been working well so far with the handful of recent projects, so I’m confident in moving forward with this announcement:

  • COPY EDITING @ $0.03/word

  • PROOFREADING @ $0.02/word

  • FORMATTING will require a consultation to determine price (don’t laugh—it’s only my own book I skip scenes on 🤣)

  • I also have a deal to help with the cost of Proofreading that will also help you get your book(s) placement in a bookstore (mine), which is honestly a great boost both for your “street cred” and visibility—especially right now with the Autumn and Winter Festival seasons kicking off! Oktoberfest alone brings an average of 40k visitors to the village per year!

  • How to Book (ha, punny!) your service with me: DM me on Instagram or email me at nikki@nikkiauberkett.com

• Are you in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City/Coralville area? Stop by BumbleBooks/Serenity Sage Herbs & Tea this Saturday, September 13th, for ApfelFest (aka “Apple Day”)! I’ve been brewing heirloom cider from apples grown and picked right here in The Amana Colonies—more specifically, from a tree planted here in 1855 after making the journey from Germany along with the Inspirationists who founded the community. We’ll be part of the “Cider Crawl” here in Main Amana, along with other businesses giving out FREE cups of unique apple ciders! (I’ll even share my recipe…) Also there’s this AMAZING cider donut you must try and those vanish pretty quickly 👀

  

  Isn’t she a beauty? 😍 Lookin’ great for her age! 😉

• The 60th Annual Oktoberfest is October 2nd-6th 🥨 The Amana Colonies hosts the world’s third-largest Oktoberfest every year and this one is going to be a blast! I’ll be outside giving away FREE cups of ButterBeer soda from Amana’s very own microbrewery—and selling books, pumpkins, and more in “Cinderella’s Car Lot” 🎃 (it’s my pumpkin patch and of course I made it book-themed)!