Book Preorder Logistical Information for Authors
Rainbow Readers Cruise 2025
Email questions to Rich - richnajuch@gmail.com
Important Preorder Dates
August 1st - If you are going to be sending your preordered books to Rich to arrange for getting them onboard they will need to arrive to Rich no later than August 1st in order to facilitate getting them onboard. If you plan to bring them yourselves, then no need to worry about that deadline.
Date of your choosing – Please make clear on your preorder form the date for the cutoff of preorders so that the readers know when they need to have their orders in.
Workflow of Preorders for the Rainbow Readers Cruise
All pre-orders are taken via each author’s individual Preorder Form.
Once orders are completed, there are two options for getting the books onboard the Celebrity Reflection for the conference:
Option 1 - The author brings the preorderd books onboard themselves in checked luggage. The author will be responsible for transportation and getting all books onboard and to conference spaces.
There are no weight limits for checked luggage the same way there are for airlines, but the luggage will need to be navigable still!
Option 2 - The author sends the books to Rich for the Rainbow Readers Cruise to sort preorders, arrange delivery to ship onboard, and arrange delivery to the reader’s staterooms.
For this option, the author would ship the books to Rich to arrive no later than August 1. The author will also need to provide a preorder list of orders no later than July 25th for Rich to organize.
The books will be sorted and packaged into delivery boxes for each attendee, sent onboard, and delivered to each individual attendee’s stateroom as a preorder bundle. The attendee will then bring their books to authors at onboard events to have them signed, if not already pre-signed when sent to Rich.
Please note: Authors will not be in contact with the books again once they send them to Rich. They will be sorted, packaged, and delivered directly to the reader in their stateroom once onboard. The next physical contact that the author has will be when the reader brings it to them to sign.
There is no additional charge or fee for delivery of your preorders through Rich. The conference covers any additional costs charged by the ship or the logistics company to get the books onboard.
FAQs for Authors about Rainbow Readers Cruise preorders
Do I have to send my preorders to Rich?
No! This is just an option that we are presenting to make it easier for you. If you would like to carry your preorders onboard that is great! Though please keep in mind that if you do not send your preorders to Rich there is no conference staff to help move books or deliver orders to readers.
What is the cutoff date for sending preorders to Rich?
All preorders MUST ARRIVE to Rich by August 1st. Your list of preorders and who they are for must also arrive by July 20th. Any preorders or lists that arrive late may be subject to a fee if unexpected fees are charged to get them onboard.
Is Rainbow Readers charging for my preorders to get on board?
Rainbow Readers Cruise is providing delivery to each reader’s staterooms of their individually preordered books for all authors who deliver their preordered books and preorder list to us by the above deadlines. There is no extra fee for this. If books or lists arrive later than the listed deadlines there may be fees depending on any rush charges by the carriers.
Is there an address that I can ship my preorder books directly to the ship?
All onboard shipments must be coordinated through specialty cruise logistics shipping companies. There is not an address to send your books to, this is why we offer the preorder delivery.
How will I pre-sign my books if I send them to Rich and they are delivered right to the staterooms?
Unless you sign them before sending them to Rich, you will not be able to pre-sign your books. The readers will bring them to you while onboard to one of your events or the signing to have them signed in person. We provide post it notes with the pre order packages so that the readers can mark what they would like inscribed in the books when bringing them to them. This system worked very well last year.
I like to put free swag in my preorders, can I do that?
There are two options if you wish to put swag with your preorders:
We recommend that you keep your swag bundles to pass out to your preorder recipients at the signing. This worked well last year and gave the readers something special when meeting to sign in person.
You can send swag bundles to your preorder recipients separately from the preorders. Sending swag bundles to staterooms can be done for a minimal charge from Celebrity of $2 per stateroom delivery. Collaborations of swag bundles is also possible between multiple authors to defray the delivery cost. Talk to Rich about the options.