When I think of a launch, I think of boats with fog horns blowing, or rocket ships with countdowns and huge, explosive noises.  In the movies, it seems that book launches always have a party attended by hundreds of the author’s “closest friends” and several New York critics singing praises of the newest work.  Stacks of books sit in book stores, with people lining up around the corner to get the latest and greatest.

Well, that picture might describe a new release by J. K. Rowling, or Stephen King, but for me, the launch is a tad different.

Please contact me if you’d like a sell-sheet.

FIRST CAME THE SELL SHEET

My publisher put together a sheet of information that gives purchasers all of the book information possible, without actually giving you a copy.  Do you want your own copy of this pdf?  Just drop me a note.

The Sell Sheet is really very cool.  I don’t think there was one that I saw for Faith on the Rocks. This time I received a pdf of it several months ago.  But a Sell Sheet is not a book launch.

NEXT CAME THE BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviews are so cool that I feel like a prom queen when I get a good one (and the wicked witch of the west when they’re bad).  I already posted about the reviews I’ve been getting on Sliced Veggie.  How did I get reviews when the book hadn’t come out?  My publisher sent ARCs or advanced reader copies to people, as did I. Then we crossed our fingers and voila!

On Sunday, one of my terrific sisters forwarded an email by a friend of hers.  He’d pre-ordered Sliced Vegetarian from Amazon and had just finished reading it.  Thumbs up!  Yippee!  This makes me want to visit my sis just to hug that man.

I also have my first review up on Amazon by someone else.  And it’s a FOUR STAR review!  So excited.  This is closer to a book launch, I guess.

Thank you Five Star!!!!!

BOOKS ON MY DOORSTEP

Last week, after the publisher launch date, the UPS man came.  He fumbled around his truck in search of my TWO boxes of author copies (in the movies, the author never sees the book until it’s out–pop that bubble if you’re aspiring to write a novel today).  He found one box and said he didn’t see the other.  A few minutes later, the truck pulled up again and the second Gale-Cengage/Five Star package was on my door step.

Unfortunately, the brass band was a bit late, and there wasn’t a gaggle of fans waving paper and pens in my face in search of autographs. BUT, the books are cool, very cool.  Cooler than the fudgecicles I’m enjoying in our summer heat. Is this the launch?

NOW COMES THE HARD PART

Did you know that authors are responsible for selling their books too?  We may not have to stand behind a counter, but we are expected to talk up our work, sound more confident than we feel, and say things like, “Dahling, I just know you’re going to love this book.  I certainly do.” Thing is, I do love my book, but my mom was adamant about not being a braggart.

PARTY TIME

I’m excited to tell you that I’m having a real book-launch party.  Whoo hoo!  Three other authors and I are launching our books later this month, with a party at my house.  This seems a whole lot more fun to me than a “me, me, me,” party, and I’m lucky to have the terrific authors, Patricia Coleman, Catherine Dilts, and Christine Goff co-hosting with me (please do check these authors out–great writing there).  For the first time in a long time, I’m excited about shameless self-promotion.  If you’d like, I’ll write a post about it after the hoopla is over.

So when exactly did or will my book launch?  I don’t know.  But I do know that this is my book launch month, and I’m celebrating.

Have a great, creative, and celebratory week.