Newsletter #21 — Publication!!!
September 17, 2021
Newsletter #21 — Publication!!!
Ebook Published! — So, if you are one of those who reads ebooks and if you are further one of those who ordered The F Words in ebook format . . . you should have received your ebook early morning of September 15. I hope you enjoy it.
Paperback Published, Too! — Through some glitch in digital communication, the paperback version of The F Words was published at the same time as the ebook version . . . instead of on September 28. This would have been a big deal if I had a bookstore autographing set up for September 28. But, thanks to COVID, I don't. So all this means is that people get to read The F Words sooner rather than later.
Printers Row Lit Fest — An exhausting but also exciting event. I enjoyed autographing with my City of Light fellow author, Judy Bradbury, and had a good time talking to people who came to the booth. It's always fun to talk to readers and book lovers. Judy did really well with sales: the demographics of Lit Fest this year skewed toward parents of kids under the age of ten. My sales numbers were in the middle of previous years at Lit Fest: neither the worst I've done nor the best I've done. And, I'm thinking that maybe next year I would do better with the same book because it will be better known. And maybe because we'll be out of the pandemic and the crowds will return. (Small turnout this year.)
Three tidbits of information. First, almost everyone who walked by the booth was attracted to the title of the book. About 90% of them wanted the F word to be in the book. About 10% did not. Second, everyone who stopped by the booth loved the cover. Many even ran their fingers across the bricks . . . maybe to feel texture? Third, I discovered that handing the bookmark to people backside-up got their attention and almost always led to a sale. First they would see the FU, then they would stand there and read the info. And then, almost always, they bought the book. So the bookmark is a great selling tool.
There was one person who seemed undecided after reading the back of the bookmark, so I said to him, "I'm the author, and I would love it if you read just the first page, to see if it appeals to you." So he read the first page, said, "Oh, yeah!" and handed me his money. Perhaps he secretly tags walls in the middle of the night?
NEWS on the Green — In late August I was interviewed by Joe Pinchot of News on the Green, the newspaper for the NE Ohio area where I grew up. I enjoyed Joe's questions, and was tickled that he used a photo from a few years back, when I was inducted into the Brookfield High School Alumni Hall of Fame. Here's the article.
The Circular Ending — In my September 15 blog I talk about the circular ending.
Back to a Saner Schedule — Unless something really big happens, I'm going back to publishing this newsletter twice a month rather than weekly. Part of me is relieved, part of me is hoping for something exciting.