Four? I'll take it!

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It has been another stellar week as far as loving my life and my husband my children and my book go. So much enthusiasm and outpourings of support and great anecdotes about kind things total strangers are saying about my book. And kind things friends are saying too, of course. I've tried to solicit a variety of viewpoints, so each review brings something a little different to the table. Here's a review from Jenny at Mommy Snark (a/k/a Mommy J) who is about to enter the ranks of published author herself! Whoohoo! So, so happy for her!


I'm still holding steady on the Deseret Book list and I'm gearing up for my first official book signing. It's pretty nerve-wracking because it's in the LDS  bookstore in my old stake boundaries and I should have a good turnout, but it's going to be totally embarrassing if I don't. Good turnout for me = 10 book sold. I'd be really happy with that. Especially since I'll spend more in the store than they'll make off of me. Have I mentioned I like to shop?


Oh, and as far as reviews go: almost without exception, people on Goodreads and Amazon who know me give the book five stars. People who don't, give four. And you know what? I am THRILLED with that. Delighted beyond words that people who have no reason to say otherwise think it's a four star book. That makes me very, very happy inside.


Tomorrow I want to tell you about another completely ridiculous online dating experience, (one of mine), the outcome of which is linked directly to me being crazy like a fox. But for today, I want to point you toward a blog post from author Eileen Flanagan (via Finslippy) who gives a simple list of what to do "If You Love a Writer." She says, among other things (and it's worth your time to click through and see those other things):

1. Buy your friend’s book. If you can afford it, buy it for everyone in your extended family. If you can’t afford it, ask your local librarian to order a copy. In fact, you can suggest it to your librarian whether you buy a copy yourself or not.

2.   Don’t wait until Christmas or Hanukkah to pick up a copy. How it does in its first weeks determines whether a book will stay on the bookstore shelves or be sent back to the warehouse to be shredded (along with your friend’s ego). Try to buy it as soon as it’s published, or better yet pre-order a copy, which makes your friend look good and gets your friend’s publisher excited about the book’s prospects. An excited publisher will invest more in publicity, while a bookstore that is getting advanced orders is more likely to stock the book on its shelves.

3.   Friends often ask where they should get the book, which is a tricky question. In the long-term, it is in every writer’s best interest to support independent booksellers (reader’s too, actually). If you don’t have a favorite one yourself, you can go to IndieBound to find one near you. When a book is newly released, however, it may help your writer friend more to buy it through a big chain, so they keep it stocked where the most people can find it. Likewise, a high sales rate on Amazon can get people’s attention, and if your friend’s website links directly to Amazon, she may be part of a program where she makes extra money when someone enters Amazon through the link on her website and then makes a purchase. I personally have links to several booksellers,  on the theory that it’s good to spread the love around.

4.   If you genuinely like your friend’s book, write a review on Amazon orGoodreads, mention it on Facebook and Twitter, and recommend it to your book group.

5.   If you’re friend’s book is sci fi, and you’re more of a Jhumpa Lahiri fan, say something like, “I’m so proud of you for following your passion,” and skip writing the review.

6.   If your friend is a good public speaker, recommend her to your church, synagogue, mosque, ashram, kid’s school, Rotary club, etc. If you live far away, your friend might get to come visit you and write it off her taxes.

7.   If you have a website or blog, link to your friend’s website. The more people who link to her, the better she looks to the search engines, which may help people who don’t already love her to find her book. To be really helpful, don’t link on the words “my friend,” but on whatever keywords your friend might be using to find her target audience. (For example, I would especially appreciate people using the phrase “Serenity Prayer” to link to my page About the Serenity Prayer.)