Liftoff!
Well, it's happened. Dirty Shirt released on Tuesday and I am a for-real, legit (some would argue this :-) true-blue Author with a capital 'A'. Everything before the book was just done by an author with a small 'a'. (This is just my opinion, so take it for what it is.)
The book release at Purple Door Ice Cream went very well, due in large part to all of the preparation that went into it. The owners, Steve and Lauren were gracious enough to offer the use of the space in the hopes that the audience would try some of their ice cream. I think pretty much everyone that came bought at least a dish of ice cream and many partook of the Boundary Waters S'more Sundae. I didn't get to try the sundae until after the signing, but let me tell you, it was worth the wait. Heavenly. Thank you Purple Door!
Attendance was pretty good for the event, especially given that it was on a Tuesday night. Because of the setup and the fact that the store was open to the public, there was no real "traditional" way to run the signing. They typically run with three parts, an introduction, an author reading and a book signing. We had to improvise and sell books as people arrived. Then, those that hung around for a while were able to hear a short reading at about 7:15. The reading went okay, a bit noisy at times, but not a big deal. I was grateful to have such a nice, new, hip venue to speak at, that it didn't even bother me. Besides it kept me cognizant of my reading time, a gift to the people listening. LOL.
My favorite part of the whole evening was just shooting the breeze with my readers. Most were friends or family and most were just interested in things like the cover, the writing and publishing process, and how I was taking it all. All I can say is I wish I had time to sit with each of them and talk for a while. I am just so incredibly grateful that people are willing to travel to an event like this to get my book. I hope you all realize that. Furthermore, I hope I can support you in a similar way someday. What are we called to in this life if not to be there for people?
I get to do it all again twice this Saturday at Cafe De Arts and Threshold Incorporated, and am looking forward to talking to a lot more of you. I hope many of the Waukesha, Milwaukee and West Bend folks can make it out to one of these events.
And so after all of the preparation, the emails, the social networking, the bookmarks, business cards, fliers, phone calls, contracts, UPS shipments, tweets, Office Depot runs, vendor coordination, sweat, prayers, gallons of coffee, needless worry and total and complete obsession, it is finally happening. The fun part is finally here. And I plan to ride the fun train as long as I can. I invite you to come along with me.
So, be sure and pack light, get a good compass and tune up the car. It's gonna be a GREAT RIDE!
Attendance was pretty good for the event, especially given that it was on a Tuesday night. Because of the setup and the fact that the store was open to the public, there was no real "traditional" way to run the signing. They typically run with three parts, an introduction, an author reading and a book signing. We had to improvise and sell books as people arrived. Then, those that hung around for a while were able to hear a short reading at about 7:15. The reading went okay, a bit noisy at times, but not a big deal. I was grateful to have such a nice, new, hip venue to speak at, that it didn't even bother me. Besides it kept me cognizant of my reading time, a gift to the people listening. LOL.My favorite part of the whole evening was just shooting the breeze with my readers. Most were friends or family and most were just interested in things like the cover, the writing and publishing process, and how I was taking it all. All I can say is I wish I had time to sit with each of them and talk for a while. I am just so incredibly grateful that people are willing to travel to an event like this to get my book. I hope you all realize that. Furthermore, I hope I can support you in a similar way someday. What are we called to in this life if not to be there for people?
And so after all of the preparation, the emails, the social networking, the bookmarks, business cards, fliers, phone calls, contracts, UPS shipments, tweets, Office Depot runs, vendor coordination, sweat, prayers, gallons of coffee, needless worry and total and complete obsession, it is finally happening. The fun part is finally here. And I plan to ride the fun train as long as I can. I invite you to come along with me.
So, be sure and pack light, get a good compass and tune up the car. It's gonna be a GREAT RIDE!
Blogging off...
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