Tag Archives: The Admirer

Well, it went pretty well, actually.

For one thing, I looked really pretty. I went to the hair salon this morning, and I got a good cut and a really nice style, too. You can tell for yourself, by looking at the video which I will embed as soon as it’s uploaded on Youtube. It’s me doing the reading for the launch.

The reading is another thing that went really well. I did flub a few times, but people were kind enough not to point it out to me. Which is another thing that went well: everyone who came was really nice (except for the one guy who left in the middle of the reading, but let’s not talk about him).

The sales also went well; we sold more books then there were people in the room. I hope to sell even more at the family reunion I am going to tomorrow, and to people from work who couldn’t come today, on Monday.

All in all, I think I’m off to a decent start. Also, I freaking love my book.

eta: here’s the video

I should be more nervous about this than I am. I know I will be nervous. I can feel the first butterflies start to form in my stomach. But compared to what I know I will feel at 1:55 (the launch is supposed to begin at 2:30, but I’ve invited people to com in a two, so I expect the nerves to hit five minutes before that) this is nothing. I’m nervous about being nervous, that’s what’s going on.

I have no idea who is going to be there, except one of my uncles, some of my friends who won’t make it until at least 3:00, some reporters from the Ottawa University student newspaper and my mom. My siblings won’t even make it, how pathetic is that? (The only solution I can think of is having mom buy a bunch of copies at the “event price” for them, and then sell those copies back to them for the full price. That was she gets rewarded for actually coming, and I make sales.) This is a serious conundrum for me, because on the one hand, talking to people about myself and my accomplishments is one of my least favorite things to do, but on the other hand, I want people to come to the launch!

I’m keeping myself calm and cheerful by looking at the big picture. The launch is an important event, yes, but it’s only one event. The Admirer is more then it’s launch. The book is already on Amazon, and on bookadda, this Indian online book-selling site.My book is going to be sold in India. This is wild. The Ottawa Public Library already bought three copies. People are going to be able to borrow my book from the library.

So, really whatever happens on Saturday, I’m having a pretty amazing experience.

… is something I need to learn how to do, pretty much on the spot. Sink or swim type, and isn’t that enjoyable for my anxiety-riddled self? (says she ironically)

I don’t think it’s a secret to anyone reading this post: I have a book coming out. I am really proud of this book. The first draft took 15 months to write, and it took several revisions to make it into the book it is today. Two weeks from now I am going to launch it. At a launch party. People have already confirmed that they will be there. There will be tea served. I will make sandwiches, and sign my book (and shit! I need to practice a decent autograph; I cannot subject my readers to my hideous handwriting) … anyway, it’s going to be awesome.

I want lots of people to come at the launch. I want even more people to read the book. But that means talking to people about the launch, and about the book, and that is so hard. I don’t like bringing attention to myself, I always feel like I’m bragging and boring people when I talk about myself, and I always feel like I’m bothering people when I have to ask for something.

(This attitude has brought on many amusing conversations between myself and many people I know. Yes, I have written a book. Yes, it is getting published. Yes, I am proud. Yes, I am sneaky.)

So imagine how I feel, having to write to a bunch of people I don’t know, and asking them to please talk about my book on their website. Which explains why I’ve been putting it off for days (arguably weeks, but definitively days.) Well, the emails are sent, and I’ll probably have to send more by the time this is done. Hopefully, everything will go well.

Sometimes, like today, when I spend over an hour pouring over blog directories looking for potential blog tour hosts, I think “no, of course not”. Because if it did, I would have more to show for that hour I spent today, and the other I spent yesterday, than two “that one sounds good” and nine “meh, maybe”.

Other times, like on Monday, I think “yes, of course it does”. Because what other word to be used to describe the two Christmas gifts I found, on for each of my siblings, while I was just browsing through the bookstore waiting for the bus? There is no other words; those gifts are perfect.

Maybe perfection can only be found when you’re not really looking for it.

Which is all well and good, except that I can’t really afford to stop looking for blog tour hosts. My book comes out on the first week-end of December, there are no author events going on at that time, except maybe one. If I want to get word of my book out there (and I do) it will have to be online. I need that blog tour, and it needs to be ready as soon as possible.

You might think that eleven potential hosts isn’t that bad, but remember: it’s only eleven if you count the “meh, maybe”s, which I don’t. Finding blogs isn’t everything; they have to be the right blogs. Choosing the wrong blog means risking a bad review, and that would do me absolutely no good.

So I’ll pick another directory and keep looking, and maybe I’ll find the perfect match (preferably more then one).

ps Am I using this entry, and the search for the blog hosts, as an excuse not to Nano today? I could, because I really think that writing the next book is less important than polishing up the details, like the publicity, of this one. But I won’t mainly because this entry isn’t 500 words long, and I promised myself to write at least 500 words every day. So back in the trenches for a little while, I’ll go back to directories and blog surfing later.