Yes, I'm counting the days. Ten. Ten days until my first book is released. It's a scary and exciting time.
So, since the anticipation is truly agonizing, I thought I'd pose a question for the writers and readers out there.
For writers, especially those who've been through this a few times: What do you do? How to you deal with the anticipation of your on sale date? What do you do on release day? Open a bottle of champagne? Visit every store within driving distance? Call your friends? Hide in bed? Treat yourself to a night out on the town with your spouse or friends?
For readers, if you have a book you're waiting for, do you go out of your way to find out what the release date is? Do you buy it on that day or week? Pre-Order it from your local store or an on-line retailer? When you get it home, do you start reading right away, or wait until you know you'll have a couple uninterrupted hours so you can lose yourself in a book you know you're going to love? Do you find yourself waiting anxiously for the book to hit the shelves because you know you're going to entertained for a spell?
I'm curious. So please share!
9 comments:
Congrats again!!! I can remember my thoughts very clearly. Is the day ever going to come? You want it to hurry up but you don't want the days to pass too quickly, you only live once, isn't it time yet? I could clean (never a conscious choice task) but it might keep my mind off the doorbell not ringing, stop me from running to the window to see if the UPS truck is coming early, checking the calendar to see how many more days, is this really happening. . .?
Yep, you go crazy, at least I did. Finally, after all those years, ever since I was 11 and discovered real people wrote the books I read, and I knew I was going to be one of those writers, it was going to happen. Or maybe it was one of those Bobby-in-the-shower moments and I was just my ordinary self. . . And I don't know how my husband put up with me peppering every sentence with "after my book is out. . ." I figured if I said it enough, it had to be true!
Enjoy! The craziness, the anticipation. And just think how merry Christmas will be this year!!! As a perk, all of my siblings, my in-laws, my best friends, received books that Christmas. Made shopping very easy!!
Oh, this is a little depressing, because I'm sure I'm going to sound like the holiday publication Grinch. I normally just look at the calendar and go, "Oh, today's the day the book's out; Yay! and I hope the laydown goes well." (As we all know, pub dates mean nothing in mass market; books usually start showing up around the county a week or so before the date.)
Then I go to work. Boring, I know. But I learned long ago that I can't enjoy going to bookstores when my book is just out (if it's there, it's means it's not selling, if it isn't, why not?), so since by this time there's nothing I can do, I don't obsess over it.
I do, however, enjoy the idea that the on-publication check will be showing up in the next week or so. :)
JoAnn
Thank you Terry! I'm not alone!
JoAnn "Grinch" Ross *g* . . . okay, I understand what you're saying. But no one knows me so I can walk into the bookstore unrecognized just to see it on the shelves . . . and, I am working. Sort of. But that's more a factor of Christmas, kids off of school, parties, and shopping . . . thanks for the reminder about the on publication check, though! That'll be a nice way to ring in the new year.
Well, I'm sorry to say that it didn't really occur to me to celebrate in any particular way. Just knowing that my books were out there on shelves across America was such a thrill, like a secret I kept reminding myself about. And it was so amazing when friends called me and told me they found my books in various stores. Now I wish I HAD done something special -- started a tradition I could do with every new book:)
I go to my local Barnes and Noble and beg them to take the books out of the back storage room and put them on the shelf... (VBG)
Allison,
I'm in exactly the same boat! Well, not exactly b/c I've had one book out before, but it wasn't sold anywhere but in Wal-Mart and never in Canada...so I never got to see it on the shelves, myself. This time is different though and I'm not planning anything special - just collecting warm fuzzy comments from reviewers and friends who've read the anthology. But I love Nancy's request to haul the books out of the storage room and get them out...I may run to several stores and do just that!
Congratulations on all your exciting releases and the fabulous website you've created.
Gail -- We do have a tradition that I've never thought of saving for publication day, but my sweetie buys me a piece of Waterford for each book. I have a huge display case filled with a bear, Irish cottages, a castle, lighthouse, sailboat, butterfly, race horses, sea horse, sea shell, just about everything imaginable including an alligator I was amazed he found for Blue Bayou.
The husband of another writer I know gets her a charm for her bracelet for each book, which is, in one way cooler, since it's a LOT easier to take along to show off at conferences than my crystal. LOL
So, you might want to suggest something like this to your husband. After all, presents are lovely on any day.
Allison -- Enjoy this special time. And I hope you post about your party! I really want to share vicariously in that. See, I'm not always a grinch! ;)
Yes, I treated myself to charms for my books ... a shell, a leaf and a rose. my husband got mad at me, though, because he said he would have done it if I had a little more patience, LOL.
My hubby did send my covers to be blown up and color printed at Kinko's and framed them for me, AND he put my covers in HIS office, which is cool because he works in the State Capitol and a lot of people come by his office . . . all the advertising helps, LOL.
Allison, except for my short stories in 2 anthologies, I can only speak as a reader. I prefer shopping at local stores, so usually do that for books I'm waiting to read. For your book, I made an exception and pre-ordered it from Amazon. I'm really eager to get it. *g*
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