Marketing: Take What You Can Get And Be Happy

While I'm waiting to hear whether or not Kaavya Viswanathan will be accused of plagiarizing me, thus ensuring national press for my new book, I have marketing news of a more realistic nature to report.

First, I received a telephone call yesterday from a reporter from a local paper asking to interview me next week. I had sent a press package to the paper's publisher, hoping to be covered by one of its papers that goes out to a larger part of the state. But, hey, publication day is only a little over two weeks away and the local people are the only folks interested. So, hurray!

Though these people put a horrible, horrible picture of me on their cover when my last book came out. I'm guessing it cost me sales. I'll have to be very careful how I pose.

Then I received the new issue of The Horn Book yesterday. They reviewed Happy Kid!!! I knew it wasn't going to be a starred review because Roger Sutton announces the starred reviews ahead of time in his blog. But it was reviewed, without a single negative word (in my opinion, anyway), and the cover was included with the review. I don't think I've ever had that happen before. I was very pleased.

Finally, I just spoke to my Aunt Tessy on the phone. She is seriously interested in promoting my Vermont bookstore appearance. I mean it. The woman was absolutely grilling me about what I'd sent to the newspapers.

It's a good thing I linked to that bookstore site. I didn't know I was reading and discussing. I also am not a '67 high school graduate. Much, much, later. I am going to contact them immediately.