A Different Perspective/ The Victoria Advocate
I’m preparing a book launch for my debut novel, Countin’ On Jesse. What’s a book launch? In marketing lingo, it’s a joint effort with others to create anticipation for the day of publication on September 12th. If a book were a store or a restaurant, release day would be the grand opening. A strong start is a helpful tool because there are so many new books on the market. And strangely enough, word of mouth is still the best way to spread the word about books.
I contracted with my favorite marketing company for a DIY Book Launch program. The last couple of weeks, I’ve created an application for launch team members, made a private Facebook group page, written and scheduled emails to send, and now I’m working on social media posts. Lots going on before anyone signs up to help.
How does someone help with a book launch? One task includes reading the book before the publication date and posting a review on Amazon and other bookish sites. Many people shun writing reviews because it harkens us back to old-school book reports. Nope. Authors care about stars and 2-3 sentences telling what the reader loves about the book. No summaries, please. The other major task is posting graphics on social media to help pass the word.
During this busy time, we kept our grandsons over the weekend. I made sure their Ipads stayed charged to incentivize downtime. We watched Christmas movies and built a lot of Jenga towers. But what helped keep attitudes in check best on a ferociously hot Saturday was looking forward to a trip to the beach. We drove to Port Aransas around mid-afternoon. The boys loved the ferry. However, people and vehicles crowded the jetties, so we decided to try a different access road. But when we drove away from the sand and water, our grandsons despaired—loudly, until I assured them we would find a less congested area and the perfect place to park. I emphasized they would get to swim in the ocean, play in the sand, and try out the boogie board. They perked up, happy that nothing was going to derail our plans.
We did just that. The boys had a super time playing in the water. My husband and I sat in chairs under the shady tarp and monitored them. I didn’t care for the undertow, but we’d recenter the little guys every so often, so it was manageable. Late afternoon was a pleasant time of day, the temps were down, and cool air breezed off the water. After trying out the boogie board, the boys enjoyed burying each other in the wet sand and building quicksand castles.
Once we packed up, we headed to DQ for supper and ice cream. The boys were excited and chatty. Even the drive home was fun, if not a little spooky, with it being pitch dark. It was so late, once we arrived at home, I let them change into pajamas and tumble into bed, sand and all.
The next morning, Dave vacuumed sand off our vinyl floors, and I dried wet swimsuits and towels while the boy got ready for church. The previous day’s fun comforted us, and the boys stayed cheerful.
Sometimes, the extra fuss is worth it. Whether it’s a book launch or a beach day, our souls need the comfort these efforts bring, even if it takes a lot of planning.
*If you would like to know more about the book launch for Countin’ On Jesse, shoot me an email at marypatjohns@gmail.com.
