I got some great news recently: TWGDOYPR is the September pick for the book club at Mac’s Backs, a wonderful independent bookstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Imagine! A whole club of people reading my book. (If any of you club members are reading this, hello! Welcome! I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have…) Things like this are so crucial for little books like mine. I mean, look at the success of The Lace Reader:
They went to independent bookstores and asked for the names of local book clubs that might be interested in reading a first-time author….Hilary Emerson Lay, manager of the Spirit of ‘76 bookstore in Marblehead, Mass., calls Barry and Ward’s marketing efforts “revolutionary.” She says Barry was genuinely interested in hearing how readers reacted to the book, and believes that the author’s involvement with local book clubs helped generate a genuine interest in The Lace Reader. …Eventually, Barry and Ward printed 2,000 copies of the book. Local bookstores talked it up, and word spread between book clubs around the country. Booksellers also helped Barry make important contacts in the publishing world that led to The Lace Reader receiving a starred review in Publishers Weekly.
I mean, whoa. I read this and yeah, I’m more than a little jealous—Would that this were my story! But it’s inspiring all the same. And who knows…Maybe there will be more book club adoptions to come for Perm Rec? One can hope.
Closer to home, Perm Rec also got a little attention recently in the pages of Birmingham Magazine. “The thoughts and indecision Vaughn shares bring teen years rushing back,” the reviewer notes. The editors also asked me to write a few words on a book I love for their summer reading recs, and I showed some love for Lorrie Moore’s Birds of America.
I’ve found a few more reviews of my book recently, and one of these days I’ll be back with my own reflections on the reactions. It’s so interesting to be reviewed (especially having reviewed plenty of books myself).
|