Checking In

Hello, happy June to you.

I don't have a lot to report, honestly. Some days, it feels like a dream that I have a book out in the world.

I've posted it in NetGalley, which I may have mentioned, for a six month stint, during which it's available to their constituent readers for download. I have mixed feelings about the whole enterprise, especially at the eye-watering cost, but it's done and we'll see how it shakes out. It's reportedly a good way to garner reviews, but undoubtedly I should have done this six months before publication. Ideally, this would have been part of a comprehensive marketing run-up prior to launch, and while I can see now how that might have been a good idea, there's just no world in which I would have been confident enough to do that.

In other news, the book was "successfully curated" into the Indie Author Project Select collection, which makes it available through a platform called Biblioboard to libraries across the US and Canada. I was excited about this one because it's an offshoot of Library Journal and anything that gets me closer to libraries is okay with me, but it's a bit confusing. I was able to find it in the LA County system, so that's nice, but I've literally never heard of Biblioboard, and it's a little difficult to navigate. There's another step to this, which includes libraries buying the curated bundle for their regular collections, so stay tuned on that. For now, it's a small but beloved feather in my cap.

In related news, the American Library Association conference is happening in June and I did pay to have my book displayed at the Independent Book Publisher's Association booth. I'm a member of the organization and, as above, it seemed worth it if lots of librarians could come into actual physical contact with the book.

Ruminating a bit too much on the "what's next?" question, because I have no idea! As stressful and anxiety-provoking as the writing process is for me, it seems I don't like it when there's nothing going on either. :)