People who love books are the best kind of people. This weekend I handed out Advanced Reader Copies, ARCs, of Serenade of the Sasquatch, to librarians attending the Washington Library Association conference. I was like Oprah Winfrey. “You get a free book. And you get a free book!”
They responded with gleaming eyes, excited grins, and yes pleases. And when I offered to sign their copy, I heard “Are you the author?” And then “Tell me about your book?” “What is it about?” “Why did you write it?”
And so, I chatted gleefully, telling them about where the book takes place (Leavenworth, WA), and asking where they were from, and making friends left and right.
The goal was to get a book into the hands of each librarian in attendance. Or at least, that was my goal. My publisher had a different goal. Get a copy of my book into the hands of each person who makes purchasing decisions for their library. A subtle but key distinction. My publisher’s rep watched me work with mounting dismay as I handed out all our books in under an hour.
The energy, though. It was intoxicating. And so, I send out my wishes to all those new readers. That they embrace the story, fall in love with the characters, and run to the purchasers of their respective libraries, saying “We need copies of this book for our shelves!”