Pre-thanks & November Update

It’s the end of November, which means it’s time for another LDYWT update. We’re about two months and change away from the launch, but who’s counting? My promo video was released earlier in November (check it out below!), and I’ve locked up some tour dates, started an email newsletter, and designed a little pre-order incentive. I’ve also been happily plugging away on a new project, but that’s a different update…  

By the way, here's the final cover with the blurb from Mr. Matthew Quick.

Reading/Tour Dates

Many of you have asked me when and where I’ll be reading, and I’m happy to finally pass along some dates. The schedule is still a work in progress, but all the readings, signings, and venues are listed on my events page. I hope you’ll join me at one or more of these readings (and for a beer afterward). The January 26 launch event will be at Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga with an after party situation at Caffe Lena. Saratoga will be followed by my Washington County kickoff at Battenkill Books on January 28, before I head to Brooklyn, Cambridge (MA), Troy, Oneonta, Glens Falls, and so on. Again, this is just the beginning, so check back often.   

Book Trailer

Email Newsletter

A couple weeks ago, at the urging of several people far and wide, I started an email list, which seems to me to be a good reason for a giveaway. So, sign up between now and December 5 and be entered to win an advance reader copy (ARC) of Lay Down Your Weary Tune. The two winners will be announced on Facebook and Twitter on December 5, and they receive their copies in mid-December, which is 6-7 weeks before the pub date. Sign up here.

Pre-order Postcard Extravaganza

Lastly, I’ll be running a little pre-order incentive. Whether you order signed and personalized copies from Battenkill Books, or you order from your local indie or online, send me (belcherw@hotmail.com) an image of your receipt (and a mailing address) and I’ll send you a special Galesville / Batten Kill-related postcard with a hand-plucked line from the book scratched on it (and my personal thanks). Wait. What? Yes, it’s a postcard with a quotation, but it’s some old school fun before the book hits the shelves.   

Thanks for following along. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

My best,

WBB

The October Update: NEIBA, PW, LJ, Booklist, and More

I am an absentee blogger. Always have been. The last few weeks have not been quiet (or sane, really), but they have been fun. Before I get too far behind, I figured I'd fill in the gaps. In September, I started a new job, the kids went back to school, soccer filled up the calendar, my work in progress stole my attention, and book-related news and activity ramped up. As far as the update, I’ll stick to the book-related stuff.

Last Monday, I attended a small cocktail reception at Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, where I met a group of wonderful, enthusiastic readers (and Northshire supporters). I was lucky enough to be one of three authors with forthcoming books at this event. The other two writers, Peter Golden and Elizabeth Brundage, are both terrific and accomplished. You should check out their work, if you haven’t already. Their timely advice for me, the uninitiated, was very much appreciated. Besides the meet and greet, the attendees left with advanced reader copies (ARCs) of Lay Down Your Weary Tune. Technically, it was the first time I signed my books. The verdict – I need to work on my technique. It was a fun event. Credit belongs to Rachel and Northshire for organizing it, and I can’t thank them enough for including me.

Mid-week, I drove down to Providence, Rhode Island for the New England Independent Booksellers Association’s conference (NEIBA). My publisher set this up several weeks ago, and I didn’t know quite what to expect. When I arrived on Wednesday, I was greeted by the inestimable Jeff Waxman from Other Press. Jeff knows what he’s doing, and I’m grateful that he was willing to impart a tiny fraction of his knowledge to the newbie (over an undisclosed amount of scotch). During my day and a half in Providence, I met dozens of booksellers, from favorites such as Oblong and Odyssey, to new friends such as Eight Cousins, the Harvard Book Store, Toadstool, and others.

After sliders at Harry’s (thanks, Percy!) and a reception at the conference center, Jeff and I had a fantastic dinner with Dick Hermans of Oblong Books & Music. Leaving aside the book for a moment, it was great fun to talk to Dick about both stores, the Hudson Valley, folk music, and his radio shows, including The Borderline. (I may or may not be obsessed with his podcasts. I confess nothing.)  

On Thursday, I signed ARCs of Lay Down Your Weary Tune at the Other Press booth, but by far, the best part of the conference was meeting all of these fine folks at independent bookshops and talking about their stores. Not surprising to anyone who truly knows me, I’ve been to many of the stores, from Bennington Bookshop to Phoenix Books in Burlington to the Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid. Now, I can’t wait to get to An Unlikely Story or Village Square Booksellers or a dozen and a half others. I have been known to plan vacations around bookstores.

Besides the conference, last week was also when reviews of Lay Down Your Weary Tune began to appear in the trades. Still three and a half months out, I was surprised by the news from my publicist at Other. First, Lay Down Your Weary Tune was chosen as a Title to Watch in January by Library Journal. Then, while cheering the LJ news, great reviews rolled in from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist. Besides Twitter and Facebook, I'll try to post the reviews and links on my always-neglected Tumblr.

Apart from the conference and the trades, Pine Hills Review reached out for an interview, which I completed on Thursday. It should appear online soon. And speaking of interviews, my interview with C.W. Huntington, Jr. (aka Sandy), the author of Maya: A Novel, will appear online at Entropy on Thursday (10/15). Also, I received word that Post Road accepted a recommendations piece I’d submitted several weeks ago. It’ll appear in their summer issue.

Last by certainly not least, a couple weeks ago Battenkill Books was kind enough to provide a pre-order option for anyone who wants to order a signed copy of the book. Many of you have asked how you can get it signed -- Battenkill is the answer. My tour will mostly focus on New York and New England, so if you live elsewhere or you don’t think you’ll make it to an event but want a signed copy, you can go to Battenkill’s website and order away. A separate post on pre-orders is in the works.

So, all in all, it’s been an incredible few weeks. Having been on the other side for so, so long, chipping away at the manuscript, not sure if I’d ever get to this point, I don’t take anything for granted. It’s a strange process, full of ups and downs, but I’m grateful for everyone who has helped along the way.

There you have it. 

My best,

WBB  

Apr/May Update

Friends and future readers,

Several people has asked for an update on Lay Down Your Weary Tune (LDYWT). Although from the outside it seems very quiet at this point, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Here are a few of the highlights:

• In April, Other Press released their Fall/Winter catalog, which listed LDYWT with some important info including format(s), the summary, an excerpt, and the official pub date of January 26, 2016. It also marked the unveiling of a very cool cover design, which I’ve splashed all over this site and everywhere else I hang out. The release of the catalog also kicked off the digital listing of the novel in a bunch of places, from Amazon to Indiebound to Booktopia in Australia and beyond. Since Other is distributed by Penguin Random House, LDYWT also appeared in PRH’s catalog. As we get closer, I’m be running some pre-order incentives, but I’ve provided the links so you can see LDYWT out in the web-world if you’re so inclined. After all these years, it is definitely strange to start to see it take on a life of its own.

• In other exciting news, a few weeks ago I met with Beehive Productions and M.R. Poulopoulos at Caffe Lena to work on a promotional video for the book. It was fun day of filming and music and drunken noodle from Sushi Thai Garden, and I cannot thank Jeff and Sue from Beehive, Mike P., or the Caffe enough for their generosity of time and talent. Be sure to keep an eye on this website and my social networks / situations for the finished product, which should hit around the end of July.

• Lastly, as you know by now, I’ve overhauled the website to focus on the book. Hope you like it! I think it’s much improved from the clunky site that I’d ignored for a few months. This will serve as a hub of sorts with the spokes stretching to FB and Twitter and Tumblr and so on. Important stuff will be posted here, but if you’re looking for my more regular postings or what-have-you, follow me on Twitter or Facebook.  

When I first started this process, I didn’t know what to expect. That said, the editorial process felt like a natural extension of the work I’d been doing for a couple years (just more rigorous + with a brilliant editorial team), but now I’m headed into new territory. The promotion, publicity, marketing piece of the puzzle is way outside of my element, but I have a great team of players from Other Press to Christopher Rhodes to all of you fine folks who have expressed interest in LDYWT. So, here’s to the run-up to the release. More updates to come.

All my best,

WBB