When books arrive

Something people ask me a lot in interviews is how it feels to see your book on the shelf or to get the first copy. Do I celebrate? Things like that. My answer is usually that I don’t. I toasted when I made my first sale, and I’m darn happy every time I make a new one, but I don’t do anything special when I new book comes out. I have to admit I have even been in Walmarts and not checked to see if my current release is on the shelf…that is probably bad to admit, but it’s true. Usually I do visit them because I like to sign them, but sometimes you are just you know dealing with life and you don’t have time.

But yesterday my doorbell rang, and for whatever reason my ears perked up. I wasn’t expecting anything. I’d already heard my author copies from Pocket wouldn’t arrive until the books were shipped to bookstores, but still I walked a little faster to the door…and there it was one chubby envelope tucked behind the storm door and the return address said Simon & Schuster…It was my book–Amazon Ink. An editor had got a copy and knowing I wouldn’t get my author copies for a while, she sent me one.

And I have to admit, it was a thrill. It looked just like the cover they’d sent me a pdf of, minus the typo on the back (meaning it was on the pdf, but isn’t on the book), but it was still a thrill. My picture is in the back (a little dark, but there) and I even like my bio. (Yes, I wrote it but that doesn’t mean I’d like it.) And they deleted something I’d had in the acknowledgements that I REALLY wanted deleted. All was good in my world.

And, I realized I’m a bit of a liar, because getting a book you wrote all printed and packaged and bright, shiny new IS still a thrill. And I’m betting it always will be. :)