Very excited to see these articles coming out (just listened to the one in WaPo and thought it was excellent) and to see your success (pre-official-book-Bday!). Enjoy!
Hey Virginia! I know the launch is soon, but are you still providing advance reader copies? I read chapter 5 in Time. It’s super readable and informative. Many times this kind of information is pretty dense. Thanks!
We are all out of advanced copies, alas! (Great problem to have, I guess!) But if you're interested in writing about the book, send me your address and I can try to get you on the next press mailing.
I would like to learn more about blurbs for books. How does that work? Any surprises? I reviewed a book for a journal (positively) and they used a line from my review for the second edition as a blurb. I was surprised (pleased). But I also think blurbs are actively sought somehow?
Oh yes, it's a whole exhausting process! Everyone (editor/publisher, agent, author) brainstorms a big list of potential blurb writers and then you go through the humbling routine of asking, sending books, following up and seeing who will actually do it. It is quite common for publishers to also pull blurbs from great reviews, but since we have no control over when/if reviews happen, this whole asking it as a favor this is standard practice. Everyone kind of hates it -- I mean the blurbs are lovely to get, but it creates a ton of unpaid labor for authors on both sides. I feel awful when I have to turn down another author's blurb request because I don't have time because I have also been turned down plenty and know it's hard not to take it personally! Whew. Such a roller coaster.
This is SO EXCITING!!! :D When I went to Goodreads to click on the Want To Read link, I saw that 29 people were already Currently Reading your book! They have advance copies and are in the good stuff ALREADY!!! And, 4802 Want To Read it!!!! How cool is that?! I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY COPY!!!!!!!
Hi Virginia! I'd love to ask you about the reviews aspect of the book launch process. How do publishers make sure your book is reviewed by media outlets? And do you get any say in when and where those reviews are published? I was thrilled to see that Fat Talk has been so well reviewed, but what would you/your publisher do if the initial reviews were less kind in the lead-up to the launch?
Oh God, it’s a wildly vague process. My publicist sends the book out to all the outlets that might review it (they keep big lists of these places and I might also throw in “oh what about X” or hear directly from a journalist interested). But we have ZERO control over who actually reviews it and what they write! So it’s exciting/terrifying when one comes out. Feeling v grateful to have a bunch of good early reviews but honestly, bad reviews aren’t always bad — like they are soul crushing on a personal level, but can still generate conversation and buzz about the book, if that makes sense. Not getting reviewed at all is probably worse…
Very excited to see these articles coming out (just listened to the one in WaPo and thought it was excellent) and to see your success (pre-official-book-Bday!). Enjoy!
Hope to learn a thing or two from you ; )
Thank you so much, Charlotte!
Hey Virginia! I know the launch is soon, but are you still providing advance reader copies? I read chapter 5 in Time. It’s super readable and informative. Many times this kind of information is pretty dense. Thanks!
We are all out of advanced copies, alas! (Great problem to have, I guess!) But if you're interested in writing about the book, send me your address and I can try to get you on the next press mailing.
That would be great! Do you have a public email I could send it to?
Yup! virginiasolesmith@substack.com.
I would like to learn more about blurbs for books. How does that work? Any surprises? I reviewed a book for a journal (positively) and they used a line from my review for the second edition as a blurb. I was surprised (pleased). But I also think blurbs are actively sought somehow?
Oh yes, it's a whole exhausting process! Everyone (editor/publisher, agent, author) brainstorms a big list of potential blurb writers and then you go through the humbling routine of asking, sending books, following up and seeing who will actually do it. It is quite common for publishers to also pull blurbs from great reviews, but since we have no control over when/if reviews happen, this whole asking it as a favor this is standard practice. Everyone kind of hates it -- I mean the blurbs are lovely to get, but it creates a ton of unpaid labor for authors on both sides. I feel awful when I have to turn down another author's blurb request because I don't have time because I have also been turned down plenty and know it's hard not to take it personally! Whew. Such a roller coaster.
This is SO EXCITING!!! :D When I went to Goodreads to click on the Want To Read link, I saw that 29 people were already Currently Reading your book! They have advance copies and are in the good stuff ALREADY!!! And, 4802 Want To Read it!!!! How cool is that?! I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY COPY!!!!!!!
Yayyy! I haven't let myself look so thank you this delightful news!
Xoxox
Hi Virginia! I'd love to ask you about the reviews aspect of the book launch process. How do publishers make sure your book is reviewed by media outlets? And do you get any say in when and where those reviews are published? I was thrilled to see that Fat Talk has been so well reviewed, but what would you/your publisher do if the initial reviews were less kind in the lead-up to the launch?
Oh God, it’s a wildly vague process. My publicist sends the book out to all the outlets that might review it (they keep big lists of these places and I might also throw in “oh what about X” or hear directly from a journalist interested). But we have ZERO control over who actually reviews it and what they write! So it’s exciting/terrifying when one comes out. Feeling v grateful to have a bunch of good early reviews but honestly, bad reviews aren’t always bad — like they are soul crushing on a personal level, but can still generate conversation and buzz about the book, if that makes sense. Not getting reviewed at all is probably worse…
Nail-biting stuff!