Hi friends!
Windfall hits the streets in exactly eight days, and I come to you this week a swirling vortex of anxiety and excitement. Do not get too close, you might get singed with anticipation! No wait, come closer, I need validation and chocolate!
Old friends and family are traveling—some on red-eye flights, no less—to Oregon to be with me for a launch party and for the first event the day of Windfall’s release. So many of you have told me you have pre-ordered the book. Thank you, thank you, thank you! (And if nothing else, I know that my mother-in-law purchased about 20 copies. Thank you Bunny!) I am deeply grateful for the love and support.
But I need a little more help.
Think of me as the greedy little dog who pushes its wet nose up against your palm after you’ve already pre-ordered the book I’ve been telling you about in this newsletter since 2013. More love, please, I need more!
So here it is, my big ask of the decade: Please help even more people discover Windfall. Here are some free ways to do it:
Tell your friends and family and co-workers.
Post about Windfall on social media. You can tag me or share my posts, including the book trailer I made, which you can find pinned to the top of my Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles. The trailer is also shareable via Vimeo.
Suggest me for a podcast, television or radio program or print interview.
Come to my events! Or tell people about them, if you know I’ll be in their town. Heck, suggest an event!
Ask your library to carry the book.
Here’s one other really important thing: If you can, please write a review on Goodreads or Amazon. Look, I get it. You may not be the type to post reviews. But I’m not sure I can overemphasize how important reader reviews are for a debut author. Amazon, for example, requires at least 50 reviews (some suggest it’s 100) for a book to even be considered in its list of bestsellers. If you ordered from Amazon, please review the book there!
Goodreads is often the first thing that pops up when someone googles a book or an author. Composite ratings from Goodreads also show up in Edelweiss, the software that many bookstores use to order books. And Goodreads is notoriously full of grumpy people who enjoy taking an author down a peg or two. So help a debut author out and post a review, please?! (See below for suggestions on how to write a review for any book.)
I know, I know. It’s a lot to ask. But many of you have been with me over the past decade as I poured my heart into this project. I suspect you’re just as excited as I am to see Windfall out in the world. This is my final big push. And I promise that I’ll return soon to my regular programming of writing about trees, long walks in sculpture gardens, and my travels in the West.
With love and gratitude as I savor every moment of all of this,
Erika
Coming next week: An interview with the designer behind the cover of Windfall. He’s got lots to say about what makes a book stand out on the shelf!
HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW
If you’re new to reviewing books…
Here’s a template to write a tight, five-sentence/one-paragraph review of any novel or nonfiction book. This template works even if you don’t love the book or haven’t yet read the whole thing, but you want to support an author. Remember: Someone else may like a book for the very reasons it didn’t resonate with you!
Write a two-sentence overview of the book. What is it about? What happens? (No spoilers!)
Pick two things that stood out to you and share them. The quality of the writing? The diligence of the research? The way the story unfolded?
Close with why other people will like the book or mention other similar books that will help others decide whether to read it.