Hello friends!
The other night, as the staff was tidying up after my event at Third Place Books in Seattle, one of the booksellers told me that they sold a lot of copies of Windfall. Sales may not be your chief metric of success, he told me, but it's theirs, and sales and attendance exceeded their expectations that night.
Good sales are, of course, the most obvious measurement of success for a book—and a critical yardstick. But I have other metrics of success for this project. And I, too, have exceeded them in the past week since Windfall's release. I've reconnected with old friends, met a cousin I never really knew, had a fabulous party with nearly everyone I know in Portland, and have begun conversations with like-minded people about the big idea at the end of the book.
First of all, a big thank you to all of you who have purchased Windfall or attended events. This week has been a blast. It really and truly has been one of the best weeks of my life. No matter what happens with Windfall, it has been thrilling to have this week to take it out into the world and to talk about it and to celebrate its completion. I've been blessed with two amazing conversation partners in the novelist Lydia Kiesling and the journalist Madeline Ostrander. I had a lovely event at the Monmouth Public Library that exceeded my wildest attendance expectations. My husband threw a fabulous launch party. Old friends and dear family joined me for the party and the first few events. And I've received some really good press. (Including being featured in my neighborhood newsletter!)
I've also learned a few things, including that I need to memorize better talking points to explain mineral rights, hah. Also: My excitement shows on my face during live events, and short of beta blockers, I don't know what to do about it. Maybe it's just who I am? I get flushed when I'm talking for long periods of time to a crowd, and after a week of events, my under-eye circles definitely betrayed my fatigue on Friday night.
I am deeply thankful to my yoga and meditation teacher training and experience, which has not only given me the skills to read a room and hold space for an hour or so, but also has offered me tools for inner poise at a stressful time. (The good, productive kind of stress!) I have reminded myself several times this past week that my nervousness before events is a sign that I care deeply about what I'm doing, and that it is my body's useful response to high-pressure situations.
This week, I'm headed to Bend and Sisters, Oregon, and then on to Boise, Idaho. MOJIE IS COMING, TOO! There are still tickets available for the event with Rediscovered Books in Boise at 10 a.m. this Saturday. I'm planning on sticking around Saturday evening if any Boise friends want to meet up with me and Mojie for an afternoon hike or an evening beer. We love Boise.
I am so grateful to all the local journalists who've interviewed me about this book so far. More than anyone, I know how hard you all work. I also know how important these interviews are for event attendance and, yes, sales. I'll be on the air tomorrow at 12:45 MT on Boise State Public Radio, and on Think Out Loud on OPB on Feb. 1. I've done interviews on KUOW in Seattle and Prairie Public in North Dakota, too, if you want to give them a listen or share them on social media. And more are forthcoming! The official launch event at Powell's was filmed by C-SPAN for BookTV. As soon as a I have a link, I'll share it. You can catch a television interview with me on AM Northwest on KING5.
Coming up March 9, I've got an appearance at Eagle Harbor Book Co. on Bainbridge Island in Washington. For any of you writers coming to Seattle for the AWP conference, it's a fun ferry ride to the event! I'll be at Auntie's Books in Spokane on March 10, and I am hoping to line up some other events the following week in Montana, fingers crossed. (Since I'll be in the area and all!)
For Colorado readers: Windfall is the February nonfiction book club pick at the legendary Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver.
I'm also really trying to get a slot at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C. in March or April, but they go fast, and it hasn't yet come together. Stay tuned, though! I'm determined to do an event in D.C. this spring. And North Dakota, I'll be there in June!
So far I've gotten one mean email from a random person, which is 1) a rite of passage for authors, 2) hilarious and 3) the sort of correspondence I'm inured to as a journalist. It came from someone who was born in Jamestown, North Dakota, but who has not lived in the state since she was a child or yet read Windfall—and who had the gall to be suspect of my North Dakota bona fides, hah! There are some lovely people in Jamestown, including a kind veterinarian who treated Mojie when she got sick there in 2021. But there's also some really bad energy in Jamestown; something weird has happened every time I've ever been. So I was not surprised that the nastygram came from someone born within view of Anna's grave.
I also received a really sweet email from a reader (unrelated to me) who said she stayed up all night to finish the book, which is way more important to remember, right? I love, love, love hearing from people who are engaging with this book and the ideas in it.
Thank you to all of you who've come out to events, who've shared the events on Facebook or other social media platforms, or who have bought a book for yourself and your mom. I dedicated this book to my mother's memory, and I love it when people tell me they're giving it to their own moms. (Although I'm pretty sure that dads and lots of other types will like it, too.)
It all matters. All of it! The little things add up for a book like Windfall, which requires word-of-mouth marketing to be a success. I would apologize for the deluge of promotional content, but it also would be awfully presumptuous to think that Windfall would find its readers without me—and all of you—actually telling people about it!
Love to you all. And please come say hi at one of my events!
Erika
P.S. Don't forget to leave a Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes & Noble review!
So happy to be on this journey with you. I’ve never met you, but I know your sister and totally adore her. You get a free pass because you are Stephanie’s sister! Hah.
 Got a love social media. I can’t wait till they make a movie out of your book!  Imagine that, Erika! I love being a part of this in your enthusiasm is contagious.
Congrats!