New life blooms in my belly. When I panic and worry the life is gone, pretty soon I feel the child moving again. The one thing in the world I am most curious about right now is what the baby looks like. Like me or like Ivan? Other questions soon follow. Will our child be a writer or a builder? A bookworm or an adventurer? An imaginative creator or an energetic dirt lover? Or all of the above? Possibilities are endless.
Other things bloom around us. Grandma planted her garden.
I planted dahlias in a row along the sidewalk and begonias on either side of the door. Ivan planted petunias in the blue barrels he modified for just that purpose. I’ll show you a video of him doing it, mostly because I want you to hear the cowbells. Every time I hear them, I think I’m in Switzerland.
And since I’ve shared a picture of Ivan, he would say I should share one of me. Here I am, sitting on the golf cart, watching him.
The next time you see me, I probably won’t be pregnant. Lord willing, I’ll have a baby in my arms.
Turtle Heart is coming out soon. I can’t yet give you an exact date because my publisher, Elk Lake Publishing, doesn’t operate like that. We edit the book, format the book, and design the cover; and when it is finished, it is finished. Like my baby, we have a due date for it–June 19 for the baby, June 20 for the book–but there is no guarantee the book or the baby will arrive on exactly those dates.
Elk Lake is a traditional publisher with an unusual model. I get a much higher royalty with them than with with my previous publishers, but they expect me to do my own marketing. In many ways, this is a win-win situation, since almost any publishing model these days needs the author to put in a lot of footwork for the book to do well. (The Mennonite publishers many of us are familiar with are somewhat of an exception, since they already have a built-in, loyal audience.)
Still, the idea that all of the marketing is on me–from a book trailer if I want one, to reaching out to bookstores, to scheduling interviews and book signings–feels daunting. I have been avoiding diving in partly because I’ve been busy and partly because I don’t know quite where to start.
Do you have any suggestions for me? If you think you know exactly where Turtle Heart would fit, if you know of the perfect place to sell it or to start a discussion about it, or if you’d like to get involved by writing a review or promoting it in some way, please reach out to me through my email address at lucindajkinsinger@gmail.com or by commenting below.
You all have helped me with so many things in my life. You’ve encouraged me to write and taught me how to write for an audience. You’ve given me speaking opportunities, helped me choose a new computer, hooked me up with a college, even introduced me to my husband. I will be ever so grateful for any help or suggestions you may have for the book.
Turtle Heart, the story of my friendship with a feisty, wise, old Ojibwe woman, is coming out this summer. If you are already subscribed to my blog, you will hear about launch day details as they continue to develop. If you are not subscribed and want to be, drop me your email address below.
I can’t wait to see a glimpse of that BABY, Luci!
Congrats on publishing Turtle Heart. I have no suggestions about promotion except this: probably digital mostly because you will be so busy with that baby, at least at first. :-)
I have never written a book, so I’m probably not qualified to answer! But I’ll say what I thought of: you might reach out to Katrina Hoover Lee. She does book signings and all those author-ly things. She might have good advice. Plus, she has a new baby! 😊
I have published several books. What is my advice? It’s an exciting time but don’t expect to become a bestselling millionaire. If it happens, jump up and down but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t. Being Mennonite, you have a platform already that sells but it takes hours and hours of work to sell books. Some of the things I did were send out postcards to people I know. Advertise on Facebook and other on-line platforms. Set up a website dedicated to your book. Knowing how to use SEO is helpful. I am not an expert on such.
Putting ads in magazines, doing radio or TV interviews etc is hugely expensive. The cost/benefit ratio always has to be considered. You can put thousands of dollars into advertising and never recoup most of those costs so look for methods that are relatively cheap and especially with a baby coming, the least time consuming. Don’t make it an obsession and let it replace your family. Getting reviews on places like Amazon is hugely helpful but often difficult to accomplish. It is hard to sell without reviews. I would be happy to do a review for you.
I don’t have any advice on how to market your book but I do know that your pregnant self looks beautiful. 🥰 ❤️
Lucinda you look beautiful! Anyway, I agree with Mary Beth about contacting Katrina for advice or Dorcas Smucker. I think some authors have had a limited number of bloggers have a free digital copy to review. Some have done giveaways where a blogger will review a book and have a giveaway of the book they are reviewing. I love reading and would be happy to read your book. I love reading!🙂
Great photos!
Your looking so lovely and happy Lucinda, I can’t wait to see your wee baby !! I loved the little video too :) Blessings to you ~ Linda