and love and vet care and a large property to roam on with custom-made boardwalks with ramps to make it easy for the dogs that have trouble with stairs. They also provide temporary and permanent foster homes for many more, with a unique thing called Forever Fostering, where people within 100 miles of the Sanctuary can foster a dog forever, with all veterinary care and medication paid for.
They have around 20 dogs living in the Sanctuary, including blind pug Bugsy, who had to have his eyes removed.
three bonded pairs, such as Harley and Smily, surrended to a shelter when their lifetime owner had to move into an assisted living facility, which the Sanctuary took in together so they would not be separated
and new bffs
And they’re having a t-shirt sale to raise funds to keep taking care of these old dogs that have been abandoned or are too old to be considered “adoptable.” And you should give them your money.
I have been thinking a lot about New Year’s resolutions lately, probably because the new year is uh…tomorrow. I can remember a lot of mine from years past. In 2013 I resolved to trust my instincts. In 2014 I resolved to not date for an entire year. In 2015 I obtained a boyfriend, a dog, a roommate (the boyfriend) and another dog (the boyfriend’s dog). It was a big year. A good year. I intend to spend 2016 doing pretty much the same stuff while losing the weight I spent the last year gaining. It’s really fun to walk to a local restaurant when you don’t feel like cooking, sit at the bar, split a pizza, and chat. Not so good for my athletic goals.
I spent much of the past year hanging out with my boyfriend, which is something I never thought I would say. Being single was part of my ~*personal brand*~ and I had grown used to the idea of becoming a lady who lives alone in her tiny house, lets her blonde hair go gray, hikes with a dog on weekends, and wears a lot of turquoise jewelry and drapey sweaters. I found this future appealing and I had accepted it.
You know how married people like to tell single people, “You will meet someone when you least expect it.” That is the most annoying sentence, and I still don’t think it’s true but it is what happened to me.
(In the middle of writing this, he came in and sat on the couch next to me, explained something really complicated about photons and transference, then went to take a shower and is now singing in the shower really, really off-key. Everything about him is unexpected, weird, and delightful.)
I had my heart broken three times in my 20s. I’ve been cheated on, dumped out of the blue, and ghosted. “I am confused and just want to be friends.” “I’m not ready for a relationship.” “Things just aren’t progressing for me anymore.” The best things happened when I learned to walk away from anyone who didn’t feel as much for me as I felt for them. It’s a difficult lesson to learn, but trust me. You cannot wait for someone to fall in love with you! It will never happen.
I hope 2016 is full of professional accomplishments, dogs licking your face, boys or girls you like texting you back, and meals that make you wish for looser pants.
So I’m usually snarky on here, but I thought I’d bring something up that I think the publishing industry should be thinking about a bit. In recent months I’ve had a harder and harder time booking first time non-bestselling, non-famous authors anywhere at all. I understand that bookstores need events to be successful. They need to sell books. And I’m not talking about sending these authors on some big tour to cities where they’ve never been and doing some press releases and hoping people will show up. That doesn’t work. It hasn’t worked in a long time.
What I’m talking about is events where authors actually do know people, where they know a lot of people. In recent weeks, I’ve been turned down for more than one event where we’ve guaranteed book sales (as in, if we don’t sell 40 books, the author will buy the remaining books) and in the author’s home town, where at least 35-40 people would have come. None of these denials were for reasons of scheduling.
I worked in a bookstore for a long time, and I know what a successful event looks like. If you sell 30-40 books, that’s pretty damn successful. I also understand that events cost bookstores money (though publishers do pay for at least some of that through co-op) and they can be really horrible if no one shows up. I totally get it.
Here’s my problem. Starting since before I worked in publishing (so over 10 years ago) newspapers, radio, and television have consistently cut book coverage. It’s harder and harder to get books that aren’t the big huge books written about in media outlets. It seems like most of the media outlets are covering the same 20 books.
I guess what I’m asking and hoping to start a discussion about is what do we do? How do we navigate this? I’m constantly trying to find ways to do this, but with my job duties it makes it hard to deviate too drastically from what I already know. I feel like I’m in a catch-22, I don’t have time to figure out new ways of going about this but I also kind of don’t have time to not figure out how to change how I get newbie authors seen. What say you, tumblr? How have you gone about doing this? How should the book industry go about getting books out to an audience? We’re a small publisher, but people know us, it’s not like we’re putting out unedited or self-published books, but how do we fight this squeezing of the newer authors? I feel like I’m working so hard and battling more and more road blocks.
xoxo,
SPP
I can totally relate to this. I tried recently to book a signing at my old hometown store (even offering to bring my own copies, if they preferred), and was turned down.
To me, it seemed like the store wasn’t interested in putting in the work to do the signing - which I totally get. But it makes it hard to sell books if the retailers aren’t willing to get them in front of readers.
Yeah. It’s tough. And i want to reiterate, I know that stores are in a tough position. Events are expensive and highly disappointing when people don’t show up, and, let’s face it, a lot of events are fucking boring, which is why people don’t show up.
But it is disheartening when you’re like, ‘Hi, we have xx people coming, and we need a place to do this’ and you get a nah, I don’t think so.
Hmmm, this is something we’re talking about at @ooliganpress, too. Have you tried bulking out your social media presence (or helping your authors bulk out theirs)? Or possibly organizing a community event centered around the book and partnering with other local business, so you’d gain more outreach in the community, possibly get more newspaper coverage that way, and have more fans participate. Consider approaching some influencers in your key target audience, pitching them to post from their Twitter/Instagram/Social Media accounts, or share from yours. (Create these assets first, the Twitter or Facebook posts, so the influencers have less to actually do in order to participate.) Perhaps if the local bookstores see your books out there more often, they’d be more willing to host the book readings/signings.
These are definitely all good things. We have a good social media presence. I have long complicated thoughts about authors on social media…maybe I’ll do another post on that some time.
I’ve definitely been trying to bulk up the community outreach. I guess my question in this arena is how do we find the time? I have so many events to book, and I feel like I barely have the time to book a bookstore, do press releases, and make authors bring people out (this is the reality right now, I won’t book events unless the author can bring people out, it’s just so much work to try to get people out to these things that aren’t connected to the author).
I feel like at big presses there are people that book events, people that promote, people that get media, but in my office that’s all me (and that’s not all I do). I just am at a loss as to where to find the time. But I’m glad you guys are doing this too. I feel like this is definitely the right direction and I’ll definitely try to carve out extra time for the cross-promotional opportunities. Great idea!
(let’s try that again) as a former bookstore event booker, i can also say that it is hard to believe small presses and authors when they say “and we’ll bring a big turnout” because EVERYONE SAYS THAT and very few deliver. including big fancy presses! i was regularly promised standing-room-only crowds, and the times that that actually happened were, well, less. the most compelling strategy i saw (and i did book this) was a publicist for an author who had pre-created Facebook RSVPs by city, but sans venue, and could show me with my own eyes that more than 50 people had already expressed interest. so if you are 100% positive an author can bring a crowd, demonstrating it in some clear way other than “take my word for it” is awesome and very helpful.
On Tuesday I had a PET scan and I went to get treatment and my results today. It was supposed to be my halfway point through treatment, and I was slated to have another 3 months of chemo to go. I’d been anxious about this day for months and my nervousness had only been growing leading up to today. My family and I sat in the room while my oncologist’s assistant came in and asked me if I’d been told the results yet. I said no.
“NED; that means No Evidence of Disease.” “What does that mean though?” “The cancer is gone.”
My family cried, I cried. Where there were cancer cells there is only scar tissue now and the lump is not malignant anymore. “There’s no activity,” she said. Then my oncologist came in and confirmed it.
Today was my last day of chemo! My hair is going to start growing back! I’m starting maintenance medication next week!
To all of the doctors and nurses and medical assistants and anyone involved with health in any way: you are all that is good and I owe you my life. I feel like I have been given a second chance at existing.
The world is so beautiful and detailed and humming with energy and I am privileged to experience it.
Never give up. Wake up every day and fight.
I love you!
This marks the third time I’ve cried about this news. I’m SO STINKIN’ HAPPY FOR YOU ROBIN!!!!!!!!!!
Someone commenting in the neighborhood association’s facebook group about how nice the newly paved road is and then someone responding “too bad the traffic will still be horrible” is the most neighborhood association-y thing I have ever read.
