In the publishing business a lot of emphasis is put on the book launch, the publication date when all the world can buy or access your book. If you have a break out book, it can mean days, and weeks, of buzz. Based a bit, it seems to me, on the old appointment viewing marketing model when your favorite shows or movies were available on the day they were broadcast, or released into theatres. Now that model is primarily the purview of sports events, and the occasional awards show like the Oscars, Tony's or the People's Choice Awards.
Time's Undoing has not been a breakout book, but it has received some strong, positive reaction from a handful of respected outlets: the American Library Association's BookList; Amazon Editor's Pick; NPR; The Atlantic; The Tampa Bay Times; the Sun Sentinel; the Detroit Free Press; Oprah Daily, and the amazing blurbs by a dozen authors whose own works I admire so deeply.
I'm continuting to promote the book on podcasts, in interviews, in personal appearances at conferences and book festivals. There isn't one book that everyone will like, but I know that when a reader gets hold of Time's Undoing there's a good chance they will find it a good read with a story that is relatable, and ultimately uplifting.
I do want Time's Undoing to be a bestseller, to break out of the pack of hundreds of books published every month. But, what I want even more is the opportunity to have a conversation about this books about the big themes, and the small details that shape the characters of my book, and builds a narrative of the cointinued need for social justice.
Meanwhile, I'll see some of you at upcoming personal appearances at the Maine Crime Wave in June, and the Mississippi Book Festival, and Birmingham, Alabama Central Library in August.