Indies First
Tomorrow, for Small Business Saturday, loads of authors are taking to their local independent bookstores for Indies First. We’ll be volunteering as guest booksellers and recommending our favorite books! I’ll be at Hooray for Books in Alexandria, VA from 1-4pm.
Why am I participating? This is what I wrote for their newsletter:
As a reader, I love independent bookstores. I can browse to my heart’s content, ask for recommendations from booksellers familiar with my tastes, and attend fabulous author events. As an author, I love them even more. They support local authors far more than faceless, impersonal internet companies. They know our names, host our launch parties, hand-sell our books, and celebrate our successes. At Hooray for Books
That’s why I’m volunteering to spend Saturday, November 30 at Hooray for Books! I’ll be your guest bookseller that afternoon from 1-4pm as part of the Indies First/Small Business Saturday campaign. And while I’m happy to sign copies of my own books, I’m even more excited to tell you about my favorite reads. That’s part of the magic of indies — debating the best Hogwarts House or your Divergent faction, seeing someone’s eyes light up when you discuss Katniss or Anne of Green Gables, swooning over book boyfriends and adorable picture books alike — connecting with your tribe. Fellow book-lovers.
So come down to King Street and start your holiday shopping on November 30, and tell me about your favorite book so far this year. I can’t wait to hear about it.
If you’re in the DC area, I’d love to see you! If you’re not, I hope you’ll check out this index, by state, to find participating authors and stores near you.
In other news:
Giveaway #1: Are you giving BORN WICKED or STAR CURSED as a gift this year? I’d love to help you make it more special by providing a personalized bookplate and bookmarks. The offer is open internationally until December 15. Just fill out this form. (Please don’t forget to include your address! Paging Maria Cruz and Ashlee Drummy – you requested bookplates but didn’t give me an address where I should send them. Please email me at cahillwitch at gmail dot com so I can get those out to you.)
Giveaway #2: I am having a contest for a very early copy of SISTERS’ FATE! All you have to do is review STAR CURSED. Details here. Contest is open until December 11 at midnight!
Giveaway (well, sale) #3: Are you an aspiring writer? Need a second set of eyes on your manuscript? I’ve started a critique service with three other authors, and we’re having a 20% off holiday sale on everything except full manuscripts. Until December 11, our prices are as follows:
Query Critique: $16 (save $4)
1st 10 Pages: $24 (save $6)
Agent Submission Package (query + 10 pages): $40 (save $10)
Partial (1st 50 pages): $80 (save $20)
Good deal, no? If you’re wondering how to submit – or why you’d want to submit to a crit service – you can find out more here. And if you are particularly interested in working with me, you can always specify that in your email – we do take editor requests.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am grateful for readers – those who consume stories voraciously, in any form, across all mediums – my tribe. And that I get to write stories for a living. And for my friends, who keep me sane during the writing, and my family, who is so supportive, and my husband, who makes me laugh every day. And this year I’m especially thankful for board games and wine and football, which made a difficult Thanksgiving (the first since my father-in-law passed away last summer) easier.
I won't be going to an indie today, but only because there are none in my town! But John Green was at Malaprops in Asheville NC yesterday, which is 3 hours away from me, so I called and bought a few books he signed while he was there 🙂
That's awesome! Which is your favorite John Green? Mine is still LOOKING FOR ALASKA.
And I totally understand living in a place without an indie…the closest thing to my house growing up was a Waldenbooks half an hour away. My mom was really excited when Born Wicked was at Wal-mart because it's nearby and she could take my granddad to see it!
Will Grayson, Will Grayson! After I read it I tried the audiobook b/c someone told me it was amazing, and it really is, and I don't listen to audiobooks. But Tiny Cooper sings, so it's awesome.
Yeah, there are 3 Wal-Marts here, of course. Hubs is in the Army and we're hoping they move us soon and to somewhere better (we're in Fayetteville, NC) and with a nice indie book store I can spend my days in 😀
Ooh, I don't listen to audio either but I've got a road trip coming up this spring, so I'll have to keep WG,WG in mind! Thank you!
Is Fayetteville close to Chapel Hill or Asheville? I'm going to try to organize 2 signings this spring when the paperback of Star Cursed comes out!
Hurray! I want everyone to listen – it's so great.
Fayetteville is about 90 minutes from Chapel Hill and about 5 hours from Asheville, so that would work! Plus anything after February works for me – husband is deployed now, and the kid doesn't dig road trips to mom book signings 😉 (But I did take her to Raleigh to meet Rosemary Wells)