Art by Zachary Robichaux
BUDDY THE KNIGHT AND THE QUEEN OF SORROW is a month old today!
It’s been a whirlwind of a month. From the pins and needles of release day, to the influx of amazing support from friends, family, and colleagues, to this quiet Saturday morning as I contemplate this story’s journey. I am so very proud of BUDDY and the reception his adventure has received thus far.
I’ve been fortunate to receive wonderful reviews from the onset. Here are links to a few of them:
The Witty and Sarcastic Book Club’s Review of BUDDY THE KNIGHT AND THE QUEEN OF SORROW
The Irresponsible Reader’s Review of BUDDY THE KNIGHT AND THE QUEEN OF SORROW
What is just as amazing as these reviews are these numbers:
BUDDY is closing in on 100 units out in the wild! In particular, that 80 number is the BEST any of my books has ever sold in a single month! Maybe that’s small potatoes for the more accomplished authors out there, but for me, it’s a HUGE milestone!
I’ve said all along that BUDDY is special. The story contains some of my best writing. No matter how many more books I’m fortunate enough to write, the bar is set very high for any subsequent stories to surpass BUDDY.
But the best part isn’t the sales numbers, or the great reviews from Kirkus and other amazing bookbloggers. No, the best part came from a close friend of mine whose co-worker’s daughter read the story and LOVED it.
That’s been the end-goal all along – to have the story resonate with both its target genre age-group, as well as adults. The story has been described as “timeless” and “for the young, and the young-at-heart”. I want kids to surround themselves with their stuffies. I want adults to remember what it was like to be that age.
But what I truly want is for people to believe in magic.
By believing in magic, there is a collective desire to bring good things, kindness, and light into our world. By believing in magic, your heart becomes filled with positivity, and the belief that anything is possible. Perhaps by believing in magic, we can all try to heal the world, even just a little bit. BUDDY espouses these thoughts and sentiments, and many others besides, as reminders that goodness can prevail over darkness and greed.
But enough of my moralizing. That’s not why you’re reading this blog, nor is it why I babble in it (usually).
So, what’s next?
I’m glad you asked!
Here’s what’s doin’:
I’m awaiting for a response from the US Copyright Office to see if BUDDY has been approved for copyright. I so firmly believe in this story that I absolutely want it protected. The process, like with any monumental government bureaucracy, takes a lot of time. The good news is I did hear back from them once requesting clarification for something, so that means they are actually working on it. I’m hoping the story will be approved by the end of October.
I’ve signed BUDDY up for a book blog tour that should happen in December. I’m working out the details with the touring company, but I’ve been informed that December should happen. I expect there to be at least 10 bloggers reading and reviewing the story, and they hail from all parts of the world. Getting international exposure for BUDDY is a critical component of my attempt at WORLD DOMINATION!!!!…err…of spreading the word and finding more eyeballs to read the book.
I’ve emailed six local independent bookstores to see if they’ll carry BUDDY. So far, they’ve all ignored me. Unsurprising, as I suspect they get hit with solicitation emails like mine all the time. I need to overcome my fear of face-to-face hard sales pitches and just walk into their stores armed with the book. Failure of rejection is a real thing as most of you know, and while I can be a persuasive sales person (just watch me at insurance conferences…I’m a completely different person, with charm, personality, and…did I mention charm and personality?), my insides turn to water just thinking about walking into a store to try this. But I will do it! I will. Soon. Really. I will…
Eventually…
Unfortunately, I missed the window on signing up for a local book festival for unimportant reasons.
Basically, I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough books – which I do now – and I wasn’t sure I felt like spending the money – which is dumb, because I’m an EXCEPTIONAL spender of money…so I guess I have no real reason other than I hesitated too long.
Yes, I’m an idiot.
What else?
I do know one reader is a tutor for kids of the appropriate age group. I’m hoping she’ll love the story (she only recently received her copy) and would want me to visit with her students and do a talk about it. THAT would be awesome.
Although one dream is to be a full-time author, an even bigger dream is to do a book-signing at a real store that I didn’t set up for myself whereby people actually wanted to see the book, listen to me read an excerpt, and talk about the process, the characters, you know, real author-y stuff. Sadly, that hasn’t happened yet, but I’m still young (yes, I really am young…at heart. Young-at-heart. Just roll with it, ok?) and hope springs eternal.
(I have other dreams, but no one wants to read about those.)
And I think that’s it for now. I’ll continue to pepper social media with ads for the story. I apologize to anyone sick of seeing them, but it’s the only way to keep the word moving. Remember, it’s all about getting eyeballs on the book. So if you want to help a brother out by retweeting, sharing, or otherwise touting how wonderful BUDDY is…well, the check is in the mail.
Just don’t cash it out yet until after I’m rich and famous.
You may have to wait a while.
Lastly, thanks to all of you who have supported me on my writing journey. Keep the positive thoughts coming, and together, we can achieve great things…including WORLD DOMINATION!!!
(Kidding.)
(Or am I?)
Peter Hartog - Official Site 