Book Promotion Made Easier, Akmaral Book Tour, Eclipses, and a Giveaway!
Plus a creative writing prompt at the end
Book Promotion Made Easier
with a Little Help from My Friends
I know a thing or two about battle. At least it feels like I do after writing Akmaral. But the task of promoting a book is a uniquely challenging uphill charge, especially with virtually no marketing budget. The effort requires a lot of sweat equity, persistence, and skills that, luckily, I’ve learned running The Writers Circle for almost fifteen years. But even with a broad skillset and all the energy in the world, no author can do it alone.
I am deeply grateful to countless friends, colleagues, family members, and my amazing community—both my “IRL” literary network and the ever-widening Writers Circle world. With all your support, and the priceless help of my terrific publicist, Laura Marie, it feels like Akmaral is getting a little bit of buzz. Perhaps it’s just a tiny honeybee exploring a small wildflower and not a swarm released to take on the world. But I hope you’ll add to that gentle humming through the last few weeks until Akmaral finally hits bookstore shelves on May 7, and I hit the promo road.
Book Tour As Community Effort
Yes, there is a book tour! And, yes, you are invited! (Official tour invitations go out tomorrow.) And yes, most of it I put together myself. But not alone. Each of my events is thanks to someone (sometimes several people) in the wonderful literary community that has supported me over many years.
Most of my events are in-person in New Jersey. But there’s one virtual event with bestselling author Cathy Marie Buchanan on May 21. And if you’re in NYC, you must join me for a fantastic conversation with #1 bestseller Christina Baker Kline on June 18.
I even have a couple of pre-pub events. Check out The Tipsy Bee: Adult Spelling Bee & Book Fair in Jersey City on April 14. This crazy idea (Yes, there will be spelling; and, yes, there will be booze!) is the brainchild of author Kerri Schlottman, who is also my “in-conversation” partner at Big Red Books in Nyack, NY, on May 15. This lovely bookstore is owned by author Richard Fulco who taught for The Writers Circle a few years back.
Buying Akmaral at these events supports the booksellers, and trust me, they deserve all your support!
Novelist Laurie Lico Albanese, who read Akmaral when it was still called Pasture of Heaven, will be talking with me at the beloved Watchung Booksellers, a true literary community hub that just passed ownership from mother Margot to daughter Maddie. And one of my newest literary besties, poet and novelist Colby Cedar Smith, will be talking with me in Princeton on May 19. We met at the Chester Book Fair hosted by The Writers Circle not long ago.
Oh, and the official book launch, at the Millburn (NJ) Library, is an in-conversation with Dorothy Kelly, art historian, president of the Friends of the Millburn Library, and a very dear friend. We met in the changing room at Peridance in NYC where we took ballet classes together during our post-professional years. And there will be music provided by some brilliant musicians, my very talented younger son Cooper Davis & Friends.
As you can see, each of my events is a gift from a friend, and I hope that I can return the kindness by bringing out a big, enthusiastic crowd.
PLEASE JOIN ME—no, make that join US! Come to whichever event you can.
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Advance Registration Is Greatly Appreciated!
The Eclipse Foretells Doom
My older son is heading north this weekend to witness the total solar eclipse on April 8. By now I hope everyone has heard about this rare celestial event. Humanity has long greeted eclipses with awe, but also as harbingers of doom. Consider the ancients looking up as a great darkness swallows the life-giving sun. How could they not be terrified?
Countless books, from Homer’s Odyssey to Shakespeare to contemporary novels, have used eclipses as a sign. In Akmaral, too, an eclipse carries foreboding, as does the coming of a blood-red moon.
In this time of historic unrest in our country and around the world, I pray that this celestial wonder will only bring us together for a moment of awe.
If you live in the path of totality, I envy you. While I won’t be joining my son—I’m not invited!—I will be watching the partial eclipse from New Jersey. Be sure to wear protective goggles, everyone!
Akmaral Giveaway!
What do you think of my Akmaral-inspired flying deer printing project? I had a blast making them—experimenting with color and layering, but finally coming to the realization that less is more. Isn’t it always—in writing, in art, and in life?
I’m offering a print along with a signed ARC in a new giveaway. All you have to do is:
1) Follow me at @judithlindbergh on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter/X, or @JudithLindberghAuthor on Facebook
2) Post about #AKMARALnovel and TAG ME in the comments.
Tag one of your friends or a favorite book influencer for extra chances to win.
I’ll choose a winner when I hit my goal to finally reach 1000 followers on Instagram or my Facebook author page—whichever comes first! (US addresses only due to shipping restrictions.)
Creative Writing Prompt: Letting Go of Things
One of my favorite poems is Storage by Mary Oliver:
When I moved from one house to another
there were many things I had no room
for. What does one do? I rented a storage
space. And filled it. Years passed.
Occasionally I went there and looked in,
but nothing happened, not a single
twinge of the heart.
As I grew older the things I cared
about grew fewer, but were more
important. So one day I undid the lock
and called the trash man. He took
everything.
I felt like the little donkey when
his burden is finally lifted. Things!
Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful
fire! More room in your heart for love,
for the trees! For the birds who own
nothing — the reason they can fly.
In plain but graceful language, Oliver writes about something many of us struggle with, the accumulation of things. Our consumer culture is driven by acquisition, and we often feel lesser if we don’t have what others have. But our endless hunger for more often leaves us wanting.
What if we lift the weight of possessions, as Oliver does in her poem? What if we let go of our clutch and grasp so that we can learn, as the birds do, to fly?
Try writing about all the things you (or your character) have acquired. Imagine letting go of them one by one. Do you feel bereft? Or do you feel a weight lifting? Whatever you feel, write it down in the voice of transition and transformation, as Oliver does.
AKMARAL will be out in just five weeks!
Thank you, everyone, for your support. And to my paid subscribers, you are ANGELS!
AKMARAL: a nomad woman warrior on the ancient Asian steppes must make peace with making war.
NetGalley Reviewers Love AKMARAL:
“Historical fiction at its best - an emotional and inspiring story” - Nix C.
“Shimmers with authenticity .... an incredible historical fiction novel” - Elyse W.
“Dazzling” - Tucker L.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and GoodReads. (I'm also on Twitter/X, but rarely.) Or visit judithlindbergh.com.
Judith, congratulations on your upcoming book tour and double congrats on the book! You've accomplished something really special. You chose a fascinating time and place to write about. I'm working on a book myself about the Mongols and Genghis Khan's principal wife, Borte.
I wish you the best on your tour and much luck in all your ventures as an author. I'm really looking forward to reading your book!!!!