Pub Day(s)

P1050241It occurs to me that I posted nothing on 3/24, the official publication date of A Reunion of Ghosts. And today, 3/26 is the official pub date of the British edition. Friends in London and Ireland–maybe you can celebrate my pub date by visiting a pub.

Publication day is a funny thing. Many bookstores have already been selling the book for a day or two. It’s a bit too soon for reviews (if, indeed, there are any reviews in the offing–fewer and fewer novels get any). No matter how buzzy the pre-pub roll out, the likelihood is your book will not win awards, break sales records, or be made into a movie (which for some reason we all think is the best thing that can happen to a book–to be turned into something that isn’t a book).

The nicest thing about Pub Day for me–and it was, indeed, incredibly nice–was the support and well-wishes from friends and family. I’m planning on holding on to that experience, trying to cherish that outpouring, and let it inspire me to tackle the next thing, whatever it is.

I think it’s important to remember that completing the book–seeing the project through and doing it the way you want to and as best as you can–is the goal. To quote Frank Conroy, my teacher and mentor, The project is nothing; the process is everything. Tonight, at my launch party, I plan to celebrate the process. And then, I have a lot of student work to begin reading.