Given the recent attention that I’ve gotten in the media, I’ve decided that I need to do everything I can to get the word out there about Gift of the Shaper. That being said, I’ve got three things currently going on in the way of big announcements. And, wrapped up in a convenient little blog, here they are!

1. I’ve hired a publicist!

Usually they tell you, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Well, I agree with that notion — to an extent. In the case of something like publicity, I do not think that this saying applies. And, for that reason, I’ve decided to hire on Susan Schwartzman, who has been affectionately referred to as “The Navy SEAL of publicists.” She seemed like a good fit based on that moniker alone. [note: I think very highly of Navy SEALs, but I’m really not allowed to say just why]. 

So today, I’ve officially hired her on to handle a media campaign for me that will be kicking off as soon as February 1st.

 [note: I’ll have more details about exactly which 5 cities are going to be involved, but be on the lookout! One of them may be YOURS!]

However, based on the second update I have for you, that February 1st start date could possibly change.

2. Audiobook progress update!

Back in November, I hired an audio production expert to put the finishing touches on my audiobook. The voices have all been recorded (by yours truly) and the narration portion is complete, but this is the last step before submitting to audible.

Well, I talked to John (my audio guy) today, and he is giving himself a deadline of the end of the month to finish it! That would be both incredibly exciting and a mammoth relief.

He’s hard at work cleaning up the audio and getting the chapters to me, and I have every faith in his ability to get it done well and on time.

Which, of course, leads me to my NEXT big announcement…

3. Hardcover version in the works!

I spoke with my publisher back in December, right around the time I first started to get some media attention, and they gave me some great news that I’ve kept to myself until now: we are looking at launching a hardcover version of Gift of the Shaper!

Bobby, one of the production managers with Indigo River, has told me that he’s already received a preliminary version of the book, so we might be seeing one VERY SOON, which is incredibly exciting to me.

Don’t get me wrong: I love the paperback version. It will always and forever be the version that is closest to my heart — but to be able to see my book available in hardcover would be the next step in this already amazing journey.

So this has been an absolutely whirlwind of a day — yes, day. All of this stuff happened today.

But anyway, how was your Monday?

Thanks for popping by, and feel free to leave any comments below — and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter (scroll ALL the way down) if you’re interested in getting updates on launch dates!

-D.L.