Saturday, September 24, 2016

Random bullets of September, writing, and book news

It's been a month since I've posted here (really?), and a busy one.

  • My book is out, and I wish I could post a picture, because I really like the cover. I also really, really like having it finally be out. People even bought it and asked me to sign it at some recent appearances, which strikes me as amazing, and I will be on tv next month (already recorded). 
  • Question to all: if/when you published a book, did you send copies to people in the field, friends, etc.? The press already has a long list of places they sent it for review, so I'm worried that if I send it to some, (1) they might see it as a conflict of interest if they have already been asked to review it, which of course I can't know and (2) presumptuous. Your thoughts? 
  • Thanks again, all of you who read even during the slog of the Laocoon manuscript, slowcoach writing, and all the rest. To be fair, I didn't start serious work until well after the slowcoach writing thing--maybe 2010 or 2011?--but that's still a lot of time. I'll never be as fast a writer as Tanya Golash-Boza, but then again, I'm not a social scientist with data ready to be written up. 
  • Hi, Historiann, if you're reading! The other night at a dinner, I recommended The Many Captivities of Esther Wheelwright to a tableful of university professors who teach captivity narratives, so they might order it for their classes. 
  • In other news, some of the many low-level bureaucrats at Northern Clime are giving me a hard time about a scholarly project, absolutely non-controversial (think: describing the literary stylings of novels about squirrels), that will cost them nothing. They want me to come in and discuss "whether we can allow this project to be at Northern Clime." On a matter of academic freedom? Oh, no you didn't. While I was fuming, Spouse came in and said "kick it up to the Dean," which I'll be arranging to do next week. 

8 comments:

gwinne said...

Congrats on the book!!

undine said...

Thanks, gwinne!

Fie upon this quiet life! said...

Yay for the book!! It will take me longer than anyone I know to write mine, I promise. haha

I think sending it to people in the field would be a nice gesture. I never turn down free books in Shakespeare. I imagine others probably feel the same way. Plus, if they reviewed it, maybe they'd be interested in checking out specific things to see what you did with suggestions. (That might make you nervous, but I think it would be kind of cool.)

And you're going to be on tv? You're a superstar!

Boo for the academic freedom problem at your uni, though. Wtf are they thinking?

Dame Eleanor Hull said...

Congrats on the book, and I hope the Dean does a little @$$-kicking.

Earnest English said...

Congrats!! And give em hell!

Flavia said...

Congrats! Wish I could see the cover, too!

I only sent copies to a few people who've been significant mentors and with whom I have a close relationship. I figure most influential people can get their own free copies if they want them (or buy their own, though my book was also pretty affordable). And, yeah: seemed presumptuous. But like you my press had a big marketing budget and sent out a ton of review copies, so I didn't feel I *needed* to promote in that way.

And...congrats again!

undine said...

Thanks, Fie, Dame Eleanor, Earnest English, and Flavia! and thank you for the advice. I think I will send out a couple of books, though my press, like yours, Flavia, has sent out oodles of review copies.

What Now? said...

Congratulations on the book!