My mom had an idea...
Leave it to the retired librarian to come up with a (potentially) brilliant idea.
As we were talking on the phone the other week, my mom wondered, "Have you considered reaching out to the hometown libraries of the bands on The Way Back's playlist?"
I hadn't, but once the suggestion was made, I wasted little time in doing my research and collecting addresses. And then I took the suggestion a step further and gathered mailing addresses for libraries in the cities on my Christmas Goal list.
Suffering through several bouts of finger cramps and deteriorating handwriting, I composed handwritten notes (on original stationery for sale on my Etsy page, no less!) that explained my mission: to broaden my readership and gain followers across the United States. This took some time... but persistence and patience are two of my strengths, so I got it done!
When addressing cards to the libraries located in cities on my Christmas Goal list, I included a printout of the blog that went into detail regarding Mr. Read Aloud's idea for a Christmas Goal. Hopefully, the librarians will read it and offer assistance!
Once The Way Back became available as a paperback, I ordered a whole bunch of copies and signed them. Then I addressed a bunch of envelopes, placed a book in each one, and visited the Gettysburg post office. Jack, a very nice postal worker who likes octopuses even more than I do, helped me out. I think it probably took him just as long to type in all the addresses, print the labels, and adhere them to my packages as it did for me to address the envelopes, insert the books, and go to the post office! Jack was a trooper.
Now the books are in the mail and all that's left to do is wait... With any luck, some new blue dots will pop up on the map in the near future. These are the spots my period-four students and I will be monitoring:
Amherst, MA (The Suitcase Junket and Bella's Bartok)
Asheville, NC
Austin, TX
Bend, OR
Billings, MT
Burlington, VT (Phish)
Chicago, IL
Columbus, OH
Denver, CO (The Lumineers)
Duluth, MN (Trampled y Turtles)
Huntington Beach, CA (Reel Big Fish)
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA (Weezer)
Nashville, TN (Old Crow Medicine Show and Rayland Baxter)
Philadelphia, PA (Don McCloskey)
Seattle, WA
Upper Arlington, OH (Caamp!)
How fun, right? Also, I have two requests:
Regardless as to where you live -- whether it's in Gettysburg, PA, or Honolulu, HI -- it would be super cool if you'd request The Way Back at your local library!
If you have a literature-loving friend in Maine, please tell him/her to visit my website. My marketing manager Mary is very bothered by the fact that Maine is the only state on the east coast that doesn't have a blue dot yet. I don't have any friends in Maine, so it's not an easy fix for me, but I'm hoping someone reading this blog does have a friend in Maine! Fingers crossed...
(If it's easier to just share this blog, I think you can do so by clicking the Facebook "f" or the Twitter bird at the bottom of this post.)
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