Dear Readers,
Is success measured in
numbers? My son asked during a Shabbat dinner in Israel, when I told him, in answer to his earlier question regarding what I worried about, that I worried about selling the 1,500 book print run.
I've pondered this question ever since: "Does achieving a certain
number signify success?" Some days I think, yes, selling out the print run is a success, getting a good number of reviews on amazon is a success, losing a certain amount of pounds is a success--whatever your measure might be, it is indeed easiest to measure success in numbers. But, as my son rightly pointed out, once that is achieved, then what? A number on a chart or on the scale is fleeting, a temporary phenomenon. The greater success, or perhaps the more substantive one, lies in the tangible
things--in our creations, in our adventures, in our memories. A number is not a memory; achieving it is a high five, and then it's gone. If anything, it entices you to look towards the next number to achieve, which leads to an endless cycle of striving for numbers.
While I'm on the subject of numbers, a BIG THANK YOU to all who posted
amazon reviews for Jumping Over Shadows! The number of amazon reviews is one number I have been obsessing about as it helps a lot in improving the book's ranking, which in turn helps sales. So if you're not opposed to posting on amazon, and you haven't submitted a review yet, please consider doing so, you'll make my day! It
does not have to be elaborate, it's the sheer number that counts. And you do not have to buy the book on amazon to leave a review there! But, "once you've achieved that number, then what? You're still just a writer, so what are you writing next?" my son asked as a
follow up. He is a wise man (sometimes) and one who does understand the creative life. And, to my defense, I have been writing, mainly, of course, things that relate to the book, such as When Family Boycotts
a Wedding. I do miss sinking into other, more long-term writing projects, and while I have a few ideas, I simply do not have the brain space right now to embark on a bigger creative project. All these book activities are great but they are also quite demanding.
I have another request: What questions do you have after reading the book? Do let me know, please! This helps me come up with further book companion posts, and/or (who knows?), might even prompt me to write a sequel.
What a pleasure it was to give a talk at the Association for Americans and Canadians in Israel (AACI) in
Netanya, a city I had not been to before.
The book has been out for four months now, and when people ask me how it's going, I don't think in terms of numbers (in fact, I won't have reliable sales numbers until I receive my first royalty statement at the end of the 3rd
quarter), I think of all the book events I've had, the interesting people I have met, the wonderful messages I have received from readers, and the amazing opportunities that are unfolding.
All of these would not have happened without the book. And being on book tour in Israel this past month was truly a dream come true! For glimpse of my exploits there, see My Book and I in Jerusalem. Montfort Castle in northern Israel
Numbers are nice; memories are better. Speaking of memories, as a past contributor to Bella Grace, I was invited to participate in their current blog hop in celebration of their Field Guide to Everyday Magic coming out, and I used that occasion to write about one of my adventures in Israel: I
Always Wanted to... Setting up events takes a lot of lead time, usually a few months in advance, but I have found that if I sow the seeds, and if I follow up, chances are, something will
happen, and so I have been busy arranging events for the next few months and even into next year. Upcoming events are always to be found on my website's event page as soon as I have venue confirmation.
I will be in Atlanta for the Decatur Book Festival over Labor Day weekend and am looking forward to seeing some old friends. If you're in the area, I would love it if you could come to my session and say hello:
Sunday, September 3 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. Marriott Conference Center Auditorium
I hope your writing and creating endeavors are going well, and I wish you a productive rest of the summer.
Greetings, |
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