Tuesday, May 6, 2008

An Open Letter

Hey! The paperback of Practically Perfect in Every Way comes out today!

When I turned in the manuscript two years ago, I was very, very sick of thinking about myself. In my work with Brain, Child, I’m either on the phone with Steph, emailing writers/artists/photographers, checking in with other editors, writing a newsletter for readers, blahdee blah. In other words, interacting with people. Whatever I did next, I thought, it best be collaborative. This life of being sent off to work alone in the attic for months at a time? Who am I—Emily Dickinson?

I didn’t realize then that the really collaborative part comes after, and it’s between the reader and the writer. Because, hey, you can write all you want and even get a publisher to snazz it up between two covers, but if no one reads it and no one talks about it, it might as well not exist.

This is all to say thank you for making PPIEW exist. I’m offering up all the gratitude in my moderately hopeless little heart to everyone who bought the book, read the book, posted a review on Amazon or Good Reads or Library Thing, wrote about it online or in print, recommended it to a friend, invited me to a book club, come out on my travels last year, had me at their bookstore, had me on their show, sent me a kind email, or somehow felt a connection to the book.

Mad love to you. And now let the Amazon ranking obsession begin anew.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Jennifer,
I heard your interview on idiotvox.com and got a lot out of it. I have been involved with self help for almost 30 years, read many of the books you mentioned, (I myself am an Authentic Happiness coach), and have to say that the most salient point of the interview for me was how we are driven to seek out these "solutions" because we lack a safety net in our society and everything falls on our shoulders, which leads us as smart people to conclude we don't know what to do. Marty Seligman calls this the "spiritual armchair" and attributes the rise in depression for the last 50 years to the lack of it it. I haven't read your book, but I may because you are very perceptive ( and seem quite nice too BTW).

Tiffany said...

I pre-ordered mine, and am eagerly anticipating its arrival!

Congratulations! Let the book buying begin!

Gina Kelly said...

I'm reading it now, and loving it!! Though the chapter on money put in me in a bit of a panic. . . it also prompted me to make some calls and pull my head out of the sand.
It's funny to have had several years of correspondence with you through Brain, Child, but now to see you as so much more than just an editor. I admire your honesty, humor and willingness to be vulnerable in your writing. Thanks for this wonderful book Jennifer. And congratulations!!

Alison said...

I'm halfway through the review copy and I'm really enjoying it.

If I ever have a book published I will be obsessed with the Amazon ranking, not to mention the reviews. Try not to drive yourself crazy!

Alison

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! And I've got to ask...what's next for you? Are you working on a new book?

Godless Sunday said...

Love your other writing in the mag. Will order now. Don't get nuts with the Amazon rating thing.
It's a hit already.

All that should matter is what I think.

Jennifer said...

I think I'm going to bookmark this post and read it when I'm having a rough day.

Jody, I'm working on Brain, Child right now. I have another idea for a book, but I don't have a good feel for the structure of it. (It takes me forever.) Right now, it's just a little something to mull over in the shower...