How to Stay Sane Before Your Debut Book Comes Out

Can someone tell me, please?

Fashion tip: at your first book signing, pair a big grin with bigger bags under your eyes.

My debut novel, D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T., comes out in twenty days. I am… mostly OK.

I know, we’re not supposed to use adverbs. But “mostly” is doing a lot of work there. I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff. I’ve signed a binding contract to jump in twenty days’ time. A wizard told me I’ll either a) drift one foot into the Garden of Eden, b) drop sixty feet into damned nothingness, or c) keep falling… through realms of varying beauty and inhospitality… until I go splat?? I guess?

I can try to prepare from my cliffside perch. I can sew parachutes and emergency underwear. (Although I am bad at sewing.) I can hoard water and stockpile food and plan for what I think I’ll find. Ultimately, though, my planning may or may not help. I can’t control what happens next. I can only submit to it.

Now, let me be clear: I am being extremely dramatic. If you’re thinking, “Abby sounds like she’s preparing for death, which is pretty ungrateful for a 28-year-old having her first novel published,” you’re correct! I am whining like a spoiled only child right now. But I am a spoiled only child, so please, respect my culture.

The fact of the matter is, putting your first book into the world as a nobody is hard. It’s not the hardest thing I’ve endured—not by a long shot. (Hello, loss that inspired D.J. Rosenblum!) And I’m lucky to have the world’s most supportive friends and family, along with Levine Querido, the world’s most fantastic publisher. But I’ve taken the lead on a lot of my book’s public-facing promotion, which means I’ve faced challenges brand-spankin’-new to me. This past week is a good example: Between July 9 and 16, I’ve had to…

• Send hundreds—and I mean hundreds—of emails;

• Script and record a video for a promotional campaign;

• Arrange partnerships with additional organizations;

• Brainstorm future events with brand-new partners;

• Promote an ongoing fundraiser I’m running;

• Communicate with kind folks who donated;

• Confirm pronunciation for D.J.’s audiobook;

• Reach out to potential event hosts;

• Plan near-daily social media posts;

• Design flyers for four events;

• Draft remarks for an event;

• Outline an essay/article;

• Write this newsletter; and

• Finish the many outstanding preparations for my cross-country road trip, which will double as a book tour (surprise!)

And that list doesn’t even include my personal to-dos! From grad school homework to doctor’s appointments, friends’ birthday parties to delayed purchases (I may or may not have had holes in my shoes for the past six months…), grocery shops to half-hearted exercise, I’ve barely had a moment’s rest.

So, yes, these are all good things. And, yes, I have brought this mess upon myself. But I am also a human being, full of faults and frailties. So I am taking a break from acknowledging my privilege—a break from being constantly, incredibly grateful—to say I am only mostly OK, on my good days, and pretty dang bad on my worst.

I’m not telling you this so you will be concerned. I am going to be fine. Really. I am about to visit friends who feel like family. I will schedule social media posts so I can take long breaks from screens. Heck, twenty days from now, I’ll probably have the best day of my life! (Fingers crossed!)

I’m telling you this because I believe writers have relationships with their readers, and I want ours to be honest. This is who I am. This is how I feel. For now, at least.

Please, please, please buy my book. XOXO.

Abby’s Pop Culture Pop-Up

Move over, Emotional Support Pets: I’ve got an Emotional Support Podcast.

“Gems with Miles and Julian” is, as they remind us every episode, the only podcast hosted by a seven-year-old and a 25-year-old. I would take a bullet for young Miles. He is a sweet, smart, sensitive boy who seems to be having a lot of fun and has restored my faith in humanity several times. Julian’s warmth and friendship with this seven-year-old is touching. They clearly love each other, which makes it easy to love them, and their interviews are getting better and better.

Their episode with Lin-Manuel Miranda is a particular favorite. You can also watch some of Miles’s greatest hits on Recess Therapy, the YouTube/TikTok/Instagram channel where he and Julian met. (Real ones remember when Miles learned about lead poisoning. Real ones include Rihanna.)

D.J.’s Digest

[D.J. is on summer vacation. VAY-CAT-SHUN. Therefore, she will not be writing in this newsletter. Labor rights for all.]

Miri’s Music

“The Times They Are A-Changin’” – Bob Dylan

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'…

God willing.

This Month’s Favorites

For some reason I only took a photo of the sign? Why???

Coziest Coffee Shop goes to… Hermosa Café in Durango, CO, which will hopefully forgive me for the injustice of my photo. This café is incredibly cute inside and out (I promise!) with great drink and food options. Check out their gallery for much better pics.

My Kind of Kidlit goes to… Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. I am extremely late to this once-in-a-generation novel, but everyone should read it. It’s exactly as good as everyone says—and if you’re in kidlit, you know that’s saying something.

The Most Excellent Elephant goes to… a pendant gifted to me by the mother of my late, close friend. With love, I’ll keep that to myself.

Announcements

• Remember that fundraiser? WE RAISED ALL THE MONEY—AND THEN SOME!!!!!!!!! Thanks a thousand times over to everyone who shared or donated! I’m leaving the GoFundMe open until July 20 in case anyone else wants to support. The more funds we have, the more books I’ll donate.

• D.J. Rosenblum now has (very warm) trade reviews from Kirkus and the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books! Yay!!!

• Remember the book tour I mentioned before? I’M TAKING D.J. ROSENBLUM ON THE ROAD!!! Stay tuned for details about where you can meet me to talk all things D.J. Rosenblum—across the United States!