Once again, it was time to crack out the champagne.
I’ve had more than my share of champagne days in recent years. There was the day I was offered a book contract by Patheos Press for my book, Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith. My husband responded to the news by making a run down to the supermarket for a bottle of sparkly.
The day I turned in the final manuscript called for another celebration. (I think my editor might have done a little celebrating on that day too; I had not been real quick about making those last few edits.)
And a few weeks ago, it was time to celebrate again: I was on the receiving end of some very big news. Wrestling with God had been given a starred review by Publishers Weekly. A star! Not only did this giant of the publishing industry review my book, they gave it one of their big, fat, red stars. I’m not kidding. “Wrestling with God“ got a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
For those of you not familiar with PW and its stars, it’s one of the preeminent trade magazines for the book industry. Librarians read it. Publishers read it. Agents read it. Bookstore owners read it.
With a review — a starred review — from Publishers Weekly, Wrestling with God is sure to sell some copies here and there, in addition to the ones you, I hope, I hope, will buy, dear readers. (Our launch celebration is coming soon. Stay tuned.)
I have to confess, my very secret, long-held but never-before-admitted-to hope for WWG was to win one of those flashy red PW stars. Being reviewed in that publication would mean that my reading, writing, publishing colleagues thought my book was making a contribution. What more could a writer want?
I know, as a writer I shouldn’t pay too much attention to reviews, especially since sooner or later some bad ones will come my way. But, you know, I don’t write for myself; I write for readers, and I care whether people get what I’m trying to say.
Meanwhile, I’m doing the happy dance. Cheers, everybody. Thanks for being there.
Barbara riffs on life, family, books, writing, and her rocky spiritual journey at BarbaraFalconerNewhall.com.
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