Now that the launch is finally here, I realize I might have done things upside-down.
My so-called tour has been underway for more than three weeks. The first event was at Draft Reading Series, which I had to schedule about a year ago, but I still got copies in time—a full week before the publication date—thanks to the inspired hustle of Thistledown Press. And though the nature of the Draft is such that I had to read something unpublished, I still made my first in-person book sale. I signed my first copy, too.
A week later, I read from the book for the first time—not the stories in the book, the physical book—at Words at the Wise. My writing workshop pals plus a few more friends came and bought copies. Some people I hadn’t met before bought copies, too. It was like a mini-launch. I also made my first trade with another author.
I appeared at Pages Unbound Festival the weekend after that, too, where I gave my first-ever craft talk.
So today, biggest of the big days, I’m sitting at home three hours before launch time and I’m kind of aimless; I booked a half-day off my job to deal with final preparations, or last-minute issues, or Oh-My-God-This-Is-Actually-Happening panic attacks, but there have been none so far.
I bought a new pen on the way home from work, a fancy felt-tip one, for nicer signatures; beyond that, I think the only thing I plan do to tonight that I haven’t done before is lug a giant box of books down Bathurst Street on the 7 bus.
Everything’s already happened: the book’s in the world. It exists. It’s on store shelves and in ebook form, too. I’ve done some interviews, and I’ll do some more. I’m still “on tour”, too—London, Strathroy, Niagara Falls, Barrie and one more Toronto event before the end of June—and hopefully I’ll get a review soon. I hope I’ll succeed at pretending I didn’t read it. Before long, I’ll get back to finishing my next book, too, which is what I was doing before all this mad fun began.
But to all who’ve asked in the last few days how I’m feeling on the cusp of the launch?
After a pretty intense year—finishing the book, doing the edits, arranging the promo, organizing a launch—I feel… free. And surprised to feel that way.
But I also feel great. I feel so great that I think I’ll have a party tonight.
I hope you’ll join me.
Hamburger launches TONIGHT, upstairs at Victory Café in Toronto! Doors open at 7pm. Admission is free. Books will be available for $20; tax included, cash only. Special guest readers include André Babyn and Shari Kasman, plus music by Braden Mutch. Some light snacks will be available, and drinks and other food can be purchased at the bar.
Daniel Perry 