The bookstore signing event is coming up on Saturday March 9th from 2-4 pm at the Dolphin Bookshop and Café, in Port Washington, on Long Island, and the promotional materials have been sent out (see below). Mom also made up her own poster, just for my book, and put it up around town. Fingers crossed there will be a good crowd and I won’t be too terrified.
“You’ll be okay, Mommy.”
Mom is doing an amazing job as my agent, calling around to get the bookstore signing in the first place, asking permission to put up posters, getting the local library to order a few copies, and talking the book up all over the place. I would like to think that this is the job she spent her whole life training for, but that might be a little bit narcissistic of me.
My expectation is that the bookstore event will be a lot of schmoozing and signing books, not a reading, but I marked out a few sections of the book to read, just in case. I have a lot of questions about how to sign the book, though. I assume it should be something more than just signing my name, and something less than a three page soliloquy, but I’m not sure where it should fall in that spectrum. A lot will probably depend on if the people who come to the event are strangers or people I already know.
I think I’ll be leaving Ellie at home this time, even though her presence would be a comfort to me, because Cricket needs her more than I do. I can’t even imagine the panic Cricket would be in if we all left without her. No amount of treats would make that bearable. When I imagined Ellie as an emotional support dog. I didn’t realize she would turn out to be Cricket’s Emotional support.
Cricket needs a lot of emotional support
I’m a little bit uncomfortable that the book signing event is on a Saturday, given that the book is called Yeshiva Girl and religious Jews don’t go to bookstores on the Sabbath, but then again, maybe this will be one more way to reach out to a new audience that wouldn’t ordinarily read about religious Jewish life. I haven’t met the other three authors, so that will also be something to look forward to, and maybe our very different audiences will cross over and provide each of us with new readers. We’ll see. Wish me luck!
“Good luck, Mommy!”
If you haven’t had a chance yet, please check out my Amazon page and consider ordering the Kindle or Paperback version (or both!) of Yeshiva Girl. And if you feel called to write a review of the book on Amazon, or anywhere else, I’d be honored.
Yeshiva Girl is about a Jewish girl on Long Island named Izzy (short for Isabel). Her father has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with one of his students, which he denies, but Izzy implicitly believes that it’s true. Izzy’s father decides to send her to an Orthodox yeshiva for tenth grade, out of the blue, as if she’s the one who needs to be fixed. Izzy, in pain, smart, funny, and looking for people she can trust, finds that religious people are much more complicated than she had expected. Some, like her father, may use religion as a place to hide, but others search for and find comfort, and community, and even enlightenment.
rachelmankowitz 
Good luck. You will be fine. A book signing is for people that like the book to meet the author, so it is a positive occasion good energy. Just try to relax and soak it up, then it will be fun. When you meet the other authors, perhaps they will have some tips for you. That might be helpful and allow you to enjoy it. Have you read any of their books?
Thank you! I haven’t read any of the other authors’ books yet. Hopefully they’ll have copies left over for me.
Remember we are all rooting for you! YAY you!
Thank you so much!
I’m assuming the pups will be there as well. Expecting photos as proof in the post about the bookstore event.
The girls are going to stay home and keep the couch warm this time, but I think I should do an event at a dog park with them one day. They could sell tons of books!
Congratulations, Rachel. That’s such an achievement and I’m sure your bookshop event will go well. I’ve been to quite a few book signings over time, many by kids’ authors. The ones I’ve been to, if there’s a crowd and people want the signing addressed to someone, they’ll get the name put on a post it note which is a good idea. They you can also get the spelling of the name right. The kids’ authors have a quirky signature and one liner.
All the best!
Best wishes,
Rowena
Thank you!
Have fun and be yourself.
I will try! Thank you!
you will be amazing! This non-Jewish old woman learned a lot from your book, so I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for you to reach out to people who don’t know much and would be interested in learning more. We can’t heal the rifts that seem to be getting bigger if we don’t find anything in common, if we don’t learn about each other. Also, your book is wonderful so you have nothing to worry about. Just sign something like, “all the best” and your name in fancy lettering, which I’m sure you’ve been practicing endlessly, and everyone will be happy. 🙂 Good luck to you!
Thank you so much!!!
how did it go?
It was overwhelming, but good. Lots of nice people came over to talk to me and I even signed a few books!
Congratulations. Good luck!! Enjoy meeting your readers.
Thank you!
So happy for you! Wish you great enjoyment for your success:)
Thank you!
Hello Rachel,
I would have rather emailed you, but wasn’t sure if you’d think it inappropriate. I could literally write an essay about your book. I finished Yeshiva Girl and I LOVED it! You had strong and effective characterizations and I was truly WOWED and drawn in to Izzy’s tumultuous world! The character descriptions were sometimes direct and sometimes indirect. I thought this crucial to making your story compelling, and I wasn’t disappointed. I gleaned so much depth from a modern orthodox perspective and it’s priceless! You’re on your way to being a famous and best-selling novelist that’s for sure, and it’s my pleasure to have made your acquaintance. I have a hundred questions I’d like to sit down and ask you over tea, but I’ll leave it at that. You’ve done a magnificent job. No one would ever know it was your debut novel. My best to you this weekend.
Thank you so much!
Congratulations! I’ve downloaded your book and am enjoying your writing immensely!
Thank you so much!
Have a great day tomorrow…so exciting!!
Thank you!
Best wishes for your day!
Thank you!
I love tjhe idea of the emotional suport dog supporting a dog. I hope the book signing went well. I took the liberty of including you in my little list of sunshine Blogger Award nominations. No obligation, no hurry, if you feel like doing it have a go.
https://tidalscribe.wordpress.com/2019/03/07/sunshine-blogger-2/
Thank you!
I love the idea of the emotional support dog supporting a dog. I hope the book signing went well. I took the liberty of including you in my little list of sunshine Blogger Award nominations. No obligation, no hurry, if you feel like doing it have a go.
https://tidalscribe.wordpress.com/2019/03/07/sunshine-blogger-2/
Hope it was a very fun and successful day
Thank you!
👍
Good luck with your book signing. I must be honest and admit Bertie and Croc haven’t been as proactive as you or your mum so we have never had a book signing event! Perhaps I need to sign your mum up as our agent too? 🙂
She’s mine!!!!
Ha ha ha 😄
Congratulations on the launch of your book.
Thank you!
All the best.
Thank you!
Hope it went well!
It did. Thank you!
I did a book event for the first time last year. It was terrifying but very rewarding in the end. Is that how you found yours?
I was certainly terrified!
How did it go?
Good!