SEE FRIENDSHIP is out in four (!) days
Subjects discussed: My touring schedule, some promo essays, and a single interview
It’s hard to believe that my novel, an ~85,000 word document that I spent years of my life laboring over, reading every draft multiple times and agonizing over the placement of each comma, will soon be out into the world. People can just buy it and decide if they fuck with me—kind of crazy. I have already heard reports of the book appearing at the Union Square Barnes and Noble, which I would check out for myself were I not afflicted with a stomach bug I hope resolves by Tuesday. Some people have already picked up their preorders—I hope that group possibly includes you, dear reader.
A few things ahead of the weekend:
I’m going to be heading “on tour” in a few weeks. My NYC launch event is almost sold out, but I will be in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Providence. I’ve got a wonderful roster of writers who are helping me out: Megan Nolan, Jay Caspian Kang, Ruth Madievsky, Peter C. Baker, and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Please come, if you’re around.
I’ll also be screening the movie Superbad at Nitehawk Prospect Park, and doing a Tables of Contents reading with Katie Kitamura and Lynn Steger Strong.
The concept of a “promo essay” was invented by Big Publishing to keep writers grinding up until the day of release, rather than working on their next manuscript—but a few opportunities have come up already, which I’m happy to share here.
I wrote about my busted male friendships—and the chances of reconciliation—vis a vis the movie Challengers, for GQ. Here’s how it begins:
I wrote about journalists real and invented who inspired the writing of See Friendship, for Publishers Weekly. Here’s a taste:
And I was lucky enough to speak with Patrick Redford at Defector about the book, which allowed me to get into some of the nitty-gritty in a way that—I hope—is fun and cool.
Here are the best ways to support the book, if you are so inclined:
1. Buying the book, obviously
Amazon (not my first option, but it's an option)
Your local store — walking in and placing an order is still an old-school great thing to do
2. Writing a review on Amazon or Goodreads
I don't really know how it works, but the dreaded "algorithm" is actually very attuned to how a book is reviewed/rated on Amazon and Goodreads, So if/when you've read the book, leaving a star rating/review would be tremendously helpful.
3. Tell people you know aka POSTING
Of course, the real deciding factor is: "Will people want to read it, and tell other people about reading it?" The best possible marketing is word of mouth — and if you like the book, telling other people you did (or even posting about it) would be so important to making sure it has a shelf life beyond the day of release.
Thank you for indulging, and I love you.