Posts Tagged ‘APW Book’

Jan 2012

Dear Team Practical,

Today is the day! The APW Book Tour officially launches today at 6pm at Green Apple Books in San Francisco! It's been... more work than I can even comprehend getting here. But here we are! So, in honor of the day, we're doing a full day of book related content. We have Big News this afternoon (get excited!), but this morning, we thought we'd start with something fun.

When Maddie and I were daydreaming about online advertising for the book last fall, we kept coming up with funny slogans. And then we came up with more funny slogans. And then even more funny slogans. And we wanted to use them all. So, we finally decided to make downloadable book badges with All The Jokes. Because that's how we roll here. So these ads will now run on the APW site, but we're also giving them to you. If you loved the book (or just want to support APW), pick your favorite button (there is one for everyone) and share it wherever you want: Facebook! Twitter! Your blog! And link it back to the book. Or, you know, just read them and giggle. Because this was totally the most fun part of planning the book launch.

But mostly? Happy APW Book Launch Day you guys! This wouldn't have happened without you, and I expect to raise a glass with as many of you as possible tonight! And now, ze ads!

This is how I sold the book. Right here. Everyone told me, "Blah blah, there are a lot of wedding books." And I was like, "Right. You totally have a job. Now just take a look-see and tell me if you can afford the wedding they are selling you here." And, "Oh wait. Why are you sobbing now? Told you I needed to write this book."

Ok, fine, it's more of a Marx allusion. But putting it in there was totally a joke. Special commendation goes to the commenter who noticed it, laughed, and can tell me what page it's on.

The Unity Candle has its origin in a 70s era soap opera. And God only knows who invented the aisle runner. Which doesn't mean you can't have them. Just that people can't keep telling you that you are disrespecting tradition if you don't. Related: People, man.

I know. Right?

I am annoyed that none of my reviews are mentioning that the whole book is gender neutral. GAH! This is the single best secret feature of the book. It was also a super pain in the ass to write, since The Chicago Manual of Style has not caught up with gender neutrality. (Also, Liz told me I should say that the book "isn't your Granny's etiquette book." And I was like, "But it sort of is." Your Granny knew a thing or two about weddings.)

You're getting married. The last thing you need is another G-D list. Or timeline. Or a passive aggressive reminder that real brides have... dressers? Favors? Millions of dollars? No. What you need are some helpful hints about how you're going to let all the planning go when the wedding day arrives, pass your spreadsheets on to someone else, and bliss out.

Because that's just a historically documented fact.

Ok. Maybe you think you don't need this book (though I'd argue you probably do). But let's say you don't need the book. I betcha know someone who does.... (cough, cough, cough).

This is possibly the most important message of the book. What I didn't get before the book was published was how much everyone needed to hear it because almost no one else was saying it. Which makes me want to punch people, but I digress. The tear spattered emails full of relief are the very best part of the book being out there in the world. Hurrah.

Indeed. F*ck em.

Happy APW Book Launch Day you guys. Happy, happy.

Mwah!

Meg

Posted in: Entrepreneurship, Meg's Thoughts | 47 Comments »

Dec 2011

The APW Book, Spreading The Word, And Happiest of Holidays

Writing a book was full of surprises. Like, for one, I felt reasonably good at it (who knew?). Or, for two, I didn't have a single meltdown during the process (not what I was expecting, to say the least). But I was much more scared about promoting a book and sending it out into the world. The day before APW Book Buy Day I said, "It's hard for me to let go, and know that I've done everything I can do, and that I have to entrust this to your hands, and just let it fly, but here we are." So the really surprising part about book promotion has been that so far, is that it's been wonderful (stressful, tiring, emotional, scary, and wonderful).

One of the first surprises for me, was that when people got their books, they started sending me pictures on Twitter. First it was one picture, then two, then an avalanche. And when I mentioned this to APW Editor Kate, she said I had to make a montage of pictures, to keep. So, with APW Editor Maddie's help, we did. And the picture at the top center? The one that has my heart? That's one of the first readers of APW ever, and the first wedding graduates ever, with the book and her daughter. That research paper yesterday on how you guys stick around to create this community? You really do.

And now, I've been surprised again. As you guys are starting to read the book, I'm getting more and more thank you emails, which is completely unexpected and mindblowingly awesome. I love you guys.

So before we dive into proper book promotion (the book officially comes out on January 1!) I have a few holiday requests of you guys:

If you read the book and liked it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Elissa R. Photo's review is currently among the nicest things anyone's ever said about my work. Plus, you'll do an extra holiday good deed! My grandmother is closely watching all the Amazon reviews, so you have the chance to totally make her day.
Ask for your local bookstore to stock the book, and tell them why you like it. The next hurdle as a first time author is getting the book onto shelves where beleaguered brides and grooms will actually see it, pick it up, and then run holding it like a football under their arm, to the register (or that's how I imagine it).

I'd be super grateful.

And finally: New York City, save the date for a book talk and after party in Park Slope on the afternoon and evening of Saturday January 28. More details to come, but it will be good. Excellent, even.

And with that, I'll see you all on Tuesday January 3, well rested, and ready to do this thing. (Though, you might stop back now and then over the holidays. With a book out there, you never know when some interesting press mention or book tour date might come down the pipe. If it does, I'll let you know. Otherwise, I'll be napping with some eggnog within easy reach.)

All the love in the world, ladies. And peaceful, restful, holidays.

xoxoxoxo
Meg

Photos (clockwise from top left): @LisaRicePhoto, Nicole, @PracticalAlyssa, @MEdgemont, @KoruWedding, @KalinKadink, @SmartyMagee, @ElissaRPhoto, @LoweHouse

Posted in: Entrepreneurship, Life, Meg's Thoughts | 43 Comments »

Dec 2011

Announcing The APW Book Tour!

So you knew that I was going to try to tour the country to meet you guys with this book, right? Right? Well, we're still in the process of working out the details, which are proving to be tricky to nail down. But, I'm delighted to announce the first few stops on the book tour today, with more coming soon. Each city's event will have a different flavor, but all of them will include a talk from me, time for Q&A and getting to know each other, and a book signing. Yippie! So please join me at:

The San Francisco Book Launch Party. Thursday January 12th, starting at 6pm, speaking at 7pm, Green Apple Books. (Join us for a cocktail party in one of the world's coolest bookstores.)
Alt Summit. Thursday January 19th. Panelist on "Building Relationships With Ad Networks and Sponsors." (Not technically part of the book tour, but I will have books with me, and will sign yours if you want!)
Boston Book Talk and Q&A. Wednesday January 25th, 7pm Porter Square Books.
More to come... (I'm not being a tease, I just don't have any further information yet.)

Now. The secret about book tours these days is that they are 100% author funded because no one has any idea if they actually... work... anymore. But I have some sort of crazy blind faith in an APW book tour, given how amazing APW Book Clubs (and all of you) are. Which means I'm paying money to come meet you guys. So, from the bottom of my heart, I'd love if you could help make all of this a success by coming out, bringing friends, buying a book or having your friend buy a book, and generally being an awesome cheering section for a girl who's been on the road for multiple weeks.

Seriously? I can't wait.

Photo: Me making my excited muppet face, which I promise to make on tour, on the night after The APW Book Buy, photo by Emily Takes Photos (APW Sponsor/ Staff member)

Posted in: Book Tour, Events | 127 Comments »

Dec 2011

Working For Yourself: Month Eleven (The Big)

Before we get into what happened yesterday (and we will get into what happened yesterday), I need to talk about this last month. I've mentioned before I dove into this first year of self-employment telling myself that my job was exactly the same as it had always been (writing posts, selling ads), but that this year I'd have more time to do it, and I'd also write a book. It turns out, that was sort of a lie.

But there is also this one other *tiny* thing that I've been lying to myself about. I've been lying to myself about the fact that real live people (lots of them) read my blog. And as with all lies we tell ourselves, sometimes they save our sanity for a little bit, but eventually they fall apart. Sometimes they fall apart in ways that feel hard to grapple with (like most of this month) and sometimes they fall apart in blindingly wonderful ways (like yesterday).

At every step of the blog's growth, I've had some serious growing pains. It turns out that I'm a kind of private person (which is perpetually interesting as a blogger), so I've worked to be careful about what parts of myself I put out for public comment. I want to talk, endlessly, about ideas—but I don't want to talk about or justify, say, how I decorate my home, the day to day of my family life, or deeply personal decisions. So I've walked a line with what I share here. Long time readers will remember that (mostly due to my corporate job) I didn't show a picture of my face for the first year and a half (big reveal here, with a gun). We didn't share a ton of wedding photos with the internet, and most of the ones I picked to share didn't even have my face in them (that was not a conscious choice). And over much of my blogging career I've posted few enough pictures of me that I spent a year interacting with a long time reader twice a week without him figuring out who I was.

So this year, as the blog has grown, I've simply pretended that it's just this little project I work on from my kitchen table, la-la-la. And this month, that sort of fell apart on me, in all sorts of ways.

It started a few minutes before Amber took this picture of me at Camp Mighty. When I went to Mighty Summit a year ago, I felt like I was in the perfect position. I'd made enough professional headway to get invited, but no one knew who I was (which meant zero expectations). This year, at Camp Mighty, I pretended that it was going to be exactly the same way. It wasn't. When I walked into the first party, four or five people I didn't know said hi to me. Still operating in my little self-delusion bubble, I thought, "Hum. I wonder how they know who I am?" (Oh, internet, apparently you go... everywhere?) Then two seconds before this picture was taken, some lovely ladies stopped me and said, "You're Meg." And you guys, I'm an idiot. I totally froze. I said, "Yes." And then they said, "You're Meg!" again. And I looked super baffled and said, "I totally am...." and then I ran off to take these pictures. That's grace, kids. (Slams head into the desk.)

And the thing is, I know why I do what I do. It's about the work, and about getting to write, and about sharing ideas with a whole bunch of smart people, and about getting to run a creative business. And I want it to be about the work, not about me. But this month I realized that's not going to be the case, all of the time. So negotiating that has been tricky for me. Finding the real goodness in a bigger platform has been hard at some moments this month, but yesterday that goodness became breathtakingly clear.

Holy crap yesterday. Yesterday, when you guys single handedly pushed up The APW Book to #29 on Amazon US, and #77 on Amazon Canada. Yesterday, which was the most awe inspiring day of my professional life. Yesterday, when I got a feeling for what the APW community actually is, and for what it can be. Yesterday. I am so grateful. And overwhelmed. And kind of hung over. And grateful. And in awe.

Clearly, I have not wrapped words around all of this yet. So I thought I'd wrap words around what I learned, instead. Yesterday taught me a variation of the lesson I've learned over and over again all year, and the whole time I was trying to sell the book: You can't succeed without being willing to fail with full force. You can't figure out how far you can go, until you push yourself so far that you risk completely falling on your face. And seriously? This never stops sucking, don't kid yourself. Continue reading Working For Yourself: Month Eleven (The Big)

Posted in: Entrepreneurship, Meg's Thoughts | 105 Comments »

Dec 2011

The Great APW Book Buy Starts Now!

Final Update (for now): 5:00 PM PST

Hi all! I realized people were wondering why I wasn't updating. It wasn't that I was out celebrating (though I will be soon), but that the book ranking has held steady at #29 on Amazon for hours (which, in itself is amazing) so I didn't have crazy stats to update you on. I will say though that we ended the day as #1 in Movers and Shakers, #9 in Hot New Releases (whoa, right), and #1 and #2 in weddings (paper, and Kindle). Let's hope that's the beginning of a sea change in how weddings are thrown in this country, no?

It's been overwhelming and crazy and thrilling, and I hope it matters for more than today. I hope it matters in how we all think about community, support, and economies, and I hope it matters a bit for weddings. Because to quote the Caitlin Moran interview I was watching last night, to calm myself the f*ck down, "I do, a bit, want to totally change the world."

But before we call it a night, Other Meg, she of La Vie En Rose Events in New York (brand new APW sponsor) would like to give four of you who couldn't afford the book copies. She says:

The spirit of the APW community is so effing inspiring every day and even more so today! I can’t tell you how many times as a wedding planner I have reiterated APW wisdom to my clients (or pissy mothers). Or how many times I’ve referred to APW to reassure myself that I’m not the only one who thinks this way (we can’t all be batshit crazypants, right?).

So, in the combined spirits of gratitude & paying it forward while indulging my shopaholic tendencies, WHO NEEDS A BOOK? I’ve been a budgeted to the pennies bride to be, so I know there must be folks out there dying to break their spending embargoes. So, I want to buy 4 more copies for the first 4 people to email me shipping info to laverevents (at) gmail.

So clearly, take her up on that, now!

And the darling and emotional A Girl, one of the ladies who held my hand through all of this, had this to say (she burst into tears in the UK when the book hit #29):

As this day winds to a close I’m left feeling somewhat drained, but exhilarated, heart bursting with pride for this new, best-selling creation and the friend who conceived it and willed it into being over many long months. As part of the extended APW sisterhood, I’d like to believe that if ever it was possible for a book to have a bevy of doting aunties, it would be this one, and then how incredibly honoured would I be to feel part of the awe-inspiring community that helps to raise it.

I don't have anything more coherent to add at this juncture, though I'll try to put things into words somewhat properly tomorrow afternoon, when I write about the eleventh month of self employment. Till then, I leave you with a heart full of love, and a deeply marvelous Wedding Graduate coming your way in the morning. Because doing our job, that's how we roll...

And please, don't get me wrong. If you want to buy the book and haven't yet, please do. For all that this feels like the end of something big, it's just the beginning. The book isn't even OUT yet! So, onward and upward.

Now, off to drink a whole lot of expensive tequila.

Love, love, and more love,

Meg

Update #5: 2:00 PM PST

Um, it turns out, A Practical Wedding: Creative Solutions for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration is now a top thirty book on Amazon. We just hit #29. The real reason this is mindblowing, not only given that it's the holidays and 3/4ths of the books bought this year will be bought this month... or something totally crazy like that... But. Once you get into the top levels of the Best Seller list, headwinds are against you. They give weight to sales over the past month, not just sales over the past day, and the numbers sold get really, really high.

That said, we're nine slots away from being on the front page of the Amazon Best Seller List. Which? Is crazy. Is totally, totally, totally crazy for a first time author without any mainstream press clout. It currently looks like this:

I, for one, am totally shell shocked. And getting close to ready to break out the champagne. I'm so grateful and overwhelmed, I'm not even sure how to process this. But I'm going to try. Thank you guys, again.

Update #4: 1:15 PM PST

You guys! Things are happening so fast that I'm literally forgetting to update everyone because I'm so boggled. We hit 34 on Amazon. THIRTY F*CKING FOUR. Do you know how hard that is? OVER THE HOLIDAYS? Then I found out we hit #82 on Amazon in Canada. That's the top 100 IN TWO COUNTRIES. I know. Then my wonderful editor called from New York, sounding totally giddy.

And a special shout out to David Malki of Wondermark, whom I've known so long I don't know how long it's been (elementary school sometime), from whom we blatantly stold the APW book buy idea, for being awesome, and tweeting about it.

I took a shower, and then all this happened, and now I need to get dressed. And maybe eat. IT IS CRAZY AROUND HERE TODAY.

I love you guys. This is all you.

Update #3: 11:50 AM PST

You guys. We're THE MOVER AND SHAKER (link fixed!) on Amazon. For all of Amazon. As my friend Marie-Eve just said, "Never underestimate the power of community."

Update #2: 11:30 AM PST

You guys, we have cracked the Amazon Bestseller list, with the APW book coming in at #96. No wait, I am updating this as I'm typing it.... A Practical Wedding: Creative Solutions for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration is at #63. WHAT? Do you have any idea how hard that is to do in the holiday season? Lemmie just clear that up for you: it's hard. The book is also #17 in Hot New Releases (I sh*t you not, I just beat Bill Clinton's book. That is possibly the single craziest fact in my day so far, as a die hard political junkie), #1 Craft/Hobbies/Home (getting married is a craft!), and #1 in wedding releases. YOU GUYS DID THIS.

Because good news tends to follow good news, I got a call from my publisher, while I was at the gym, a minute before I found out that we'd broken through to the bestseller list to find out good news about not one, but TWO stops of the APW book tour. More on that when... there is more on that... but good things are finally happening in an area of promotion, that I was worried about.

So, all you afternoon readers of APW, of which there are many of you... it's up to you to push this thing over the top. (Is it even possible to push it over the top from here? I honestly don't even know.) But it's up to you, if we want to try. If you're just getting a break in your day, or have been pondering placing an order today but were not totally sure... you can make this thing happen.

Nothing but gratitude. Now I should probably get out of my gym clothes.... off to do that.

Update #1: 7:40 AM PST

Good morning you guys! Last week, A Practical Wedding: Creative Solutions for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration (whatever, I can say my own full book title as often as I want, no??) was number 233,000 on Amazon. Last night we were 30,000 (which means people-who-were-not-you-guys were buying it this week, eeep).

As of right now, early on this west coast morning, we're number 659 on Amazon. And that's even in Holiday book buy season! Profound heartfelt thanks to those of you that ordered it this morning, and to those of you who haven't yet... EEEP! I think we can push this book to the top 100 list, and you get to be the ones that do it.

I'm overwhelmed and excited. I'm going to go gallop a mile or so to get it all out, and then I'll report back.

DOIN' IT,

MEG

****

Here We Go...

This is happening... NOW. The goal for the day is to all pitch in together (Including me! I'm totally playing! If you write a book, it makes the best Christmas present, right?) and push A Practical Wedding: Creative Solutions for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration up the Amazon Best Seller list for a day (hint: also, the wedding bestseller list is right here if you want to peek at that).

For the uninitiated, the book will hold your hand through wedding planning from start to finish, in a logical this-is-the-plan way that the blog can't. Plus you can hand this to your mother (or partner, or best girlfriend, or dad) to get her to understand where you're coming from. If you're already married, it's a great gift for your engaged girlfriends... or you can just buy it to support the site. (Fun fact: If this book does well, my chances of writing a post-wedding book are exponentially increased. And we all want that, amiright?)

So, while we're focusing on Amazon today, please feel free to pre-order it from your preferred seller:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Indie Bound (which helps support brick and mortar bookstores near you)

A few thoughts for the worriers:

While the book is on pre-order, and its technical publication date is January, it shipped from the publisher's warehouse yesterday. If you order it now, you should get it in one and a half or two weeks, in time for Christmas gifts.
The way Amazon counts, we probably only have a chance of pushing the paper version of the book up the Amazon US Best Seller list (though, I suppose you never know).
But: what really matters to me over the long run is that you buy the book, read it, like it, tell your friends about it, tell your local indie bookstore about it, review it online, and generally enjoy it. Pushing the book up a best seller list will last for a day or so, but you buying and loving the book is what lasts forever. So, buy the book the way you want to buy the book. (Kindle! Indie book store! In the UK!) I'll be super grateful that you did.

Let's do this.

You may now buy the book!

Picture: The book dedication. Personal for A Practical Wedding.

Posted in: Entrepreneurship, Meg's Thoughts | 513 Comments »

Dec 2011

The Great APW Book Buy Starts Tomorrow

Dear Team Practical,

It occurs to me that I've been writing you these letters for a long time, and the whole time I've been writing them, I wanted to write a book. And suddenly, here we are. Tomorrow, starting at 3:00 am PST, a post will go up reminding you that it's time for The Great APW Book Buy. Then, at some point, I'll wake up over here in California, look at the Amazon stats, and start live blogging about the whole process. I wish I could tell you I was just excited, but honestly, I'm a bit scared.

Right now, I feel like I'm standing at the edge of the cliff. For those of you who have seen the new Muppet movie (see the new Muppet movie!) I'm definitely Fozzie, wrapped in a blanket in a hammock asking Kermit, "Are we going to be ok, Kermit?" Obviously, David is Kermit. I might not sleep that much in my little hammock tonight.

Ever since I started writing APW, I wanted to write a wedding book with my particular perspective. A sane book. A mildly irreverent book. A book that told you it was ok to do what you wanted, but you also had to respect other people's feelings. A book inspired by all the Miss Manners books I giggled over as a small child lying at the bottom of a very large bookshelf, but with how-to instructions on how to actually get the job done. A book with some proper wedding history included. A book that told you how to get to the other side with grace and with your dignity and savings more or less intact. I wanted to write the book I really needed when I was planning.

All this is to say, A Practical Wedding: Creative Solutions for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration (don't buy it till tomorrow!) really matters to me. That's been the difficult part of the last few weeks, realizing that the book really matters, and I actually care how it sells, and I actually care if it helps people, and I really want to get it out into the world. It would be so much easier if I didn't care that much. But I suppose that good things are never easy.

But it's also been a great few weeks, watching the book take its first tentative steps into the world. I cried when I read Alyssa's review of the book. Because you guys, she actually really liked it (I did not bribe her to say any of that). And I wrote the damn book, so I had no idea if it was good or not by the time all was said and done. I just knew that in that moment, I'd done my best.

And now it's up to you. It's hard for me to let go, and know that I've done everything I can do, and that I have to entrust this to your hands, and just let it fly, but here we are. It's the eve of The Great APW Book Buy Day, and this is where we are. I can tell you that if everyone who read this site (both on RSS and on the regular site) today bought a book today, we'd probably make the New York Times bestseller list. But I also know that's not a realistic goal, and I'm a realist. So what I do think we can do, for sure, is push the book up the Amazon bestseller list tomorrow. It's the holiday season, so it's going to be tricky, but that much I think we can do. And is it possible we'll do more? Maybe. Who knows. But right now I'm grateful to each of you that buys a book, tells a friend about it, writes an online review, asks a bookstore about it, gives it to your friend getting married, gives it to your mom to calm her down, or just reads it. I'm so profoundly grateful, in advance.

So, while I'll give final instructions in the post tomorrow, basically what I have to say it this: if you're going to buy the book, buy it in the way that works for you, and don't stress out about it. That is more than enough. I'll be doing the same. My author discount is only a little less than the Amazon price, so I'm going to buy my own book on Book Buy Day, just because I can.

Oh. And the picture on this post. I wasn't going to share this because One Love Photo captured a super personal emotional moment. But then I thought, yes, I should share it. This is me, looking at my book, pondering the fact that it got born at all. Here we go.

With Gratitude (and only a tiny bit of terror),

Meg

Photo: One Love Photo

Posted in: Entrepreneurship, Meg's Thoughts | 81 Comments »

Posts Tagged ‘APW Book’

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