It's been a busy month. March took me to Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina where I gave a well-received book talk and directed a writing workshop for students and faculty. Two weeks later I was in Seattle at the Western Political Science Association meeting, reconnecting with old friends, listening to paper presentations on panels, and trying to get the word out about my book. Later in May, I am scheduled to give a book pitch at the Jewish Book Council in New York, which handles book promotion for book clubs and book fairs at Jewish Community Centers and synagogues around the U.S. I've had support from a professional to hone my pitch, and hope the presentation will be a success, leading to presentations later in the fall of this year. (If you have a JCC or book club in your community, consider suggesting Diving for Pearls).
Marketing and promotion are a full-time job, and often with little indication of how effective any effort can be. But, today, brought welcome positive news on that front.
I've been following the work of various writers who are taking on the tasks involved with independent publishing, including my writer colleague, and UK namesake, Kathleen Jones, who writes a blog under the name of Kathy Ferber. I was delighted to receive word from her this morning about her writing the first review of Diving for Pearls: A Thinking Journey with Hannah Arendt. I was especially touched by the care and thoughtfulness that went into her writing of the review.
I look forward to others' responses to the book, formal or informal, and thank everyone for taking part on this journey.