Many of you already know that my novel BASIL’S DREAM is finally, actually, really arriving in the world. Some of you have asked what you can do to help this book do well. The answer is plenty! In today’s digital, blogospheric, social media age, the buzz an author’s friends create really matters.

First, here’s what you need to know about the book:
Basil’s Dream is a novel of love, lies, betrayals, and struggles of conscience. A love affair exposes violence and deceit at the heart of not just two unhappy families but an island nation’s history, shattering lives and bringing a stumbling government to its knees. Basil’s Dream melds the personal to the political to offer a redemptive vision: the world as a place where destruction and moral ambiguity enlarge hope rather than annihilate it.
Publisher: Livingston Press/University of West Alabama
Pub date: April 30, 2009
$16.95 original paperback
Available on Amazon.com, or through your local independent bookstore, or directly from the publisher, www.livingstonpress.uwa.edu

You can see the book and read from on my website, www.christinehalebooks.com

SIX THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PROMOTE THIS BOOK:
•Order the book sooner rather than later. A high number of orders upfront means more bookstores will order more books, the book’s Amazon ranking is higher, and more bookstores will offer me a chance to read (and build credibility as an author).

•Order my book as a gift for someone else—two good deeds with one click of the mouse. This book has something for [almost] everyone: romantic love, family drama, political turmoil, strange dreams, an exotic setting, and a fast pace.

•Ask for Basil’s Dream every time you visit a bookstore—because booksellers really pay attention to what their customers want.

•Choose Basil’s Dream for your bookclub, or recommend it to your friends’ and relatives’ bookclubs. A reading group guide will soon be available on my website.

•Become a fan of Basil’s Dream on Facebook or your website or your blog. Ask me and I’ll send you a cover image and other things you can post.

•At the risk of becoming extremely annoying, TELL PEOPLE about Basil’s Dream. After all, it’s not everyone who knows someone with a book that’s just come out! And once the buzz starts, who knows where it leads?

IN EXCHANGE, I WILL:
•Sign your book(s),

•Talk to your book group (or any other group on the phone or via Skype or in person if I can swing it) about Basil’s Dream or writing and publishing,

•Not be offended if my book turns out not to be your cup of tea,

•Invite you to a Launch Party to say thank you. Save the date: Sunday, May 17, 2009, 6-8 p.m., Warren Wilson College Pavilion

This book’s publication is proof that dreams sometimes come true. And when they do, there’s usually a whole army of people who helped make it happen. Many, many thanks to all of you for long years of support!

Chris