I am grateful to all my friends who’ve expressed an interest in buying my books. We’re very (very) close to having a product for sale, but I’ve been very (very) cautious about offering “vaporware.”

You’re my friend either way, so there’s no pressure to buy. The books will be sold through Amazon, and available in both hard copy and e-reader versions. If you’re going to buy, here’s some things that will help.

1. Please submit your order during the pre-sales period or on the first day the books go on sale. (That will be announced soon.) We’re looking to create a spike in sales to get attention, just as “trends” on Facebook or Twitter cause posts to reach more people. Spikes can cause Amazon to offer my books to others who’ve never heard me. That’s how sales really take off.
2. Please submit an honest review to Amazon, and don’t mention our relationship. It’s OK to say “I’ve met the author at conferences,” or something general, but Amazon patrols the reviews. If they detect that friends and family are stacking the deck, those reviews get deleted.
3. Go to my web site at www.robertdcalkins.com and sign up for the free gift. That will get you on my mailing list for notices when future books come out.
4. Tell your friends. Word of mouth is still the most effective advertising.
5. Enjoy the danged books. Whether you’re reading “Sierra Becomes a Search Dog” to the kids, or “Digger” in a dark room by yourself, my goal is to entertain you. No matter how many books I sell, I will measure success by knowing that I gave a friend a few hours of reading pleasure.

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