For many businesses on the Oregon Coast, this has been a hard year, at least four bookstores in business a year ago and one giftshop that carried Crossings: McCullough’s Coastal Bridges are no longer in existence, and Thursday I learned that the bookstore at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport would be closing. Yesterday, December 7, was it’s last day. I have been saddened by each closure, but more so by this one. Not only did Lynne Wright (who was in charge of the bookstore and is now out of a job) carry my book and promote it, but she hosted one of my PowerPoint presentations. And over the years I’ve found books there that I’ve found nowhere else. For example, I bought a terrific guide to the trees of the forest that I’ve only seen there. I use it when hiking in the woods and as a reference at home.

Even though it’s been a tough year, I continue to sell books and that’s good news. I went to Eugene the other day to take a friend to lunch for her birthday. The day before, I called all the venues that carry my book.  The four bookstores needed none, but I was able to place 12 books at the airport gift shop and another six at the Lane Historical Society Museum.

If only it were true! Normally, Crossings, is not found on this shelf at the Eugene airport bookstore.  And Bob Serra, my publisher, who took the photo swears he did not move the book. This is how he found it. After a double take, he took this photo.

I had to work for both sales. I was able to talk to my contact for the airport store by phone and tell him that two people had complained to me that my book wasn’t there after I’d told them that it was. (This was true; not made up.) My contact manages more than one store in more than one city and is rarely onsite, but this time he couldn’t put me off by saying he would check on it. He believed me when I said they were out of it. I call him every time I go to Eugene and have developed a good working relationship with him.

At the museum, I played phone tag but wasn’t able to connect with the person in charge of the giftshop before heading off. So when I arrived and met the new person in charge, she thought I was talking about a different book. When we did find Crossings on the shelf, there were three copies and she decided that was enough. But then we got to chatting about the coastal bridges. She had a few bridge questions, and I kept looking in the book to answer them. Before I knew it, both she and the volunteer on duty decided it would make the perfect Christmas gift for someone each had in mind. This meant they were suddenly down to one book, which I pointed out. So she bought six more.

Well-Read Books is one of few coastal bookstores to need more copies of Crossings at this time. Right on Hwy 101 in Waldport.

I’ve been calling venues up and down the coast and most didn’t need any. But I did go up to Waldport to drop off a couple of copies at Well-Read Books and will mail three copies to Allegory in Gleneden Beach at the Salashan Shops. And on Monday, I’ll head down the coast and drop off three copies at CharleyTown Marketplace in Charleston. I’ll go late in the afternoon, so that I can head to Shore Acres State Park just as it gets dark and enjoy the Holiday Lights. Before I check out the lights, though, I’ll check out the waves. The largest waves on the entire Oregon Coast are seen there and this is the time of year when they are at their highest.

This is a photo of a photocopy. I will take a better photo of the actual book cover when I see the proof copy.

Now, an update on my second book The Crossings Guide to Oregon’s Coastal Spans. The bad news is that it won’t be out until after Christmas. We just found out yesterday. Darn and drat!!

Love this sign at Books by the Bay in North Bend. They  already ordered five of The Crossings Guide––sight unseen.

The good news is that when I was making calls this past week to Eugene and up and down the coast, I was able to tell about and e-mail PR info about the new book, which has resulted in orders for 25 copies. Ten more venues say they’ll order when it’s actually here. And there’s a dozen more who sounded interested but haven’t e-mailed back yet. I also have 37 names of interested folks on a sign-up sheet from book fairs and presentations during the past few months. I have been really pleased with the positive response to The Crossings Guide—a book that no one has actually seen yet. Not even me. Our proof copy, which we expected a couple of days ago, hasn’t arrived yet. Sigh!

Florence, my hometown, is my hottest market with 14 venues in the area carrying the book.

The fun continues. Today I will be calling locally here in the Florence area about both books.

Even though times are tough, my calls this week have generated sales of 26 copies of Crossings and 25 orders for The Crossings Guide. And that doesn’t even take into account my hottest market––Florence.  I can’t complain.

Note: I’ll be with family in California for a couple of weeks over the holidays, but the blog will still be posted each week—except for December 21—when I’ll take a Christmas break. Next week, December 14, the topic will be the many reasons “Why I blog” and on the 28^th it will look back over 2012, which can be condensed into “Two books and a book fair.”  

TO BUY JUDY’S FIRST BOOK

Crossings: McCullough’s Coastal Bridges can be yours for $24.95 plus $4.99 shipping. Order from Pacific Publishing at http://www.connectflorence.com or pacpub@oregonfast.net. It is also available on the coast in bookstores, museums, and gift shops; in Eugene at the airport, the historical museum, and several bookstores; in Portland at Powell’s and the Oregon Historical Society; in Made in Oregon stores throughout the state; and more and more bookstores, libraries, and museums in western Oregon. This book makes a good coffee-table book. With the holidays coming up, it would be an excellent gift.

JUDY’S SECOND BOOK DUE JANUARY

The second book The Crossings Guide to Oregon’s Coastal Spans––will cover 15 bridges and have at least one color and one historic photo for each bridge. The cost will be $15 plus shipping. This sturdy guide will also be published through Pacific Publishing. When heading for the coast, don’t drive 101 without it.

Current happenings:

The half-hour interview with Dr. Veronica Esagui for the “Author’s Forum” program on public access TV in the Portland Metro area ended it’s two-week run June 1-14, 2012, but can be seen on YouTube in two parts: Google Judy Fleagle YouTube.

Upcoming events:

February 9, 9–5, Bridge Tour, Outward Ventures, Florence campus, Lane Community College––I’ll be the tour guide on this trip that includes 12 bridges with many stops from Depoe Bay to Coos Bay and has a lunch break at Tidal Raves in Depoe Bay. Now that the new catalogs are out, sign up at the Florence campus or online. A fee will be involved. This will be such fun; I can hardly wait!