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I’m at a loss for words. It’s been quite a day. Thank you all for your support throughout this little journey of mine.
Here’s the news release. Here’s the CBC story. And here’s some video from the actual event.
There’s a whole weekend of celebrations in June. I’m starting to work on my speech already. Time for some sleep… if I can…
I’m sure my 15 minutes must soon be up. Because of the Leacock Medal shortlist, the Toronto Star ran a nice piece in the Sunday Star this past weekend. They even teased the story on the front page of the Entertainment section. I’d done the interview and photography last week. I’m amazed at how many people have e-mailed me in the wake of the article, including some who have said that they’ve ordered the book. Every little bit helps!
Earlier this week I did a very hurried interview with Maclean’s Magazine (for you non-Canadian readers, it’s our TIME magazine). It was for the Newsmaker section and of course was driven by Leacock Medal for Humour. Here’s the story:
Well, things are starting to happen courtesy of the Leacock Medal shortlist. The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, will soon be reviewing TBLP in the pages of its wonderful weekend Books section. I’m thrilled but ever since I found out, my stomach has been in knots. My agent, Beverley Slopen, told me not to worry about what they may write. What’s important is that the Globe is actually reviewing it. Fingers crossed.
Since TBLP was named a finalist for the Leacock Medal for Humour, there’s been a trickle of media coverage beyond the initial shortlist stories. A story appeared in the McMaster University Online Daily News written by the writer Mark Leslie (Lefebvre) who plays a senior role at the McMaster University Bookstore called Titles. Mark’s been a strong supporter of TBLP and I thank him for his efforts:
As well, a front page article ran yesterday in the online version of Quill & Quire, Canada’s magazine of book news and reviews. This is a subscription based article so I won’t cut and paste the whole article, but here’s the first couple of paragrahps. I was very happy with the piece:
I may have more to report on the media front in a short while. Onwards!
Beverley Slopen is a leading and respected literary agent based in Toronto. She represents some outstanding writers including Howard Engel, Robert Fulford, Donna Morrissey, Morley Torgov (a Leacock Medal winner), and William Weintraub. My friend Mike Tanner is also in her stable. It seems that now I am too.
A year or so back, Beverley was very kind to me as I was trying to make my way through the world of mainstream publishing . She freely offered good advice, which I dutifully followed. We stayed in touch and I kept her up to date on my publishing travails. I e-mailed her again earlier this week and we met for a drink at the bar in the lobby of the Four Seasons. The upshot is, I know have the only agent I ever really wanted and I’m thrilled. In the three days since our initial meeting, a national news release has been issued, and review copies of TBLP have been hand-delivered to four major mainstream publishers courtesy of Beverley’s relationships in the publishing world. It’s a wonder to watch her work. Who knows what may come of it, but the goal is to find a home for TBLP with a publishing house so that it will gain much broader distribution than it currently enjoys.
The next 26 days promise to be a whirlwind as we try to capitalize on my Leacock Medal shortlist status. It’s been quite a ride so far…
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