The Birth of Wandering

The first signing event for the hardcover limited edition of my second book, Wandering …a long way past the past, has come and gone. It was a beautiful autumn day, with clear blue skies, and warm enough to open the large door at the yoga studio where I teach. After cracking open the cases, the owner of the studio and I marveled at the striking book cover and placed them up on a linen-covered folding table with flowers and pens. We put out an assortment of cookies and lemonade on a smaller table.

As we were setting up, a woman stopped by. “I know I’m early, but I’m headed out of town and want a copy.”

I dropped everything I was doing and gladly signed her copy, engaging in a brief conversation.

She said, “I loved your first book, Sylvie, and couldn’t wait for this one.” She held up her book. “Great cover by the way.”

For the next few hours, friends, some of my yoga students, acquaintances, and kind strangers stopped by to pick up their copies. It wasn’t a rushed event with long lines. People simply came and went with enough time between visitors to chat for a few minutes. I got to spend time with lots of different people and appreciated their comments.

I did not sell as many books as I had hoped, but the books I did sell went to people who follow me, who appreciate my writing, who wanted to chat and stay a while, and most importantly, who truly wanted to read my book.

A few months ago, I tweeted, “What would you prefer: 1,000 followers who care about you and your writing or 10,000 followers who don’t particularly care about you or your writing?” Almost everyone responded with, “1,000 followers for sure!” Some replied with longer responses stating how important a few meaningful followers meant to them over an expanded following.

I tend to agree. There’s something about quality over quantity that appeals to me. And although book marketing experts might disagree, there’s a gladness in my heart as I bring this deeply personal story to the world.

How did you find solace this week?

Sharon

© 2022. Sharon Kreider. All Rights Reserved