On To The Next Chapter

In June of 2018, I attended BookExpo/BookCon in New York and while I was there, I met a rep for a company called DartFrog. DartFrog does a lot of wonderful things for authors in the publishing world, including helping already self-published authors of unique books get into independent bookstores, which I love because I am all about supporting smaller, local businesses. Their rep looked at my book, Piggy and Pug, and was really interested in having me work with them, so I got their contact info and made a plan to get in touch with them when I returned home. But then all of my book promotion plans were put on hold when I discovered black mold in my kitchen and I spent the entire summer dealing with that, as well as some other personal matters that gave me such awful anxiety that I felt like I couldn’t start this next chapter in book promotion no matter how many times I thought I should keep moving forward.

A couple of months ago, I felt like I was ready to get back to it, so I emailed the people at DartFrog to see what I should do to get this ball rolling. The first thing I had to do was send a copy of my book to their editor and book reviewer to get approval, which totally scared me because I thought the woman in New York was the approval person. EEP! But I sent them the book and then heard back maybe a week or so later and was told they loved it and couldn’t wait to have me on board with them. Hooray! I shipped DartFrog a big supply of books that they in turn sent out to the independent bookstores they work with, and then I sent even more books out to a distribution center for Ingram and for Baker & Taylor, who would fulfill additional orders as the bookstores sold them. Once everything was in place (over a week ago) they sent me a list of the 55 stores in 27 states that would be carrying my book.

Holy crap, it’s finally happening! So what do I do? Why, I let anxiety get the best of me and I didn’t tell anyone, that’s what I did! Smart move, Wheaton. (There are many other factors that ultimately led me to seek help for anxiety this past week, which I’ll probably post about another time). I’m starting to feel better now and part of that is because I’m taking steps to move forward with my life instead of being stuck in an anxiety loop. And with that, I am going to list all of the stores by state and city so you can get a copy for yourself or for a little one in your life who would enjoy a story that teaches empathy and compassion with some adorable animals who go on a journey to find family and friendship.

Ready? Here we go!

GEORGIA

-The Book Worm in Powder Springs

-Underground Books in Carrollton

-Wall of Books in Columbus, in Watkinsville, in E. Ellijay, in Perry, and in Commerce!

-The Book House in Mableton

-Gottwals Books in Warner Robins, in Byron, and in Macon!

-E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah

-Hiram Bookstore in Hiram

LOUISIANA

-Tubby & Coos Mid-City Book Shop in New Orleans

-The Conundrum in St. Francisville

OHIO

-Wall of Books in West Chester

-The Book Rack in Cincinnati

ALABAMA

-Page and Palette in Fairhope

SOUTH CAROLINA

-Burry Bookstore in Hartsville

-Fiction Addiction in Greenville

VIRGINIA

-Fountain Bookstore in Richmond

-Book No Further in Roanoke

OKLAHOMA

-Bliss Books & Bindery in Stillwater

NEW HAMPSHIRE

-A Freethinker’s Corner in Dover

NEW YORK

-Battenkill Books in Cambridge

-The Dog Eared Book in Palmyra

-Off The Beaten Path in Lakewood

-Barner Books in New Paltz

NORTH CAROLINA

-Wall of Books in Cornelius

-Sassafras on Sutton in Black Mountain

FLORIDA

-Third House Books & Coffee in Gainesville

OREGON

-Arcade Book Exchange in Hillsboro

MICHIGAN

-Squirreled Away Books in Armada

ILLINOIS

-Wild Thyme Books in Carbondale

-Volumes Bookcafe in Chicago

-King City Books in Mt. Vernon

IOWA

-Plot Twist Bookstore in Ankeny

-Wall of Books in Ankeny

WISCONSIN

-BayShore Books in Oconto

INDIANA

-Main Street Books in Lafayette

MAINE

-The Briar Patch in Bangor

RHODE ISLAND

-Savoy Bookshop & Cafe in Westerly

CONNETICUT

-Bank Square Books in Mystic

MARYLAND

-Fenwick Street Used Books and Music in Leonardtown

-Books With A Past in Glenwood

-Main Street Books in Frostburg

TENNESSEE

-Star Line Books in Chattanooga

-The Reading Rock in Dickson

MINNESOTA

-Valley Bookstore in Stillwater

PENNSYLVANIA

-Cupboard Maker Books in Enola

NEW JERSEY

-Sparta Books in Sparta

CALIFORNIA

-La Playa Books in San Diego

KANSAS

-The Next Chapter Books and Novelties in El Dorado

-Wall of Books in Atchison

***

This distribution list is specifically with DartFrog. However, distribution of Piggy and Pug is not exclusive to them. If you are a bookstore owner/manager, librarian, or work at a school where you have an account with Ingram or with Baker & Taylor, you can just order copies directly from them! If you don’t have an account but do work for a school, library, or bookstore and would like a discounted copy, you can email my publicist, Susan Peters, at susanxpeters @ gmail dot com for a discount code to order from my website.

For more information about Piggy and Pug, visit piggyandpug.com.





8 thoughts on “On To The Next Chapter

  1. That’s amazing! Congratulations. I wanted to get your book for my son but he’s a little too old ๐Ÿ˜• but my sister is right now this very second in labour and I’m going to have a new nephew any minute. So I’ll have someone else to give your book to.

  2. This is so exciting. Even more so, because your list identified an independent bookstore only 13 miles from my home that I didn’t know about! Time for a quick road trip, and a copy of your book for my toddler nephew.

    Sorry you are struggling with anxiety. I will resist my urge to give you advice (I am a guy, and trying to fix things is what I do). Do know that your husband’s writings have helped me in my own struggles with anxiety and depression.

  3. This is awesome! Just to let you know, if it’s available from Ingram or B&T, any indie bookstore can special order it for a customer who doesn’t live near one of those specific stores already stocking it! I’ll actually order some for the bookshop I work in today!

    Emelie

  4. Hello!

    Long time listener, first time caller. I just wanted to let you know that if Baker & Taylor and Ingram are distributing it, that’s the secret to getting it purchased by public libraries as well. Virtually all of them order from one or both of those companies. If you can also get it mentioned by School Library Journal or a similar review source, that will really boost library and school sales too.

  5. I’m so proud of you for making this leap, Anne! (Not that you NEED my pride, but ennyhoo)… I bought a copy and attended your (first?) tour/reading/signing in Pasadena, and then immediately went home and recorded my own reading of it for my nieces and nephews, who received my “audiobook” before they received their hard copies in the mail (which I’d ordered from the behemoth online seller, sorry)…

    Did Wil ever record the audiobook for you? Or are you still shopping for a reader? (as if) ๐Ÿ˜‰ I’d be happy to send you a sample of my recording (frankly, my system has improved since that first read – I should probably just start over anyway). I’ve been recording kid lit since then, and having a good time doing it. Mostly just working out different voices; not yet making any money with it, but I haven’t shopped my voice out to publishers or even agents yet… baby steps, amirite? Like the one YOU just took! Yay!

  6. Anne, I’m a HS German teacher and I used your book for a lesson we do on empathy as part of our advisory lessons. It was so much better than the scripted bullshit that they wanted us to do. My parents house was foreclosed on as a kid and I shared my story and why it pisses me off when they call their classmates snowflakes. It was truly the highlight of my year.

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