Seeing Stars

I can't tell you how nervous I was to get my "pre-pub" reviews. You get pre-publication reviews from three major places -- Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist. And I suppose Library Journal, too, though for some reason that seems less impoprtant. Your pre-pub reviews can't make or break your book, but they can definitely have an impact. If you get poor reviews before publication, then libraries are less likely to order your book, and booksellers are less likely to pay attention to it, and less likely to order it. But if you get a good review, everyone will likely give you a bit more attention. They'll at least consider ordering you. And if you get a starred review-- that's saying something. They don't give starred reviews to everyone - that's the whole point. Essentially, everyone likes to feel that there is a consensus that the book is decent. It makes them feel comfortable saying THEY think the book is decent. Also, it's easier for people to like something, to get behind something, if others have already gotten behind it. Human nature.

My first pre-pub review was from Publishers Weekly (11/03/08). The waiting was hideous. All this work, and who knew what the world was going to think of it. They could trash it, say it was so so, say it was boring, not well written, that I had no idea what I was doing and I should pack it in right now. I knew the review was coming out on Monday morning in November so that Sunday night I went online to see if I could find it. I couldn't see it without registering for a free trial. I did that and clicked on fiction reviews. My heart was beating fast as I waited for the page to load. And there it was -- I saw my author photo, which was a nice surprise, and the opening words "Bright and promising...." and then I nearly passed out. The words were swimming. At the end if it said: "Shaw’s first novel unfolds easily, with well-crafted prose and vivid detail... a great young-in-L.A. novel." All I felt was huge relief. If Publishers Weekly thought it was okay, then at least my agent and my editor and I weren't crazy.

A few months later, we got the Kirkus review (1/15/09). It was also pretty nice, though not as nice as PW. It summed it up this way: "Rises above the downbeat first half to offer a believable, honest and observant portrait of a woman who gets what she wants only after giving up what she thought she needed." I felt okay about it. At least they hadn't trashed it. My publicist said that Kirkus is known to be "cranky" so I got the feeling it could have been much worse and I had escaped something.

Then today came the Booklist review (03/01/09), which was the best of the bunch. It was a starred review, which was pretty thrilling:

"Shaw’s piercingly insightful first novel depicts a woman in her thirties redefining her life....Shaw’s graceful prose and razor-sharp observations—at one point, Lacey observes her brother is “like a house burning down before our eyes”—make this absorbing debut a true standout."

At this point, I am glad the pre-pub process is pretty much over. I feel relieved. Now on to the real reviews which will come out - if anyone decides to review me - in April, when the book comes out, or a few weeks or months afterward. I may sound relatively calm and pulled together now, but talk to me when those come out.