We All Love Rave Reviews

Did you love the Scholastic Book Fair when you were a kid?  It was absolutely one of my favorite things every Fall when I was in elementary school.  My kids loved the book fair too, so I always volunteered to work several shifts during the week the Scholastic Book Fair was on their school campus.  I also was a library volunteer at their elementary school and I did so many library reading buddies visits with both Cooper and Desi.  I used to bring a couple of my favorite picture books with me on every library visit we did. Can you tell I love books and reading?  My love of picture books is one of the reasons I chose to write my first children's book, "The Dog Who Loved Eggplant" . Well, that and my love of collies, of course.

Years ago, the most common way a newly published book got promoted was by having a publisher push them out in front of booksellers at bookseller events and through trade publications, read mostly again by booksellers. With the explosion of social media platforms, it has become much more commonplace for authors to self-promote their books straight to consumers.  Sure, we still solicit help from booksellers to get our books into the hands of the appropriate audience, but for the most part, authors do the promotion on their own.  Social media is such a great way to exercise your creativity and explore how you want people to see you and your creations.  We've heard from so many of you regarding how much you love the videos, photos, and behind the scenes footage Jenny Cabriales (the amazing illustrator for our book) and I have spread out across many social media platforms.  You'll continue to see fun, engaging, and rewarding posts from us promoting our book as we approach the holiday season.  Which brings me to a really important piece of the process, and a part that requires your help!

Several of you have sent me notes telling me that your book arrived and you love it!  This makes my heart soar!  What would make me even more delighted would be if you could share a photo of yourself, your dogs, your kids, or even your grandkids enjoying the book.  Just remember to tag both Jenny and me in your photos when you post them.  One more favor to ask as well:  Can you take a moment to go to the book's page on Barnes & Noble online and leave a review?  If you scroll down past the book information, you'll see where you can leave a quick review.  These reviews help to push Henley's literary debut up in the algorithm, helping more people find our whimsical book.

Jenny and I are working hard to get those bookplates so we can sign your books.  Several of you asked for Henley's signature as well, so he's working on perfecting his pawprint. Of course, we'd love to see you at the book signing events we do, but we realize not everyone can make it to those, so the bookplates will be the way to make sure your copy of the book gets that extra touch.  You can message us through social media or you can send me an email with your mailing address, k9freud@gmail.com, and I'll make sure you get a bookplate when they are signed and ready to go out.

We've got some other fun surprises in store for you as well, so be sure you are following Jenny and me on your favorite social media platforms.  You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and even BlueSky.  Just search for JennyCabCreates (Jenny Cabriales) or K9Freud (Julie Bond) and you'll find us.  And we'll be waiting for those photos and reviews!

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Henley has begun practicing his pawprint on paper 

so he'll be ready to sign books and bookplates soon!