I wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal about how to be an indie bookseller’s dream. You can read it here, and thank me later. Remember when Hugh Grant had a travel bookshop and Julia Roberts fell in love with him? Me too.

love
Emma

Yesterday, the mail lady delivered a very exciting package: my first copy of the Riverhead edition of Other People We Married, hot off the press. The book looks simply gorgeous: the cover is the same, but the book has new blurbs from Kelly Link, Thisbe Nissen, and Karen Russell, and is newly copyedited, and I couldn’t love it more if I tried. The pub date is February 7th, a month from today, and it will be available everywhere. Swoon.

Because I did so many events to support the book in New York City in 2011, I knew I only wanted to do one giant smash for the new edition. I am pleased as punch to announce that I’m doing Upstairs at the Square on March 8th, with my dear friend Stephin Merritt. The event will be free and open to the public, held at the Union Square Barnes + Noble, at 7pm. Stephin will sing some songs, I will read a bit, and then we will both be interviewed live on stage by the vivacious Katherine Lanpher. The Magnetic Fields have a new record out in March, Love at the Bottom of the Sea, and it is SO GOOD. After the event, we head off with the rest of the band for a tour of the US and Canada. (Tour blog TK)

The final piece of good news is a rather incredible feat of numbers: it turns out, that with 768 books sold at BookCourt, my book was the 3rd best bestseller of the year, after Patti Smith’s Just Kids (#1) and Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad (#2). Number 3! I’ll take the bronze any day of the week, ladies. A pleasure doing business with you.

Here’s to 2012!

love
Emma

It is with pride and an-only-very-minorly heavy heart that I announce that after 28 consecutive weeks, I have fallen off the BookCourt Bestseller list. 28 weeks. That is more than six months. Also known as more than half a year. It’s got to be some kind of record, right?

I’m going back to work on Thursday. You can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be back on that list next week. Also, please know that if you happen to be reading this from Timbuktu, or South Dakota, or Westchester County, you can always call the store to order a copy, and I will sign it for you. Just FYI.

Yours,
Emma

Last night was the official launch party for Other People We Married, and it was a rousing success. I read the opening of “Rosemary,” my Brooklyn story, and then regaled everyone with a tale of my love for Joey McIntyre. There was cake! And champagne! And too many people to count. Highlights below.

The cake.

My darling Zack Zook, book in hand.

Elliott Holt was the only person dashing enough to match the book.

Some of the ladies of my book club. Aren't they gorgeous?

If you liked my tour blog for The Magnetic Fields, you will like this one too.

My publisher, Dave Daley, a helluva guy. And my head tutu.

Three cheers three cheers hooray! I couldn’t have asked for a better send-off into the universe. Next week, I take my show on the road to AWP, and the week after that, I’ll be at McNally Jackson (2/16). Stay tuned for more pictures of baked goods and hair accessories.

Yours, gratefully,
Emma

Would you think less of me if I told you that appearing in a gossip column was a life goal of mine? Because it is. And today, it came true. I am over the moon with delight to be on the same page as my friends Jami Attenberg, Adam Wilson, and Prince.

love
Emma

I got a real, honest-to-goodness New York Post headline, and I couldn’t be happier. In three paragraphs, this reporter mentions Girls Write Now, Ban.do, BookCourt, M + E, AND my book. Just heavenly.

love
Emma

There are few things in life that I love more a good independent bookstore. The following is a list of wonderful indies that have ordered copies of my book, in ADDITION to the wonderful indies where I’m doing events. Books should land in these stores in about ten days.

The Rocking Bookstore, Wichita, KS!
The Harvard Bookstore, Cambridge, MA!
WORD, Brooklyn, NY!
Politics and Prose, Washington DC!
Book Soup, Los Angeles, CA!
Powell’s, Portland, OR!
The Tattered Cover, Denver, CO!

Of course, you can also get the book at any of the indies where I’m doing events, which are:

BookCourt, Brooklyn, NY!
McNally Jackson, NY, NY!
Oblong Books & Music, Rhinebeck, NY
Raconteur Books, Metuchen, NJ!
The Center for Fiction, NY, NY!
RiverRun Bookstore, Portsmouth, NH!
Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA!

If you can think of an independent near you that is simply crying out for a little Emma Straub, let me know, and I’ll try to make it happen. Go team!

love

Emma

Wheeeee! Happy mid-January to me! My book is arriving from the printer in two weeks, my launch party is on the horizon, I haven’t eaten a cookie in twelve days, and I have a brand-new website. (I also happen to have a yucky head-cold, and am about to get on an airplane to fly from sunny California back into snowy New York, but what can you do, you know?) This space is about to be transformed into my new book tour blog, so please stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

love
Emma