Remember the bookmarks I shared in the last post? I have something else to show you—another item available through our exclusive subscriber-only pre-order: a custom, pocket-sized notebook.
Why a notebook? I am a firm believer that everyone should have a physical pad of paper to jot down lists, thoughts, observations—anything that comes to mind. Note-taking apps are handy and all but pen and paper have no substitute. Your brain works differently when using a physical implement, and I’m of the opinion that developing a writing habit grounded in a physical form has real benefits. I wrote the book manuscript by hand, filling several of my favorite spiral-bound grid-lined notebooks. But of course, I don’t take those pads out into the wild—instead, I carry pocket notebooks, trim, wallet-like, near the size of your passport, maybe a touch narrower. They’re soft-bound and roughly 60 pages all told. In my office, on the shelf that used to be a doorway to a closet, I have a stack of retired notebooks. They are mostly filled with checklists—groceries, hardware store needs, Costco lists, along with tasks to be done, usually on the weekends.
As with my square grid notepads, I do in fact have a favorite type of pocket notebook—the Moleskin cahier. For whatever reason, these lovely thread bound pocketbooks seem to have been discontinued. Luckily, I found something similar enough, high quality; I will (quite literally) put my stamp on it. Behold—a limited edition custom pocket notebook.
They are available in 3 colors, the pages are grid, lined, or dotted—both options will be chosen for you at random (well, not entirely random, I’m choosing for you, and will make a guess as to which one best suits you). I hope that when you see your notebook, when you hold it in your hands, you feel inspired, that you’re compelled to write, even if it’s just a list, a reminder, a simple “To-do: tomorrow”. If you get in the habit of list making, on paper, eventually you will write other things, and then who knows where that might lead.
The idea came from a suggestion made by my cover designer, Karolina. She thought custom printed notepads would be a neat swag item, like branded ones you might get at a conference, where you tear a page off. The top of the pages would say LIFE IS SHORT, LEARN TO FLY. Simple enough. But I thought more about how I use paper to write, if that sort of item would be useful to me. No, probably not. I prefer notebooks over stray pieces of paper, sheets that are bound together, even if the thoughts in them are scattered and disparate. And the types of notebooks—my specifications are exacting. So, I reasoned, if I am going to have special pre-order goodies for my lovely and dedicated subscribers, I want them to be a reflection of me, my taste and style. And that’s when I had the idea of designing custom rubber stamps to use on high quality notebooks.
I’ve had great fun designing and creating these items and I look forward to sharing them with you. There’s just one more thing I haven’t received yet, but should have it in hand in a few days.
Pre-orders
Alright, let’s talk details on how this is going to work. First things first—timing:
➡️ I will begin taking pre-orders this weekend, 8/30.
➡️ The book will be released 9/30.
Starting this weekend, anyone can pre-order the book in print/digital/audio formats, directly from my new website, Unflappable Press, but the special pre-order bundles are only available for current Unflappable subscribers (you will receive a special link when the pre-order announcements go out).
Paperbacks will begin shipping and digital items (ebooks and audiobooks) will become available no later than 9/30. For folks who pre-order, items may begin shipping 3-4 business days before the launch date; you will receive an email notification as soon as your book ships or is available for download/streaming/etc.
For people in the Olympia area: feel free to choose the Pick Up option at checkout and we’ll coordinate getting your items to you.
Selling direct is a bit more work but we already have a fully equipped fulfillment center at home, so it made sense. If you have any questions on the pre-order, add a comment below, or reach out directly.
Come listen to me read!
➡️ Saturday, October 11th at 4 pm. (RSVP here)
I will be doing an in-person event in my hometown of Olympia at Browsers Bookshop. I’m overjoyed to be reading parts of my book for a local audience. The format will be 20ish minutes of me reading, 20-25 minutes of Q&A, and then mingling, hugs, handshakes, followed by a post-reading happy hour at our favorite spot, just blocks from the bookstore.
Don’t worry, I will be sending reminders as this date approaches.
For my Seattle and Issaquah friends—yes, I’m planning on doing additional events near you; working on dates/locations now. If you’d like to help, please reach out! I will also be sharing a comprehensive list of ways anyone in the Unflapp-iverse can help, so look for that very soon.
We are so close and there is another big surprise that I’m going to be sharing, words written by someone many of you will recognize, an advance review of sorts. Look for that in the next few days, along with the pre-order announcement.