Tag Archives: Amazon

Jun 21 2014

A Big Bunch of Me Talking In Front of People Stuff

Mommy Man, Jerry Mahoney, Barnes & Noble UWS

Blah blah blah… will this guy ever shut up?

  • A big thank you to everyone who attended my readings this week at the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble in NYC and Anderson’s Book Shop in Larchmont, NY. Here are a few pics from the events, both of which were full of awesome people, supportive readers and a couple of random browsers who were just leafing through magazines and wanted somewhere to sit down. (I’d like to think they bought my book on the way out.) If you missed the readings, both locations have autographed copies on hand now that you can buy! So stop in before they’re gone!
  • To anyone who came to my reading at Book Soup last week only to come away empty-handed because they sold out of copies, you’re in luck. It’s back in stock, so swing by to get your copy and see if I made the in-store bestseller chart!
  • Mommy Man, Jerry Mahoney, Barnes & Noble UWSHe Said magazine ran a really nice review of my book, “Mommy Man”, saying, “It’s a real testament to Mahoney that he’s turned his blog into a book so hilarious and endearing that it’s far from exclusive to LGBT people wanting to raise a family. Instead, it’s a heartwarming, unflinchingly funny story of love, ladyparts and adventures in baby raising.”
  • Mombian reran her review of “Mommy Man” on her own blog, and I’m rerunning it here because it was just about the nicest thing I’ve ever read.
  • If you haven’t checked out the new Gays With Kids site yet, then here’s a great excuse: a terrific essay from Friend-of-the-Blog David Blacker on how he and his husband became dads. It’s a great story that sheds a lot of light on the process of open adoption.
  • A lot of people have been telling me they “can’t wait” to read my book. Well, I have some good news. You don’t have to! It’s available all over the US, in hardcover and eBook editions. Buy it on Amazon. See if they have it at your local Barnes & Noble or Books-a-Million. Bug a librarian! And it’s coming to the UK on July 1! I’m hoping to get a review or two that contains the word “Smashing!”
  • Speaking of reviews, if you have already read the book, I’d love it if you gave it a quick review on Amazon or GoodReads. I’m not saying I obsessively check for new ones or anything, but I do get ridiculously happy when I see one pop up.
  • Did you hear me on the Maureen Langan show? No? Then go here, now! Maureen is charming, hilarious and a great interviewer. She’s on KGO 810AM, San Francisco’s #1 news/talk station, and I got to talk to her for her Father’s Day show.
  • I also had a great time with Maggie Linton on her show for SiriusXM Urban View. You can listen to the audio of that right here:
Mommy Man, Jerry Mahoney, Anderson's Book Shop

Anderson’s Book Shop, Larchmont, NY

 

 

May 12 2014

The “Mommy Man” eBook is now available!

MommyManEbook

Big news! Sometime over the weekend, the eBook version of my book “Mommy Man: How I Went From Mild-Mannered Geek to Gay Superdad” magically began appearing on eBook services like Kindle and iBooks. Want to make crazy laughing faces like that goon in the picture above? Download it now! Is it on your favorite service yet? Now’s a great time to check! It’ll be on all of them soon!

I also want to thank everyone who participated in my Chart Twerk 2. It was a big success, with the book again reaching #1 in 3 different Amazon categories, including all of Gay & Lesbian nonfiction. It bested that heavily hyped “Forcing the Spring” book about the gay marriage movement, and it smacked down a bunch of creepy anti-gay screeds, too. As a result, it was featured under “Hot New Releases,” which ensured that people who’ve never heard of me or my blog learned about the book.

It even cracked the top 1,000 overall. That’s pretty impressive considering that I didn’t focus just on Amazon this time. I know people bought the book at Barnes & Noble and other local bookstores, too, and I’m grateful to everyone who took part.

Now you people who prefer to read digitally can get your screen-swiping fingers on my book, too… for under $10 from some vendors! There will be no twerking this time, so don’t delay. Buy it now! (And if you want to check it out first, download the free sample chapters. I’m sure you’ll be back for more!)

To those of you who already bought your copy, thank you again for making this launch so incredible. I’ve heard from many people who’ve already finished the book, and if that’s you, I could use your help spreading the word.

If you have a “Mommy Man” rave bubbling up inside you, share it! Tell your Facebook and Twitter friends. Write a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and/or GoodReads. I already have seven 5-star reviews on Amazon, but the more opinions there are, the more people will take notice.

And if you can make it to one of my upcoming author events, I’d love to see you there.

Apr 16 2014

Announcing… My Amazing Chart Twerk 2!

mommymancalendarHave you preordered my book yet? You know, the one that comes out in about three (gulp!) weeks? If so, then you’re awesome, I love you and there’s no need to keep reading this post. Go watch that video of the cute old ladies riding on an airplane for the first time instead. You’ve earned it.

If you haven’t ordered it yet, though, I have one word for you…

DON’T!

Yes, I’m a crazy lunatic whose first ever book, which he’s so excited about and so proud of, is coming out in three weeks, who’s asking his blog readers NOT to buy it. Why?

Because it’s time for my Amazing Chart Twerk 2!

If you’ve been reading this blog a while, you may remember my first Chart Twerk, where I asked everyone who was planning to preorder my book to do so at roughly the same time in order to make a big splash in the Amazon rankings. At the risk of sounding like a Trump-ish self-promoter, it was a huge success. The book got to #1 in its category, #260 overall and it briefly outranked “Eat Pray Love,” though I’ve still yet to interest Julia Roberts in the film rights. The most amazing part of it all was that this was seven months before the book even came out.

Imagine the potential impact when the book is actually available.

Want to take part? Hooray. Here’s what I’m asking you to do…

1. Mark your calendar to buy my book on its official release day, Thursday, May 8, 2014.

2. Live a happy, fulfilling life for the next three weeks.

3. On Thursday, May 8, 2014, BUY MY BOOK!

It’s that simple! Buy the book as close to 12PM EST as you can so we can make the maximum impact.

If you have any plans at all to buy my book, I really hope you’ll take part in this. Don’t just plan to pick up a copy whenever you get around to it or once everyone else has already read it. Help me make a big splash.

You may remember that last time, I asked you to preorder the book on Amazon. That’s because back then, Amazon was the only place that had it available for preorder. On May 8, my book will be available EVERYWHERE, so I’m asking you to buy it wherever you prefer to buy books.

But it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Soup, IndieBound, Powell’s, Books-A-Million, The Book Depository, that Belgian site a reader tipped me off to or your favorite local brick and mortar store. Buy 1 copy at each of those places if you want to. I don’t mind! Want the direct sales links? Click on this page and check out some of your options.

When the big day arrives, I’ll keep an eye on the major sites to see where the book ranks, and if you notice anything cool yourself, please let me know! If you happen to spot a copy of Mommy Man on the Best Seller table at you local bookstore, tweet me! If your Barnes & Noble hangs up a sign that reads, “Sorry! Sold out of ‘Mommy Man’! Please stop asking!”, Facebook it!

One more thing…

I have some personal appearances coming up over the next couple of months (details here), and those are also great places to buy my book. If you’re in New York, LA, DC or Rochester and you want to buy a copy in person, then feel free not to twerk, but instead mark your calendar for the appearance you can attend. I’d love to see you there!

The rest of you, get ready. It’s almost twerk time!

Oct 3 2013

One More Day to the Chart Twerk for My Book! Thanks for Spreading the Word!

For no good reason, a picture of my children getting along.

For no good reason, a picture of my children getting along.

Are these book preorder updates getting obnoxious?  Here’s the deal: You indulge me with these self-promotional shenanigans for a couple of days, then we go back to normal here for a while, at least until a few weeks before the book comes out next May, when all bets are off. OK? Thanks…

I just want to thank all of you who have posted about my Amazon Preorder Chart Twerk on your Facebooks, Twitters and what have you. (You have Keek? Great, thanks for Keeking me, whatever that is.)

The awesome Miceala Shocklee of the Quill even created a Facebook event to promote my thing. And I’m not even paying her!  Feel free to jump into her party here. I also created a Facebook event through my Mommy Man page, but Facebook only showed it to 90 people. Rumor has it this is how they get people to pay to promote their posts. The few times I’ve seen bloggers do that, their post shows up like a hundred times in everyone’s feed, and we all just get annoyed. So I’m not going to do that to you, not this time at least.

So if you’re on board with preordering my book tomorrow at 12pm EDT and helping me make a big dent in the Amazon sales charts, set your alerts. Join Miceala’s thing. Sign up for an email reminder by requesting one in the comments below. Follow me on Twitter. Subscribe to this blog. If you do any of those things, you’ll get a reminder when it’s time to buy.

Amazon seems to be the only retailer that has the presale up as of now, which is why I’m asking everyone to do it there. It should be available just about everywhere eventually, and I’ll provide that info on my site when I have it.

It’d be nice if Amazon discounted the price to coincide with this, but remember, they have a preorder price guarantee, which means if you order tomorrow, you’ll only pay the lowest price they offer it at between now and the release date. So you can’t lose, and that’s a very good reason for ordering early.

Thanks again!

Sep 26 2013

Announcing: My Amazing Amazon Preorder Chart Twerk!

Exciting news. My book now has something in common with Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and Snooki’s Confessions of a Guidette. It’s listed on Amazon! You can see the cover, you can read the description, you can even click on a button to pre-order it (hint, hint).

MommyManCover

Yes, that’s my cover. I’m very happy to report that my publisher, Taylor Trade, hired the incredible David Heatley, who did my blog banner, to design the cover, and it’s exactly everything I wanted my book cover to be, because David is awesome and brilliant and Taylor Trade is the best.

I warned you this moment was coming. I told you I would start a full-on marketing blitz at some point. So here’s what I’m asking you to do. Ready…?

DON’T ORDER IT!

Well, yes, of course I want you to order it. Just not yet.

As I write this, my book is currently ranked #2,036,591 on Amazon. (Suck it, whoever’s #2,036,592!)

It’s not as bad as it sounds. It just got listed, and it doesn’t come out until May 8, 2014. Hopefully I can crack the top 2 million by then.

Now, here’s my silly strategy for getting my book off to a good start with preorders…

You may know that Amazon updates its sales rankings hourly. That means if you order my book right now, it might go up a few hundred thousand positions, and I would be incredibly grateful. Then, it would slowly sink back down again and in a few days, it might rest back in the high 1-millions/low 2-millions.

But what if, I wondered… what if everyone who’s going to preorder it did so at the same time, like within the same 1-hour period? What if I could get my book to rank, even briefly, within the top 1,000, maybe higher? Best case scenario, it would help my book get noticed. Maybe a few more people would order it. Maybe a few more booksellers would choose to stock it. Worst case scenario, it would make me feel good, and that’s nice, too.

So if you’re on board, join me in — oh, let’s call it my Amazing Amazon Preorder Chart Twerk. (Note: I’m still unclear on what twerking actually is.) We’ll twerk it together on Friday, October 4, as close to 12pm EST as you can do it.

This means you, people who’ve told me you can’t wait to preorder my book. This means you, people who like books that are funny and touching and about me. This means you, Mom! This means all of you!

The best part is this: Amazon has a pre-order price guarantee, so you won’t actually pay what it says right now. You’ll be billed when the book ships, and you’ll pay whatever the lowest price was between now and the day you first get to hold the book in your happy little hands. The current price is 10% off retail, but I’ve seen Amazon list it for as much as 25% off over the last few days. I’ll bet they’ll have that deal again over the next 7 1/2 months. Who knows. It may even go lower. (It’s a little like gambling — how fun!)

Let me repeat: Instead of preordering my book now, mark your calendar for Friday October 4, and do it then. (Don’t worry. If you check here or on my Facebook page, I’ll be reminding you.)

And if you’re worried you’ll forget or you think this is silly or you think, “Hey, cracking the top 2 million is pretty good, Jerry, don’t get greedy,” then feel free to order it right this second. Here. At this link. Go on!

I promise I won’t be mad.

UPDATE: I’ll definitely be posting, Facebooking, tweeting and twerking about this again before the big day, but if you want an email reminder on October 4 at go time, just leave me a comment here stating as such, and I’ll add you to the list. Just make sure you enter your email in the appropriate box when you type your comment, and then I’ll have it.