Understated Book Launch Underway

I’m rolling out an understated book launch so I can have ten copies of two of my new books (Enduring Legacy and Yay-Sayers) available for upcoming bazaars and conventions in mid-May and beyond.

 

And yes, I know!

 

An unofficial book launch doesn’t sound much like a marketing plan, but I had to get proactive if I wanted to have more Kelley-related books at the Kelley-centric events that are scheduled this year, so I did it anyway.

If it shoots me in the foot, ouch! 

If it doesn’t, it was a brilliant idea!

Only time will tell…

 

That’s the thing about book launches. Sometimes they can be pre-planned and carefully orchestrated (which is when they work best) and sometimes they have to happen fast in response to changing opportunities and conditions.

 

So I’ve written a PR that is making the rounds now, and I’ve published the first three volumes of Kelley Phone Tag: The Rest of the Story in two different editions (soft cover and Kindle).

 

I’ve done the same with the Second Edition of The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley: Actor, Healer, Friend. It, too, is available in soft cover and Kindle editions.

 

And there is yet another title I’m rolling out this week, Yay-Sayers: The Good Guides, also available as in soft cover and Kindle editions. Eegads!  I just visited Amazon to get the link to this title and discovered that it’s listed right now at #1 in New Releases in its category!)

Additional rankings by category:

 

I’m astounded… I sure did pick the right categories for Yay-Sayers! It hit the top spot with ZERO advance publicity or notice!

 

Guess I’d better write a PR for Yay-Sayers so schools, teachers and librarians hear about  it! But first, I need to finish what I’m doing right here. (“First things first, Kris.  No squirrel-chasing!” What a party pooper my internal taskmaster is! Wet blanket! Naysayer! HA HA HA HA HA!)

 

Here’s the current PR that’s making the rounds right now:

 

REMEMBERING DeFOREST KELLEY

 

Actor’s Friend and Personal Assistant Publishes Several Books Commemorating Two Upcoming Anniversaries

 

SEATTLE WA (Amazon)  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          DeForest Kelley, the actor best-known as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the original, iconic science fiction television and motion picture series Star Trek, passed away on June 11^th, 1999, but his enduring legacy lives on in the affection of fans worldwide.

 

To memorialize the 20^th anniversary of the actor’s death, Kelley’s friend and former personal assistant Kris M. Smith compiled the memories of more than a dozen fans to serve as a keepsake memento to pass along to Kelley’s newest fans, many of whom never had the opportunity to meet him up close and personal. The book, THE ENDURING LEGACY OF DeFOREST KELLEY: ACTOR, HEALER, FRIEND, is available at Amazon now.

 

In addition, the 100^th anniversary of Kelley’s birth will be celebrated on January 20, 2020 with the release of a six-volume set of phone logs containing more than one thousand phone calls dutifully written down by Smith during the years when DeForest Kelley and his wife Carolyn befriended Kris and began communicating non-stop. The series name is Kelley Phone Tag: The Rest of the Story. It is a follow-up to Smith’s 2015 memoir DeForest Kelley Up Close and Personal: A Harvest of Memories from the Fan Who Knew Him Best.

 

Asked about the decision to release the complete series of phone logs, Kris responded, “My initial memoir DeForest Kelley Up Close and Personal struck such a chord with De’s fans that it opened a floodgate of emailed inquiries and heartfelt letters from readers of all ages, many of whom said they wanted to know more; not just more, but everything, every interaction I had with the Kelleys. So, I went back into my phone logs and rediscovered literally scores of precious, priceless gems I had long since forgotten about.

 

“As it turns out, I had typed up almost 435,000 words detailing our thousand-plus phone conversation  between 1989 and 1999. As I went through them, I found myself laughing, crying, and reliving them viscerally, so I knew they’d do the same for other people, too.

 

“And since I’m no longer a spring chicken, I wanted to create a magnum opus that will survive me and help extend DeForest Kelley’s legacy beyond what he did for a living. He was more than a wonderful actor. He was a wonderful human being and a terrific friend and mentor.

 

“I want De’s fans to have more to cherish and remember about him. The Kelleys were two of the most prominent yay-sayers in my life. If they hadn’t continued to encourage me as a writer for decades, I don’t think I’d ever have had the nerve to finally name it and claim it. I owe them so much, but since I can’t pay them back (beyond what I was able to do for them when things got really tough) I want to pay it forward by bequeathing all of my memories to his fans.”

 

Kelley Phone Tag: The Rest of the Story  will roll out on a bi-monthly schedule between now and January 20, 2020. The first few volumes are available now at Amazon.

 

Smith will be appearing at Raincon in Forks WA over Father’s Day weekend in June and at several of B&G Sponsored Events’ bazaars in Tacoma between May and New Year’s Day.

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Kris M Smith is the author of eleven books and a professional copy, content and features writer. To find out more or to interview Kris, visit YellowBalloonPublications.com or email kris@wordwhisperer.net.

 

Please share this post with your friends who have teenagers in school or who are Kelley/Trek fans. Thanks!