Three weeks from today I’ll officially be a published author. Wild, huh? The typical timeline between book deal and publication is 18-24 months, and if we spoke in May of 2019 (or July, which was when I was able to actually announce my book deal) I would have said “March 2021 is so far away, it’s not really happening. It doesn’t feel real at all!!!😅”
Newsflash: Three weeks out, and it’s apparently happening, but it feels just as unreal. Maybe not “unreal,” but surreal. An actual, physical, hardcover book with my name on the cover and spine filled with my words that I agonized over for years, and inked with my blood and sweat and tears (that’s a #dramatic image, huh?) will exist in the world. And not just exist, but sit on bookstore shelves next to other actual, physical books. I SWEAR I AM NOT FREAKING OUT!!!but!!!!omg!!!!!I!!!!am!!!
For as long I can remember, I would walk into Barnes & Noble or my favorite indie bookstore and peruse the stacks, running my fingers along the shelves and stopping at the S’s so that I could pinpoint the exact spot my book might someday sit.
In three weeks, I won’t have to imagine what that might look like anymore. CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY will be out nationwide on March 9th, 2021!
I won’t make it a habit of sending out newsletters, but I wanted to send out a nice lil roundup of exciting news and events and important info before release day comes and goes—because TBH, releasing a book is exciting and fun, but it’s also exhausting AF and nerve-racking and !ALSO! we’re in a pandemic, so time means nothing and the days just seem to slip away from me (what better time than a pandemmy to read a new book, perhaps one titled CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY!)
So let’s do this efficiently, shall we?
It’s been really exciting to see the early reception to the book, from readers and influencers who received an uncorrected advance copy for review, trade reviews, and other authors. CTTA received its first starred review from the Booklist, the book review journal of American Library Association. Reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, The Nerd Daily, and the School Library Journal have written some really fabulous things about it as well:
I’m truly humbled and honored to have so many fantastic blurbs from booksellers at independent bookstores across the country! SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDIES, FRIENDS! Not only that, but CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY has made it onto the American Booksellers Association’s Spring 2021 Kids Indie Next List, which is a VERY big deal and an honor!
And the reception from other authors, my peers, who have gotten a chance to read the book has been really fantastic—and tear inducing—as well.
OH! BTW! CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY has appeared on a couple of cool lists:
TEEN VOGUE: 11 Anticipated Books By Trans/Non-Binary Authors
BUZZFEED: 25 LGBTQ+ YA Books You'll Want To Curl Up With This Winter
BUZZFEED: 40 Contemporary Books We're Looking Forward To Reading In 2021
American Booksellers Association’s Spring 2021 Kids Indie Next List
ALSO! Celebrate with me on the CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY Virtual Tour!
Seriously, if you registered for and popped into these virtual events to help me celebrate and support the book, I would literally love you forever. Chances are I already love you forever, but this would be like two life sentences worth of love from me!
BOOK LAUNCH!!! CAN YOU EVEN???
Tuesday, March 9that 7pm EST: Book Launch! In Conversation with Jessica Verdi (author of FOLLOW YOUR ARROW) at McNally Jackson in New York City. To register for the event and to preorder a signed, personalized copy, head to: https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/cant-take-away-steven-salvatore-jessica-verdi-virtual-event
Wednesday, March 10that 7pm EST: Instagram Live with Jacob Demlow (@a.veryqueerbookclub) Come join us for a fun and very gay conversation about CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY: https://www.instagram.com/a.veryqueerbookclub/
Thursday, March 11th at 8pm EST/7pm CT: Join me and Jason June (author of JAY’S GAY AGENDA) for A Genderqueer Extravaganza presented by Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans! To register for the event, head to: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qc-yvpjIoHdxKw-MVpPXdVuuB1C0kSL8i, and to preorder a signed, personalized copy of the book, head to: https://www.gardendistrictbookshop.com/book/9781547605309 and as you checkout, under the “ORDER COMMENTS” specify that you would like it signed and personalized!
Wednesday, March 17th at 7:30pm EST: The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center in White Plains, New York–a very special place to me, where I volunteer!–is hosting an event in conversation with Jeffrey Guard. Registration link will be available on February 18th. If you live in Westchester, New York, you preorder a signed, personalized book from The Village Bookstore in Pleasantville, New York! Call the store at 914-769-8322 or visit the store’s website at: https://thevillagebookstore.net
Thursday, March 18th at 8pm EST/7pm CT: Join me at Left Bank Books in St. Louis, Missouri in conversation with former Left Bank Books Children’s Specialist Sarah Holt. Use this link to join the event and to order a copy of the book from Left Bank and support your local indie: https://www.left-bank.com/event/steven-salvatore-cant-take-that-away
Monday, March 22nd at 7pm EST/4pm PST: Instagram Live with University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s @cabunlv. Join us for a fabulous Q&A: https://www.instagram.com/cabunlv/
If you’ve made it this far…
THANK YOU!
Now comes the hard part (for me.) I have a few favors to ask of you:
Preorders are incredibly important, so if you can, it would mean the world to me if you preordered a copy of the book, and there are so many great bookstores that are running preorders of CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY where you can get a signed or even personalized copy of the book. If you peruse the above links under all of the events, you can find a bookstore to preorder from! Also, Barnes & Noble in Syracuse, New York, is running a signed, personalized preorder incentive where they’ll ship ANYWHERE in the country; if you call the store directly at 315-449-2948, you can order a copy over the phone and request a personalized copy and they’ll email you an e-receipt!
Go to (or call ) your local independent bookstore and make sure they have the book on order!
Go to (or call) your local Barnes & Noble and make sure they have the book on order. If you’re in Westchester county, New York, the stores in Mohegan Lake, White Plains, Eastchester, and Yonkers will have signed copies release week! And again, the Syracuse location will have loads of signed copies in-store!
Go to (or call) your local library and make sure they’ve ordered a copy of the book for their shelves.
If you can’t preorder a copy, if you buy or request one from your library the week of release, it would mean the world!
Tell your friends! Family! Spread the word!!!!
If you’ve preordered already, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!! Seriously, it means the world to me. You can submit your receipt here for some FREE and fabulous queer AF swag!
Thank you for supporting me and my book!
To be real for a second, all of this might look flashy and cool, but it’s scary as hell to publishing a book so personal to me. I’ve poured so much of myself into Carey, the main character, and while this is a dream I’ve had my entire life, it’s one thing to dream it, and another to watch it become realized AND understand that this book, this thing that once upon a time was intrinsically me and mine, no longer belongs to me. It belongs to readers. I’m releasing my baby to find new homes, to be loved or hated or ignored. It’s frightening, and I’d be lying if I said the uncertainty didn’t keep me up at night. That’s natural, I guess.
This won’t be a book for everyone, but it’s my hope that it finds those who need it. There’s a lot of darkness and hardship and pain, but there’s also so much light and love and queer joy on the other side. So much joy.
I hope you find the joy.
Though I’m scared, as Carey Parker sings in the book, “I’m ready.”
Much love & pride,
Steven