Moby Bytes: 10 Book Launching Moments That (Actually) Mattered....

Letter #11: Ps. It was NOT the fancy literary review I didn't get!

(Where Are You? I’m Christina Rivera, debut author of MY OCEANS: Essays of Water, Whales, and Women and Moby Bytes is my series of newslettery notes deep-diving the oceanic kinship of bodies of water and beings. Thanks for signing up for this irregular email in your inbox!)

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MY OCEANS has been fully released into the wilds of all the places books are sold and borrowed. My book birthday came and went and I didn’t even have time to substack about it. Because life goes on even amidst a book launch, and I think that’s OK—to keep it all checked and balanced (unlike our government).

I was very intentional about keeping my book launch schedule chill enough for me to crawl under a weighted blanket for days in between. Because that’s what it takes out of me to get on a stage. That and beta-blockers. (If you’re a high-sensitivity introvert who feels like a T-rex is chasing you when on stage, do NOT let this industry secret be kept from you. #gamechanger)

But I’m not here to sell you beta-blockers. I’m here to share some of the moments that have made this book-launching experience surprisingly enjoyable. Frankly, I did NOT expect much of my book launch. I much preferred having a “forthcoming” book to having a book actually out in the world and bumping into a friend at the coffee shop who said, “Wow, you really aired out your dirty laundry, huh?” (It’s fine. It was funny and I’m pretty cool with the laundry others consider dirty while also being like, fuck-those-taboos.)

I like to keep expectations low in general, and most of my author friends who have gone before told me to “expect the ego death” that comes post-launch. I keep my ego pummelled low enough on my own, but the death part sounded un-fun. So I have paced all the book marketing/publicity stuff over the course of a year, with planned black-out months, and little attention to the “book launch date” itself.

On that note, book launches are NOT for people who hate birthdays. It’s not that I don’t like celebrating. It’s that I don’t like designated days. I prefer the slow roll of unexpected, unscripted, and candid moments of joy. And so that’s what I bring to you today. The little moments on this month’s journey that made me gasp or cry. Yes, lots of crying-emojis in these text screenshots…

Without further ado, here’s my photo gallery (because that worked well when I shared my “favorite book failures” last month) of the book launching highlights that actually mattered. None of these moments were planned or paid for. None of them were organized by a publicist. Just sharing the small stuff that made me laugh, stutter, or bawl…

#10: a trending TikTok reel…

My #readingfeminstbooksishot photo reel featured some very kind and local #borrowedhusbands and trended for a minute on TikTok with 3.6k hearts. This was FUN to make and still makes me giggle every single time I re-watch it. Ps. This reel pairs very well with my friend Amanda Montei’s post on “Feminism is not to blame for the gender divide, men who don’t read are…”

#9: handing out “Dolphinately Not Crying” pencils at my book launch party…

Anytime someone cries at my readings, they win a “Dolphinately Not Crying” pencil. I only ordered 100 of these pencils. The order was three months late, and when it arrived, there were 470 pencils. A sign? I think so.

#8: sitting next to Octavia Butler on this shelf…

ALL of the women climate leaders on this shelf, put together by Yale Climate Connections, make me whimper in humbled honor. Please check out the article yourself: “Women Setting the Tone in Climate Literature and Action.”

#7: this subtitle to a MY OCEANS excerpt published at Longreads…

Here’s the thing: Editors ALWAYS want to publish a super clickable subtitle that is often slightly off-topic, “but clickable!” Writers usually don’t have a choice in the matter. This was the first time, ever, I was like, “YES, YES, YES! THAT’S the best subtitle I’ve ever not-written!” Thank you @longreads.

#6: this meta-realization of how my book shape manifested subconsciously…

I can’t even make this up. Like SEVEN years ago, I devised a book plan based on the shape of a spider web that I studied while wandering around the barn in residency at Millay Arts. This month, I was thinking about how and why I ordered the book essays in the way I did (for a talk on the subject), and I realized I put the essay titled “Four Circles” in the center of my book, “because all the other essays ORBIT it.” Now look closely at that spider web’s center…

#5: the incoming photos of my book in the WILD…

Every photo of my book in the wild makes me stop and catch my breath. And often cry. So if you have an author friend, please send them photos of their book in all the most likely and unlikely of places.

#4: the book launch party love…

Sisters driving for hours to attend. Wines handpicked from women-owned biodynamic vineyards? (Gretchen: I can’t. Express. My. Gratitude.) Father-in-law crying in the front row. A sea of favorite faces all the way to the standing-room-only back. I can’t. Please. Don’t make me blubber… (but there’s more photos on Instagram).

#3: the unexpected texts/DMs …

I shit you not that I searched my texts for “🥲” to find some of these examples. It’s particularly shocking to me when the DMs pop up not just from literary friends or besties/sisters, but past students, old babysitters, gym coaches, local school moms, teachers, or as quotes from strangers who were gifted the book. Really. It’s just wild. To unleash something that’s been trapped in your head for ten years, and have it… resonate? To have people fall in love with the Manta Ray and have her stuck in both your hearts forevermore? 🩵

#2: the local independent bookstore love…

The stack of books at the cash registers? The pairing of water-themed socks and oceanic coffee mugs? Stop it. I can’t. Thank you @bookwormofedwards for bringing me this one-in-a-lifetime moment.

#1: a hit with graduate writing students?

This one is fresh. I’m still speechless.

Well that took too long and now I need to clean up my face before running carpool. Because life keeps on keeping on (see opening paragraph). ;)

Two last quick things:

• I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER if you hit some stars or post a few words of My Oceans book review on the platform of your choice: Amazon. Goodreads. Bookshop.org. Barns&Noble. EXTRA CREDIT if you copy/paste the same review onto all of the sites! But really. Please and thank you x1,000,000.

• I have an “in convo” book event with BK Loren (!) in Boulder on 4/10, and if you’re nearby, I’d love to see your face. Tickets here.

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Where Are You?

If you’re new to Moby Bytes, I’m Christina Rivera and MY OCEANS: Essays of Water, Whales, and Women is my debut book of sea-linked essays deep-diving the oceanic kinship of bodies of water and beings. MY OCEANS (Northwestern University Press/Curbstone Books, March ‘25) is now available for purchase at all your favorite booksellers!

Please share Moby Bytes with a friend who might want more pod in their life?

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• (Please) order MY OCEANS. It really helps build needed momentum. :)

• Sample some published essays & excerpts from MY OCEANS

• Find me on your social platform of choice: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, TikTok, BlueSky, & LinkedIn

• Upcoming events & readings now on my author website: www.christinarivera.com  

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