What’s Next for “The Book?”

Wow, over a month since the launch date event, and it’s exciting to see Tales of the Wandering Mists find so many loving homes, from Japan to Argentina, the EU & UK and beyond!!

Now that “The Book” has been born, our work continues apace–this is the time that we all band together to promote the book far and wide, and to engage in the special community of people who love and support Oleg.  We have loved this book into existence—now we need everyone’s energy breathing life and vitality into it! 

So many people want to help Ukraine, want to help Oleg in particular—and supporting the sales and visibility of his book will help Oleg and help his beloved Ukraine. All net proceeds from this book go to him. So what can YOU do?

How readers can boost the book

• Get an extra copy to gift to friends, put one in the hands of a teacher, book club organizer, or organization supporting refugees or the Ukrainian diaspora.
• Put a copy of it in your local “Little Free Library,” like two of our readers did! This is a great reason to order a copy from your local bookstore; from Bookshop.org, where your purchase benefits indie bookstores; or from Amazon.
• Retailers in many countries can order directly from the distributor, Ingram via the title or ISBN: hardcover 978-0-9960975-5-0 and softcover 978-0-9970681-4-6.
• If you donate a book, consider putting a note inside pointing readers to Oleg’s website and personal story so they can learn more about our author and his mission. 
• Share the book announcements wherever you have a voice and people might see the poster (need copies of the poster or a printable PDF? just ask!)
• Ask bookstores, local libraries, and school librarians to add the book to their repositories. If they need the ISBN numbers: here they are!

We’re even trying to make sure that it’s represented in the Library of Congress! But more on that later; it’s a process!

Donate to two good causes!

• Click the “Donate” button on the book launch page to contribute directly to Oleg’s fundraising for humanitarian needs in Kherson & Donetsk areas. Oleg has already put the first two tranches of his proceeds from the book sales into action.
• You can always make donations to the current fundraiser for Oleg’s team and the heroic defenders fighting on the fronts in Ukraine (see Oleg’s X profile for the latest).

Feedback is priceless

As people from Japan to Europe and the UK to North & South America and beyond post their photos and comments as their books arrive in the mail, and sharing reactions as they read, we see the profound effects on Oleg’s spirit. Not only as wonderful reward for the publishing accomplishment of launching Book 1, but as a motivating boost for his continued work on the trilogy.

Grabbing moments as he can, Oleg writes between missions and while on the road — bearing potholes no mind (see video below).

For Oleg, hearing from his readers is spiritual fuel like none other. We’ve loved seeing the posts on social media – and Oleg’s reactions! We plan to compile reader reactions and comments for Oleg into a format that’s more readily accessible–and useful for ongoing motivation for him and marketing on Oleg’s behalf.  

To that end, we’ve got a handy little form where you can drop a little comment for Oleg, share your initial reactions as you start reading, tell us about something that surprised you or really touched you in some way.  We’d even love feedback and questions about things that were confusing or difficult to follow. And certainly, we would really love to hear your overall impressions as you close the cover on the last page!

Companion Guide in the works

Besides giving Oleg wonderful boosts from hearing how his writing impacts readers, you’ll also be helping us develop a Mists Companion Guide and other reader materials and activities, which are now coming together on the drawing board! The Guide should help readers:

• Get more out of the book–giving backstory and deeper dives;
• Connect with others in the fanbase community, and perhaps generate some fan fiction and artistic/creative opportunities;
• Take the book and related projects to new places – generating material for marketing boosts and creative spinoffs to help support Oleg’s writing and humanitarian missions.

Because each person reads with their own head and heart, different things will jump out to each of us. Story elements will have different relevance from person to person, so hearing from the reader community will add to the experience. We are really excited to have Oleg’s fans and readers involved in developing content for this Companion Guide–and we know it will be all the better and enriched because of it. 

We hope that you will take a minute to give your feedback and comments for Oleg using this easy link–and return as often as you like to share more! 

For those who would like a little creative nudge, here are a few prompts you might consider: 

• Please share your overall reaction to the story as it was first unfolding; at the end of Tales; and after finishing The Path Between Worlds? 
• Who is your favorite character, and what is it about them that resonates for you?
• Were you surprised by any particular scenes, character’s decisions, outcomes? 
• Were there any scenes or elements of the story that were hard to follow or confusing? 
• Is there anything you’d like to ask Oleg about in one of his Q&A sessions? 

Join us for Oleg’s book group!

Several readers have expressed interest in the formation of a book discussion group, meeting periodically to share experiences and discuss our reading. We intend to have the plendary meeting of this group on April 24; stay tuned for details.  Whether you have finished the book, are somewhere in the middle, just started, or maybe even haven’t had a chance to sit down with it, we hope that you will join us.

The more folks we have present for our livestream book discussion event, the more interesting and engaging it will be. Even if you’re shy or just don’t want to speak up, you’ll be able to contribute comments and questions “behind the scenes.”  We’ll pull from this feedback/comment form – so please, feel free to drop in your thoughts now!