In a little less than an hour's time, The Verb 'To Bird' will stop being a Barnes & Noble Discover selection and go back to being a regular old-fashioned book. I'm hopeful that it will remain on the shelf at your local B&N (check under "Nature") even after it's been taken down from the special Discover shelf near the front of the store and has its little placard removed. Still, there's no question that the book will be a bit less visible tomorrow than it's been over the past six months, and for that, I think I'd better thank a few people:

Paul Dry Books alone has to get an enormous load of gratitude, both for the way they've handled their end of the contract and for their willingness to gamble on an unknown writer in the first place. The individuals of the company, however, have made contributions well worth setting down here: publicist Will Schofield, whose tirelessness in connecting me with reporters and reviewers is matched only by his outstanding taste in quirky pop music; designer Adrianne Onderdonk Dudden, who gave the book its graceful lines, distinctive colors, and overall tactile appeal; John Corenswet, whose editing showed me that my manuscript contained a much better book if only I would just go in and dig it out; and of course Paul Dry himself, whose enthusiasm makes a writer feel as though he's going to have the wind at his back for the entire voyage.

The illustrations of Grant Silverstein have been an enormous part of the book's success, and try as I might, I still don't feel I've given him adequate credit for his work. He invites the eye of the casual observer to come in and explore the book, but every time you let your vision linger on one of his drawings, you find new riches. I was very lucky that Paul Dry discovered Grant's work.

Photographer Rebekah Lingo took the author portrait for the cover, but as her name was accidentally left off of the first printing, some of you may not know that yet. Anyone who can make me look halfway decent deserves to have her skills recognized by the public, and her patience and good humor are most commendable as well.

Without the boost provided by Barnes & Noble's Discover Program, I don't know that the book would have had a second printing, let alone a fourth--many thanks to B&N. It was always a great ego boost to walk into one of their stores and see my book right up front. (Interestingly, it was always on the same shelf as Tom Groneberg's The Secret Life of Cowboys; since I know Tom from Readerville.com, I always viewed this as some sort of web-based synchronicity.) And if Michelle Alair of the Charlottesville store isn't running the company inside of ten years, I will be surprised.

The Virginia Festival of the Book allowed me to read from The Verb before it was even officially available, which got me off on the right foot--thank you, Nancy Damon, for that opportunity.

Thanks for the good press: Bella Stander at Albemarle, Salem Macknee at the Charlotte Observer, all the people whose names I've forgotten at the Raleigh News & Observer, C-Ville Weekly, The Hook, The Free-Lance Star, the Orange Review, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Living Bird, and the UNC Alumni Review.

Thanks to Frank Stacio and Keith Weston for the warm welcome at WUNC, and for introducing me to Cynthia Fox. Thanks to Cynthia for introducing me to Tom Driscoll, and thanks to Tom for finding me a Yellow-Breasted Chat--the birding chain grows ever longer.

Thanks to everyone at Martha Stewart Living Television for the greatest publicity windfall an author could ever ask for, and thanks to Katharine Weber for directing the wind my way.

Thanks to everyone who's written me here at petercashwell.com--I'm hoping to answer you all at some point.

Thanks once more to the community of Readerville.com and its proprietor, Karen Templer, without whom. You all helped me get into this, and you all helped me through it.

Thanks to everyone who's dined with me, given me a ride, or put me up somewhere during the Cheap-Ass Book Tour '03. Everyone should share a car with Anne Ursu and Laura Ruby at least once.

Thanks to Woodberry Forest School for the time off.

And of course, thanks to my family for their love, support, and patience while I got this thing researched, written, revised, mailed, re-revised, re-mailed, re-re-revised, edited, published, reviewed, and publicized.

On April 1st, 2003, six months ago tomorrow, my book was published. I've spent most of the last half-year learning to live with The Verb 'To Bird'. It's almost been like having a new family member, one whose demands sometimes caught me off-guard, and whose needs often caused me to neglect those of my family and friends. But now that it's six months old, and I've gotten used to having it around, I think I can finally bear to quit nursing it.

Happy October, everyone, and thanks again. Time for solid food at last.
7:55 PM

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