goal sisters

What Are the Latest Happenings, Sister?!
4th Edition

Although we birthed the book back in January, it was FedEx who delivered an advanced copy of the book from New World Library to us on March 27th. As we simultaneously ripped open our cardboard envelopes, we were pleased to finally see and hold the book! Like most proud parents of newborns, we think our book is beautiful and will grow up to be a bestseller!

One other note about our book’s delivery: our editor, Georgia Hughes, included a handwritten note and two charms – a horseshoe for luck rising to the top of the NY Times bestseller list and a crown for being the queens of promotion – in our packages. The charms look great on our Goal Sisters bracelets, Georgia!

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The Book is on Its Way to Good Homes

We’re happy to announce that many of our friends, family members, and colleagues have received their pre-ordered “Goal Sisters” books. We appreciate all of you who pre-ordered the book online - it shows New World Library and online booksellers that there’s definitely an interest in “Goal Sisters.”

The Goal Sisters group members received their books today! Ann threw a celebration dinner in Joplin and passed out books and glasses of champagne to screaming Sisters! Georgia and Monique took part in the Scream Fest as they joined in via speakerphone.

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Our Midwest Queen of Promotion!

Ann’s been working her tail off in the "getting the word out about the book" department! It’s safe to say that every store clerk and manager within 50 miles of Ann’s home knows about the book! In addition to informally spreading the word, Ann has arranged many book signings in and around the Springfield and Joplin areas. Please check out the Upcoming Events column on our site for more information on Ann’s April events.

Ann has also made radio contacts. She met Lisa Peak, of the Zimmer Radio group, who is an afternoon DJ at MAGIC 93.9 in Joplin. Lisa will be interviewing Ann and Goal Sisters group members weekly throughout May. As far as print media, the regional magazine that Ann regularly contributes to - “Show Me the Ozarks” – will be featuring the “Goal Sister” book in the May 2004 issue. Ann is also writing a new coaching column for “Her Voice,” a monthly insert of the Pittsburg Morning Sun newspaper.

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www.goalsisters.com Goes LIVE!

Since our last newsletter, Michelle put together a web site proposal and sent it to various web designers and programmers. We got a terrific response from many people, including an enthusiastic programmer named Diana McClelland! By mid-March, we were on our way to building a great team led by Diana when we encountered a glitch – our graphic designer backed out. Because of the time crunch, it wasn’t feasible to search for a new graphic designer. So, we looked into another option.

Michelle joined The Authors Guild and took advantage of their offer to help writers set up their own web sites. Michelle spent hours creating our site with templates and other tools, while Ann spent hours in denial of the technical process involved to make it happen! We both put final touches on the site’s content before launching it on Friday, April 2nd. Please visit our web site often, as we'll be adding new pages soon!

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Mission Possible: The Barnes and Noble Blitz!

Monique is urging us (and our newsletter readers) to carry out a “Barnes and Noble Mission” on April 19th, or soon after. Here’s the scoop: Barnes and Noble stores have the capacity to sell “Goal Sisters” books by the boxful. Unfortunately, they are currently "initial order challenged" - meaning they’re not stocking a lot of new books. Here’s the Mission: Monique wants all of us to visit the nearest Barnes and Noble store and: 1) buy a “Goal Sisters” book if the store has it in stock or 2) have the store order copies of the book if they don't. This will show Barnes and Noble that there’s a demand for the book!

As a true Goal Sister, Monique shares a sample conversation that we all might have with a Barnes and Noble bookseller:

You: Do you have the new and fabulous book “Goal Sisters”?

Bookseller: Ummm, uh, I don't know.

You: Let's find out (glancing at computer on counter). The ISBN is 1-57731-432-8 (smiling nicely).

Bookseller: Oh, here it is. No, we don't have it, but I can get it for you.

You: That's great! [Here’s Where You Bamboozle Them With Your Publishing Knowledge And Prowess. Write This On An Index Card If You Like]. Could you please order it through Ingram (smiling nicely)? Your distribution center doesn’t seem to have it available and I know that the wholesaler Ingram does (still smiling brightly).

Bookseller: Uhhh. (Blank stare followed by silence or a somewhat defensive "Oh no, we just can't do that.")

You: Hmmm, there must be some way for me to order this nationally published and nationally distributed book. [It Helps To Say This; Otherwise They Might Think Your Cousin's Friend Prints The Book On A Ditto Machine Out Of His Garage]

Please let us know about your experience. Thanks in advance for your time and efforts!!

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More “Thanks” to Give!

~ Thanks to all of you who have bought the book and shared your comments with us. From Rowena and Jay in Virginia to Cindy, Joy, Karen, Michelle J., and Nelda in Missouri to Deborah in Southern California to Laurie in the Bay Area, we appreciate your kind words and enthusiasm. We look forward to hearing from more of you as the book continues to be purchased and received.

~ Thanks to Stephanie Neely, of Barnes and Noble in Honolulu, Hawaii, and her Springfield, Missouri counterpart, Renée Hunt, for arranging our April book signings at your respective stores.

~ Thanks to book department manager, Carl Vanhooser and assistant store manager, Arlese Bradley, of Hastings Books, Music, & Video in Joplin, Missouri, for hosting a book-signing event on Thursday, April 22nd. Arlese, who is one of Ann’s top prayer partners, has visualized the success of the book since its beginnings. We appreciate your ongoing support, Arlese!

~ Thanks to Lee Radcliff, who publishes the “Show Me the Ozarks” magazine based in Neosho, Missouri. We’re grateful for all the support Lee has given to the book, from including brief blurbs about it in recent issues to featuring a story about Ann and Michelle in the May 2004 issue! High fives to you, Lee!

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On the Horizon

Please continue to keep us in your prayers and thoughts as we create and publish more web site pages, market and sell the book, and tackle the 856 items remaining on our To Do list! Until then, take care.

Onward and Upward,
Ann and Michelle

Copyright © 2004 by Ann Leach and Michelle Beaulieu Pillen, Ph.D. All rights reserved. No part of this Web site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise.