Whale Song is "lucid and touching".

"This is a story of life, love and loss. Taking us back to the fun and carefree days of childhood when we were naïve about life and reminding us how soon those days are gone. This lucid and touching novel makes us realize that doing what is right, regardless of the consequences, is the greatest sacrifice of all. Cheryl Kaye Tardif’s unadorned yet expressive dialogue makes us feel like a participant of the story and not merely an onlooker. It shows that our beliefs can sustain us when we need it most. This is definitely a book for readers of all ages."

--Mary Menzel, AllTheseBooks.com

Why are Cheryl Kaye Tardif novels NOT in every bookstore in Canada and the US?

Since 2003, after my first novel was published, I've often been asked why my novels are not in every bookstore across North America. There are a few reasons for this, actually, but one of the main reasons is that the book industry just doesn't work like that. Yes, you'll certainly see the top 25 or so bestsellers in every store. These are big name authors who have proven time and time again that their books sell by the truckloads, and the 1 or 2 breakout authors whose book flies off the shelf at record speeds may be among them.

Believe me--I would be quite happy (and possibly a bit manic) to see my novels in every bookstore. It is a partnership between so many divisions of the publishing industry that helps increase a book's availability. I know one thing for sure, there are thousands of authors whose books have less exposure than my novels.

My publisher has been writing articles for Foreword Magazine, an industry standard for the book world, and his latest article touched on something I have believed since day one. If I want my books to sell, I have to do whatever I can to 'move' them off the shelves. I owe it to myself. Every author does.

The following is my reply to my publisher's latest article on Foreword's website:

In the years (okay, decades) that I've been researching the book industry, I've heard these statistics many times. And they're so true. I've also heard how publishers in the US are publishing nearly 200,000 new titles a year. This sheds some light on why my 3 novels aren't on every bookstore shelf. Can you imagine the size the bookstore would have to be to accomplish shelving every title? But it is a common assumption with aspiring or newly published authors that their books will be everywhere, in every store automatically. That's just not the case.

Today's authors have to take on the role of marketing even more than ever if they want to succeed. You can't wait for the sales to happen; you have to go out and get them. Book signings are a plus. I love doing them, meeting people and talking to fans. But most authors, including me, can't afford to tour all across the country 2-3 times a year. And publishers certainly can't pay for all of their authors to do so either.

I was the first author from Kunati Books to hold a virtual book tour (VBT). For one month, I blogged, wrote articles, answered intervews, spoke on radio shows--I loved it. VBT's are becoming more popular every year, and I believe that's where author tours are heading. Even bestselling author Margaret Atwood knows the trials of traveling; she invented the LongPen, a device that signs books with the author in one city and readers in another. I've signed up for that too.

I embrace the marketing of my novels and I am excited to do so. With three novels published, I am constantly searching for new ways, new ideas, and the majority of them involve online marketing. From my own experience, I can say that being computer savvy is a huge advantage as more and more authors are turning to internet marketing. Authors experienced in web design, HTML code, navigating the internet, and those who blog regularly and update their websites routinely have a headstart. I believe in working smarter, not necessarily harder.

Selling books is a partnership between everyone involved--author, agent, publisher, distributor, booksellers...they each have their role, and the common one is to sell books. Today's authors have to be bold, daring, open to learning, open to selling, persistent, and driven. That's how you become one of the 2.1% of authors who sell more than 5000 copies.

If you'd like a better understanding of the book industry, please read my publisher's article:
Staggering Statistics in Book Publishing can Read Like a Stephen King Horror Novel. Is There Any Hope for Authors and Publishers?

I invite you to leave a comment here and on the Foreword page.

What do you think about these statistics and the book industry's future?

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention

Blast From My Past: "You are getting sleeeepy..."

Today's Blast From My Past takes me back a few years. Okay, a couple of decades (now I really feel old!) So here's the setup...

What do Bermuda and George M. Dawson High School in BC have in common? Well, I was hypnotized in both places.

[Disclaimer: I may have gotten the hypnotists' names mixed up. I mean, they're darned close--Reveen and Romane. Also, remember...I was hypnotized. I was not responsible for my actions. Really!]

It started in Bermuda, about 1979. My best friend Annmarie and I sneaked in to see a performance of the amazing Reveen, a world renowned hypnotist. I say "sneaked" because we were underage. You had to be 18; we were 16. I had always been very curious about anything remotely paranormal--things like palm reading, tarot cards, tea leaf reading, psychics of all kinds--and hypnotists.

So there I was, trying to be incognito so we wouldn't get tossed out, and then Reveen goes into his audience routines. He had everyone clasp their hands and rest them on their heads (or something to this affect). Then he does his little hypnotizing spiel and--voila! Many people in the audience found they couldn't remove their hands from their heads.

Including me--the underaged teen who was trying not to be noticed.

Well, Reveen could have said something to make us unlock, but no, it wasn't going to be that easy. Instead, he asked everyone with locked hands to come up on stage. And there lay my dilemma. Do I go up, get unlocked and risk being kicked out? Or do I stay where I was and walk around with my hands stuck to my head for the rest of my life?

So up I go...Miss Incognito. I recall feeling petrified. Not about being hypnotized--that was kind of cool. I looked at Annmarie and thought, 'Great, now we'll get booted out and she'll hate me.'

One by one, each person's hands were unlocked by the mystical Reveen. Then it's my turn. He unlocks my hands, then says, "How old are you?"

"Uh...eight--eighteen," I lied in a quivering voice.

He smiled. "Good. Would you like to stay up on stage and be part of my show?"

What? That was not what I expected.

So Miss Incognito politely excused herself and went skulking back to her seat.

Well, the show continued, I relaxed and we had a great time. I couldn't believe all the crazy things he'd gotten people to do. It was a night I've never forgotten.

Flash forward...1981 - Masset, QCI, BC - George M. Dawson gymnasium. Our special guest? Romane, another well-known hypnotist.

The show starts with the same idea--audience participation. Of course, he wants to see whose mind is susceptible to being put under. And there goes Cheryl, up to the stage to have her hands unlocked. This time I decided to be part of the show. What the hell was I thinking?!

The skeptical part of my brain thought, 'There's no way he'll put me that far under.'

Well, all I can say is that by the end of the show, I "woke" up. It seemed like 5 minutes had passed. When I tried to remember, it was like I had my eyes closed and was having a very blurry, weird dream. I believe I was in a "fashion show" and did the catwalk or something. Good grief!

I vaguely recall being a concert pianist. Of course there was no piano on stage...but I know I played my heart out. (Maybe I should audition for the New York Symphony.) I think I ended up sitting on some poor guy's lap. Remember my disclaimer? NOT RESPONSIBLE!

Then after the show, every time someone said, "You were hypnotized, Cheryl", I had this Tourette's syndome-like compulsion to reply with, "Oh, go eat fish!" I couldn't understand why people kept coming up to me and telling me I'd been hypnotized. Wasn't it obvious? I mean, they saw the damned show, for crying out loud. And why the heck was I telling them to eat fish, when I really wanted to say snidely, "Wow, you're observant."

But instead, out pops, "Oh, go eat fish!"

There's nothing stranger than hearing something come out of your mouth that you had no idea you were going to say. Well, wait. There's one thing stranger...hearing your mother's words come out of your mouth. "Just wait until you have kids!"

Have you every been hypnotized? What did you do? Would you do it again? If not, would you like to be?

Please leave me a comment. :)

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,

bestselling author of Whale Song

"Canadian novel Whale Song is Oprah's next book club pick"

Can you imagine hearing those words? The title of this post gives me goosebumps on goosebumps. I can't imagine anything more thrilling than hearing back from Oprah after I've sent her 4 novels over the past 4 years. Having Oprah Winfrey say, "Whale Song is my book club pick for May" epitomizes a leap in success. It's certainly the dream of almost every author I know. And yes, for me, it's still a dream only--for now.

For one Canadian author it's a dream come true. Vancouver-based author and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle must feel like he's riding a wave. His book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, is Oprah's 61st choice for her book club read. Oprah is responsible for Tolle's earlier rise in fame as she launched his 2005 book The Power of Now, skyrocketing it to a million-copy bestseller. The divine Ms. Winfrey is going to be co-hosting an online workshop with Tolle.

Canadian authors have been in the news lately. Andrew Davidson, a writer from Pinawa, Manitoba, created a stir in the book industry recently for obtaining a US $1.5 million deal with Doubleday, as a first-time novelist. The only other recorded case of an unpublished author receiving this kind of advance is Anthony Hyde from Ottawa; his novel The Red Fox went for a reported US $1 million. Davidson has gone on to secure international rights and more advances. His novel The Gargoyle is set to be released on August 5th, 2008. Who knows? Maybe Oprah will take that one too.

Meanwhile, I will continue writing, promoting and praying that one day Oprah gets a chance to read Whale Song. And I hope that her book club members will take a chance on another Canadian author and read it too. I even provide a comprehensive reading guide for book clubs and schools.

"Oprah picks Canadian novel Whale Song for book club."

Now doesn't that have a nice ring to it? How would you feel if she picked your book?

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Whale Song

Canada's oldest bookstore to close doors

"Another one bites the dust." For the last two years, I've watched Canadian independent bookstores fight to compete with the 'big boys'--major big-box outlets and Internet retailers, but it seems like a fight to the death. As a Canadian, I cheer them on, hoping they'll succeed. As an avid reader, I mourn their loss. As an author, I feel their disappearance is sadly inevitable. Business, after all, means survival of the biggest and most powerful. It's like watching a giant game of Pac-Man. Something is gobbling up our independent bookstores one at a time, and now we're about to lose "Canada's oldest bookstore"--The Book Room in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Book Room is expected to clear out inventory and close its doors for the final time at the end of March 2008, about eight weeks from now. Eight weeks...and then we'll have to say goodbye to a Nova Scotian icon. Founded in 1839, The Book Room has survived two World Wars, the Halifax Explosion and the Great Depression, and it will be a great loss to Canadian booklovers and to its local community. Charles Burchell, president of The Book Room, is justifiably disappointed. "The Book Room has been an institution in Nova Scotia."

The explanation given for its imminent closure? Increased competition, deep discounting from big-box and Internet retailers, as well as dual pricing issues. In Canada, books have traditionally been printed with two prices--Canadian and American. Canadian prices have always been quite a bit higher, but the recent strength of the Canadian dollar has put much pressure on the entire book industry. Canadian customers want US pricing, with that price on the back cover of books; publishers can't afford to discount their books to US pricing when they've based everything on a higher Canadian price, and booksellers are forced to either lower prices and take a loss or lose their customers and their business.

"Out with the old, in with the new" might be an exciting way to ring in the New Year, but in the book business, the saying is a painfully discordant reminder to make way for the "big-boys", at the expense of tradition.

Farewell to The Book Room. Booklovers across Canada will miss you.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Whale Song

Frozen in Grand Central Station, New York

When I think of frozen, I think of ice cubes, ice cream, yoghurt. My husband Marc has been complaining about being "frozen" for weeks. So much so that we booked a trip to Mexico later this month. (YAY!) We live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and it's been anywhere from -10 degrees celcius to -30.

Well, today Marc came across a video of people in Grand Central Station, New York, and these people were definitely far more frozen than Marc has been.

Check out this incredible video. I've never seen anything like it.



Wish I'd been there!

My writer's mind is going crazy with this. Were they a group of acting students? Mimes without costumes? I've watched this 3 times. Check out their expressions...and poses.

What do you think about this video? Please leave a comment.

After you've watched the video, go HERE to read about how it was done.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author

A West Virginia librarian says, Whale Song "touched my heart"

"I just finished reading Whale Song and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. I have purchased it for our library system and I am recommending it to our patrons. Your story touched my heart."

--Linda, a librarian in West Virginia