By Invitation Only Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life

Dear Readers–

Long ago when I was acquainted with retailing, the Grand Opening of a store was preceded by the Soft Opening, which in turn was preceded by an Open by Invitation Only event. Typically, a couple of weeks before the Grand Opening, employees invited a small number of friends and family for an evening of shopping. Everyone knew things weren’t completely ready yet—there were empty racks and probably even missing fixtures—but the idea was to gather constructive thoughts from folk predisposed to being friendly. Guests would be asked to fill out a survey, or in some other fashion give feedback about everything associated with the store, its merchandise selection, knowledge of staff, amenities, etc. Based on this, adjustments were made.

The Soft Opening was usually nothing more than turning on the lights and opening the doors without any fanfare a few days before the Grand Opening. This was to give new employees some experience before the big day. But thoughts and comments from shoppers were also solicited and reported.

I always liked doing an opening this way because the focus was where it should be—on the shoppers’ and customers’ experience. No one had expectations about breaking the bank or setting any records. Of course, this was when store owners and managers actually cared about their customers. (Not that it doesn’t happen today, but…)

And so…

…you are invited to give Miss Missy’s School Book I: A Pack of Farm Dogs Starts a School a look on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and if you happen to live in the UK, France, or Germany on their respective Amazon sites. Let me know what you think. There are many things I cannot not change, but your eye may catch something I can’t see any more that I do have control over.

Just as real Invitation Only Openings, some things aren’t right yet. Because of a dumb mistake I made, the paperback isn’t available and probably won’t be for a couple of days. The “Look Inside” feature isn’t working as of this writing. But I’d still appreciate your clicks, and of course your purchases if you’re inclined, and reviews if you do buy the hardcover.

To that point, a note about the price. My strategy was for the hardcover to be the Grandma buy. It is printed on 70-pound paper which is much nicer than typical 50 lb. There’s no dust jacket, but rather the cover is case laminate—printed on the cover itself. And as you’ve read here over the last year or more, you know that the book is much more than just a story. Where else are you going to read how important Parliamentary Procedures were to the American Revolution? Or learn that E.B. White of Charlotte’s Web once lived in a barn? (Trust me, royalties on self-published books are not mind blowing by any stretch of the imagination.)

Hoping to hear from y’all. You can comment here, hit the contact button to send an email, or email me directly at marica at missmissysschool dot com.

Thanks!