Alison Presley

I'm the online marketing manager at the fabulous Chronicle Books. I write about book marketing, writing, and editing at alisonpresley.com

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Cormac found himself strangely drawn to Sophie, though he rarely knew quite how to handle her. French women. It was true what people said about them.

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#tbt to my pre-Cormac days. Um, we'll get back our lives at some point, right?

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Cavallo Point brunch day. It's one of those days when the cost of living here feels worth it.

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Children's books really are the best.

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Writing is the Hare; Editing is the Tortoise

Some the best and worst decisions in my life have come about due to my inability to wait patiently.

And yes, if you’re reading the above and trying to parse out what it means for my personal life, we are still waiting for this baby to be born. He’s now six days a WEEK past his due date–and counting.

The Great Baby Wait has reminded me how very bad I am with delayed gratification. You see, in my head is a massive Life Check List, containing things both big (write and publish next novel) and small (get tomatoes at store). And inside me is a drive to check things off this list. I love how good it feels to check things off! It’s like Saturday and the month of October and Christmas Eve all rolled together.

Click through to keep reading...

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In a cruel twist of fate, I did not come to enjoy jogging as much as my romper predicted.

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Can Women Have it All? Writing After Baby

I already know that I push myself too hard. I know that you shouldn’t get up at 5:30am to write after going to be at midnight. I know that I shouldn’t stay late at my beloved career because I want to finish an interesting project I’m working on. I know I shouldn’t go out with friends five nights a week and spend my Saturday completing a 10-mile hike. But the truth is, I want to do all those things. I want to have my cake and eat it too. And if that means I’m a little sleep-deprived, so be it.

But this baby has been a wake-up call–and the message is, you’ve got to scale back somewhere. This is a hard message for me to swallow. I know he’ll be Priority #1. He already is and has been since I first realized the good news. So that leaves me looking at the rest of my life and wondering where to trim, or, more truthfully, where I can bear to trim without feeling like I’m losing me.

Click through to keep reading!

[murrayed]

[strle]

It’s finally October 3rd!

cc cootiebanini and anniewerner 

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Always reblog on October 3rd. 

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TGIF!

(jk, it’s Thursday)

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Celebrating TattTuesday! Yes, we have a holiday for that @chroniclebooks. @cbtattuesday

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When @chroniclebooks throws you a baby shower, it's on. Thank you amazing work family!

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I'm obsessed with our new "Picture Day" line.

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This is what passes for a corporate handout @chroniclebooks. #leanin

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Oh, this? Just a strawberry mousse bar, coated in white chocolate and PRETZELS!

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I think we can safely say it's the foggy season in SF. Stay safe up there, oh residents of Twin Peaks.

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Does Popular Blog = Bestselling Book?

I hope what I am about to say comes as a relief to you. What I don’t want it to sound like is yet another deflating stat about how your book is never going to be a bestseller.

No, this post should make you feel like: Ah, I can just enjoy blogging for what it is and writing for what it is. And if I miss a day of blogging, the fate of my book does not hang in the balance. Pass the wine. (Your call. No pressure on the wine.)

Anyway, here’s what I wanted to say: Having a really popular blog doesn't mean you’re going to have a bestselling book.

As faithful readers probably know by now, I’m a huge fan of John Green. Anyone who makes it cool for teenagers to be nerdy and ethical and kind has already claimed a spot at my dinner table, but I also just genuinely love his books.

Recently he wrote a post called, “Why Has the Fault in Our Stars Been So Successful?” that I believe is a must-read for anyone looking to publish a book.

Within publishing circles, it was met with much applause...

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Shadow play

[alisonpresley]

No filter needed (at Musée Mécanique)