Tracy C. Gold - AUTHOR, EDITOR, TEACHER Tracy C. Gold

“Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” is Officially Published!

by Tracy C. Gold

My adorable little debut board book, “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby,” is officially published as of today, April 13th, 2021.

Here is some amazing news: thanks to the generosity of my friends, family, and readers, I have had ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FOUR preorders, which means I am donating ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FOUR books to babies in need via ShareBaby. *Update–the total number was actually 184 when I checked with the local bookstores!

Want better news? Well, the books come in boxes of 40. So I’m just going to round up and donate TWO HUNDRED books to ShareBaby! I’ll be back to update this post when I have pictures of the gigantic stack of books going to their warehouse. *Update: below is the stack of books plus some diapers we took over in my mom’s car, plus me with Amina Weiskerger, ShareBaby’s executive director, outside their warehouse!

Copies of "Everyone's Sleepy but the Baby" that I am donated to babies in need via ShareBaby

Thank you so much to everyone who preordered, requested the book at their library, and helped spread the word. I am so happy to be helping two hundred families in Baltimore start their libraries.

Here is a darling book trailer to give you a sneak peek of the book!

You can buy the book wherever books are sold (at least online!), but here are some links to make it easy for you! I’ll be doing the rounds to sign stock at local stores in the coming weeks. Follow me on Twitter or Instagram to see where I’ve signed books! “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” makes a wonderful baby shower gift book if you have friends who are expecting or have recently become parents.

The Children’s Bookstore, 4717 Harford Road in Lauraville (Baltimore, MD): order via this direct link for pickup or delivery.

The Ivy Bookshop, 5928 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD: order at this direct link for pickup or delivery.

National Bookstores

Amazon (affiliate link)

Barnes and Noble: Barnes and Noble allows reviews to be posted before launch, so you can see what a few early readers think of the book here!

Familius: My publisher is offering a buy-one get-one 50% off deal as I type this only for books bought on their site (code: BOGOFAM)

Target

Walmart

Indiebound

Local Bookstores

Charm City Books, 782 Washington Blvd in Pigtown: preorder at this direct link for pickup or delivery (local delivery is free!)

Greedy Reads, 320 West 29th Street in Remington: preorder at this direct link for pickup or delivery

Greedy Reads, 1744 Aliceanna Street in Fells Point: preorder at this direct link for pickup or delivery

You should also be able to find the book online via the website of local bookstores across the country, or call/email your favorite store to order.

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baby shower book gift ideas

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Preorder “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” and I’ll Donate a Book

by Tracy C. Gold

If you’re looking for a baby shower gift book or durable volume for a toddler to enjoy, Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby, is available for preorder! It comes out on April 13th, 2021. I definitely recommend preordering as it looks like the first print run may sell out quickly.

If you preorder a book and let me know, I will donate a book to ShareBaby, a Baltimore-based charity that gives baby items to families in need.

All you have to do is forward your preorder receipt to tcgpreorders@gmail.com and your preorder will be counted (or order through this Amazon affiliate link and I’ll know automatically). You should receive an automated response right away. I will also check the emails manually; if you preorder multiple copies, I will donate multiple copies.

The book is available for preorder most places where books can be bought. I might be signing books/dropping off stickers at the following local stores, but details are pending everywhere but The Children’s Bookstore, which has agreed to ship signed copies! Yay!

Signed Copies

The Children’s Bookstore, 4717 Harford Road in Lauraville (Baltimore, MD): preorder via this direct link for pickup or delivery. Write in the order comments who you want it signed for!

National Bookstores

Amazon: I am using an affiliate link to track sales here; your preorder will be AUTOMATICALLY counted with no need to send a receipt, but you still should so you can get the printable card about the donation I include in my auto response!

Indiebound

Barnes and Noble

Workman Publishing

Local Bookstores

The Ivy Bookshop, 5928 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD: preorder at this direct link for pickup or delivery

Greedy Reads, 1744 Aliceanna Street in Fells Point: preorder at this direct link for pickup or delivery

Greedy Reads, 320 West 29th Street in Remington: preorder at this direct link for pickup or delivery

Charm City Books, 782 Washington Blvd in Pigtown: preorder at this direct link for pickup or delivery (local delivery is free!)

I will also donate a book if you request that your local library purchase a copy and let me know.

More details about the story behind this campaign here!

Praise for “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby“

“My new favorite bedtime read, EVERYBODY’S SLEEPY BUT THE BABY has it all: pleasant rhyme and rhythm, cute illustrations, a plot every parent can relate to, and most important at bedtime, brevity! I smiled the whole way through.”
Amanda Rawson Hill, author of “You’ll Find Me”

“With the gentle, rhythmic cadence of classics like Goodnight Moon and fun art featuring frazzled parents, Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby is perfect for the modern (sleepy) parent to lull their little one at bedtime.”
June Smalls, author of She Leads: The Elephant Matriarch

“It’s a scene familiar to any exhausted parent: everyone is drowsy, sleepy, ready to hit the hay—except the baby, who is wide awake! As the parents, the dog, and even the toys wind down for the night, the baby wants to play, scrub-a-dub, and coo. Gold’s gentle, rhythmic text and Dafflon’s bright and lively illustrations combine for a perfect bedtime read for sleepy parents and (eventually) sleepy babies. Bonus: it’s just the right length for that ‘one last bedtime story’ that sets the mood for sleep. I am looking forward to adding it to my go-to baby shower gift list.”
Kathy MacMillan, children’s librarian and author of Nita’s First Signs and Nita’s Day

baby shower book gift ideas

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Halloween Book Cover Reveal on Tara Lazar’s Blog: “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat”

by Tracy C. Gold

I am so excited that the cover for my book, “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat” is finally live! Illustrator Nancy Leschnikoff and the team at Sourcebooks Kids did such beautiful work on this book!

Here is a little video with the cover at the end that my agent, Carrie Pestritto, helped me put together!

To read about how I got the idea for this book, and enter to win a virtual call from amazing author Tara Lazar, head over to her blog, where the cover for this Halloween book was first revealed on April 8!

I am doing a preorder campaign for this book–if you preorder it, I will send you free stickers! I have details about that here. It comes out from Sourcebooks on August 1, 2021, with plenty of time before Halloween.

Content Marketing

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Read New Kid Lit and Win with the “12 Months of Books Challenge”

by Tracy C. Gold

If you’re looking for some NEW books to read to or give to your kids, my friend Tamara Girardi has built an amazing list of books coming out in 2021! She has organized them by month, so you can preorder books for a kid in your life and know that they’ll have books every month of 2021 (yes, I am three months late in posting this, but I hope Tamara will do this for 2022 as well!).

What’s the cookie? If you submit each book you preorder to Tamara’s Google Form, she will enter you in a drawing for a $100 gift card.

The books range from picture books up to young adult, and they are, at a glance, from very diverse creators, featuring diverse characters.

Of course, as I know well, the original month of a book’s publication isn’t always the month it will come out, so why not order two per month to be safe? (;

Picture books

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New Release Date for “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby”

by Tracy C. Gold

Now releasing March 16, Everyone's Sleepy but the Baby

Well, publishing my debut in a pandemic has caught up to me. Due to shipping delays, “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” will now be releasing on….record scratch…April 13th, not March 16th, and not the original date of March 2nd.

The GOOD NEWS is that I have more time to reach my goal of donating a few hundred books to babies in need via ShareBaby! (I’m at 140 right now, spread the word and help me get to 300??)

If you ordered this book for a baby shower or any reason that makes it a pain that it’s delayed, please let me know! I will likely get my author copies closer to the original date and might be able to help you out.

Details about preordering (and signed copies via The Children’s Bookstore!) here: https://tracycgold.com/preorders/.

baby shower book gift ideas

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5 Tips for a Bring a Book, Not a Card Baby Shower

by Tracy C. Gold

When I was pregnant, I went to a friend’s baby shower, and she asked guests to bring a book instead of a card. At first, I was hesitant—weren’t books more expensive than a card? But then I found the wealth of baby books available for about the same price as a card (under $10, and in some cases under $5 ), and I knew I had to do this for my own baby shower, too! After all, it was so much better to have lots of books we’d use for years than a giant pile of cards we’d eventually throw out.

Now that my daughter is almost three, I am so glad I did this! We have so many books that are signed by friends and relatives. Every time we read them, we think of that person. This is something we will treasure for years to come!

So here are my 5 tips to have a great “bring a book, not a card” baby shower.

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15 of the Best Baby Shower Gift Books for Under $10

by Tracy C. Gold

I did a “Bring a Book, Not a Card” baby shower, and it was absolutely wonderful! Every time we read one of the books my friends and/or family members signed, we think of them with love.

Of course, the trick to doing this without coming off as greedy to your family and friends is to find a bunch of inexpensive books to put on your registry! The good news is there is a wealth of amazing baby shower gift books to include.

The following list was compiled on 2/10/21, and it is possible that the prices of these books have changed since then. But at the time of this post, they’re under $10! These are all affiliate links. I will likely spend my commission on buying more books!

“Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby”: shameless plug, I have to start with the book I wrote as an exhausted new mom!

“Nita’s Day”: A great way to learn sign language with your baby!

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baby shower book gift ideas

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Writing a Brilliant First Page: Mini Virtual Class via JHU Odyssey

by Tracy C. Gold

Looking to join a community of writers and get some feedback on your work? Join “Writing a Brilliant First Page,” my monthlong virtual course with the Johns Hopkins University Odyssey program. This is a “lifelong learning” class that is open to anyone, anywhere. This is a LIVE, highly interactive course that will be limited to 20 students. I will, however, record each class, so if you have to miss one, it’s no big deal.

The last class I taught with JHU Odyssey filled up, so register before all the spots are gone!

More details and registration information at this link!

Dates:	April 6-27, 2021
Meets:	Tu from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EST, 4 sessions
Hours:	6.00
Location:	Online: Zoom
Instructor:	Tracy C. Gold (me!)
Fee:	$105.00

“The first page of your novel, story, or memoir is key to capturing readers’ attention. In this class, students will analyze excellent first pages from published works of various genres and apply what they learn to their own work. Each student will have their first page critiqued by the class.”

Writing

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Free Virtual Event: The Basics of Writing Picture Books

by Tracy C. Gold

Always wanted to write a picture book, but not sure where to start? Or maybe you’ve written a few and don’t know if they’re any good, or what to do with them now that you’ve written them.

Join me for a free class on “The Basics of Writing Picture Books” via the Orange County Library System on Tuesday March 9 at 6:30 to 7:30 pm EST. You don’t need to have a library card there to attend. Anyone can register at this link!

We’ll cover picture book writing basics, trends in the current picture book market, and what to do after you’ve written a book. Plus, we’ll do a fun creative writing exercise! Hope to virtually see you there!

Picture books

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Print-at-Home Coloring Pages for “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby”

by Tracy C. Gold

Oh my goodness, the art for “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” is so darn cute, and now your kids can color some pages in themselves at home! (I mean, adults can too. It’s a super zen activity!) Adèle Dafflon‘s illustrations are so fun and baby-friendly, I’m thrilled to have them in this format!

To get the full-size pages to print at home, simply sign up for my email newsletter! I promise I don’t email too often; only when I have fun giveaways or big news! You’ll get a link to download the pages in a thank you email from me.

Meanwhile, here’s a sneak peak!

Thanks to Kapowza for the design help!

Since “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” is a great book for new babies and baby shower gifts, and babies don’t do much coloring, one fun way to use these coloring pages would be for an older sibling of the baby who is receiving this book.

Remember, I am donating a book to ShareBaby for every book that’s preordered before March 2! Simply email your receipt to tcgpreorders@gmail.com. More details here.

I will also donate a book if you request that your local library purchase a copy and let me know.

baby shower book gift ideas

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Literary Agent Query Template and Favorite Query Writing Resources

by Tracy C. Gold

I sent hundreds of queries over the years of my search for a literary agent, and I had a darn good request rate (about 40%, on some projects!). I also read thousands of queries as a literary agent intern. While I didn’t end up actually getting my agent from cold querying (full story here!), I’m a pretty dab hand at writing query letters and helping other writers improve their letters.

So, here is my favorite format for query letters. Caveat: there is no one right way to write a query to a literary agent. You have to do what makes your book sound amazing. This is just what worked for me, and what I loved when I was going through the slush pile as an intern.

I’ve also included a whole bunch of resources, including links to successful query letters, at the end of this post.

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Publishing

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