Books are NOT fruitcake

 

 

Something I stopped doing a LONG time ago was gifting my books.

Even if the intention was good, even if there was an interest, more often than not, it felt forced and people didn’t take it for what it was, i.e. a gift, and much less as a part of who I am.

I stopped gifting them in this way because my books are not fruit cake. Think of the times you’ve seen someone receive fruit cake as a gift. Quite often it’s met with lukewarm or lackluster reactions with a thank you that barely makes it past the giftee’s lips. Don’t get me wrong, I know some people who LOVE fruit cake. But for the most part, a LOT of people don’t care for it and don’t care about it either, quite often gifting it to someone else. 

 

I’d gifted my book a couple of times and more than once, I got that type of reaction. Ho-hum would have had more energy than some reactions I saw. And that’s fine, no one owes you any reaction when receiving something they don’t want. Besides, something else I noticed is that quite often when I would gift any of my books, even when they were well received, people didn’t read the book. 

 

Somehow, me gifting the books robbed them of some of their magic. 

 

It was an odd lesson to learn, though one that taught me to treat my books with more love and consideration. A lot of love and effort have been put into each book, so it’s up to me to lead by example and treat them with respect. 

 

Then a peculiar thing happened. One Christmas someone asked me for copies of my books to gift to their dad. Then someone asked me for a copy for their nephew. Then someone asked me for one for their kid. They asked where they should buy, if I could sign them, and you could tell they cared about the books, because they were gifts they were making, not something that came unsolicited. 

 

Although this doesn’t happen every year, it does happen from time to time and quite often people are happy to pay for the books or buy them from local bookstores in Puerto Rico, even if it’s more expensive than some cheaper online alternatives. Because they are gifts and the more love involved in the gift, the more is received. I truly believe that. 

 

I’ve also been asked for free copies by people who aren’t readers. You know those people who go to any type of event just to get freebies they merely hoard? Those types of people just want the thing. It doesn’t matter what it is. And that’s even worse than treating books like fruit cake, which is why I have kindly declined their request. Some people are fine with it, others get upset and have even shared some choice words about my ego, self-worth, and other things, which merely confirms that not gifting my book in such a manner is the right call. 

 

So next time someone asks for a freebie, tell them you’re out of copies, or be honest and say you don’t gift copies just because. If they scoff, you saved a copy from becoming a glorified paperweight. If they apologize, they will see that your books matter and maybe they will change their tune. Either way, it’s your book. It’s a literary baby that you nurtured from an idea until it was brought to reality. 

 

It is not fruitcake. So treat it thusly.

 

Peace, love, and maki rolls. 

 

JD

 

Ps.: No fruit cakes or their feelings were harmed in the writing of this post