Dear Readers,

In April, I had the pleasure of meeting Tori Spelling and her husband Dean McDermott at a small press conference at the Oxygen network.  Jennifer Kavanaugh, the VP of Digital for the network (and a woman to watch - BRILLIANT!) had invited me to host an episode Tori and Dean's Home Sweet Hollywood live on Live.Oxygen.com last spring and I was delighted on so many levels. First, I think Tori is amazing. She's a great mom, wife and an incredible businesswoman. She's also extraordinarily appreciative of the people in her life, including her kids' aunts and uncles.

At the press conference, I asked Tori about "The Guncles," aka Scout Masterson and Bill Horn, the committed couple who were then still waiting the arrival of their beautiful daughter, Simone.  Well, Tori is so appreciative of the love those guncles give her kids that just the mention of them brought Tori to tears.  I understand why. Scout and Bill are incredibly loving guys who would do anything for Liam and Stella, Tori's kids. I interviewed The Guncles for SavvyAuntie soon after speaking with Tori. They are truly wonderful uncles and now finally, dads.

Through Twitter, the Guncles and Tori and I stay in touch. I asked Tori if she'd consider a blurb for my book because she is the poster-mom for moms who value the aunts and uncles and anyone who loves a child-not-their-own. Tori was too happy to say yes. She's so sweet and generous and I am so proud.

Today I received Tori's blurb. And now it's my turn to get teary:

I honestly don't know what I would do without the aunties, uncles and of course The Guncles in my kids' lives. Melanie's book is invaluable to me as a mom - and as a Savvy Auntie and godmommy myself - because I understand what a gift it is for a child to be loved by so many adoring grownups. On behalf of the kids and moms, thank you, Savvy Auntie!  We love you!

Thank you, Tori. I love you too!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

Dear Readers,

As an auntrepreneur, there are a number of challenges one  faces every day. As someone trying to build a little empire in the Empire State, those challenges are pushed to the extreme. A close friend recently called me a 'machine' because I just don't stop moving forward.

The honest truth is, I'm afraid to stop.

When asked my 'secret' for building my business so quickly, I admit that I believed that once I started this journey, if I looked back, my idea would turn into a statue of salt and I'd be frozen, not able to move forward. As an auntrepreneur, looking back can be just as ineffective as standing still. I'm hard on myself. If I don't accomplish something bigger every day, I feel like I've stood still.

But once in a while, I do give myself a moment to smell the roses. I do believe it's important to celebrate my accomplishments - if anything so I can measure up to my next challenge. But I also know that it's important to celebrate my accomplishments because I've been sharing this journey with you - moreso you've been here to share this journey with me and I owe it to you to stop and acknowledge what we've done together.

I apologize that is has taken me a couple of weeks to share the incredible news that "Savvy Auntie" the book is now available for pre-order on Amazon, BN.com, Borders.com and a slew of online retailers list here: http://bit.ly/cXxgp4

Thankfully, so many of you spotted the pre-order page before I did - and Facebook shared it, Tweeted it, blogged about and incredibly, bought it!

You've been purchasing the book!

My goal is to sell 5,000 books before the March 22nd publish date. My goal is that Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Loves Kids becomes a New York Times Best Seller (Miscellaneous, Advice and How To). My goal is that this book is purchased by every aunt and godmother for herself and by every parent and parent-to-be for their sister or close friend. My goal is that this book does for women who don't have kids what Helen Gurley Brown's Sex and the Single Girl did for women who didn't have husbands 50 years ago - almost to the day.

I need to learn to take time to celebrate the accomplishments because they are not my own. They are all of ours. So I thank you for your tremendous support. Please continue to show your pride-  as I am learning to do - by sharing this book. It honestly means the world to me.

Thank you.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

PS - The Savvy Auntie Facebook Fan Page has swelled to over 15, 000 Fans. Please join me there too.

On Friday, October 30, 2009, I met Bob Miller, the then publisher of the now defunct Harper Studio – along with Debbie Stier, SVP, Director of Digital Marketing and Editor-at-Large for HarperCollins, to talk about ‘the book.’ I refer to it as ‘the book’ because when I met Debbie the week before, she simply asked – as I took a bite of my sandwich – “So, do you have a book?”

We begin to explore the book cover design for The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life.

Dear Readers,

It is with regret that I share that HarperCollins Publishing has decided to close Harper Studio, the current imprint (publishing department within HarperCollins) for our book: The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life. While our book will be moved to a yet-to-be-named imprint within HarperCollins, I am disappointed that despite the great success and potential of Harper Studio, it has reached its final days.

On Friday, I took a nice long walk with Debbie Stier, the Associate Publisher at Harper Studio and the savvy woman who brought me to her young imprint, so she could tell me the news in person.  We both believe that the best is yet to come for both Debbie and The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life .

Debbie believes in us and I believe in Debbie.

"Just as the sun begins to crack through our winter doldrums, our book will be out," said Debbie. And yes....I can hear the birds chirping now!

I found the memo that was sent to HarperCollins staffers on Friday which explains the closing of Harper Studio more formally.

HarperStudio to Close: HarperCollins' Memo

XOXO,

Auntie Melanie

Dear Readers,

As you may know, I have a book contract with HarperCollins experimental imprint, Harper Studio. I signed the deal over the Holiday season and began writing The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life soon after.

You may have heard the news today that the publisher of the imprint, Bob Miller, has left HarperCollins and Harper Studio. My book is still in contract and there is no doubt that it will be published as scheduled.

The news however gives me the opportunity to talk about Debbie Stier, SVP and Associate Publisher at Harper Studio. Debbie and I met on Twitter, having heard about each other from mutual social media industry friends. I think we bonded over the amazing kids from Tanzania on Twitter. Within days of our first tweet, I was having lunch in Debbie's midtown office and after about an hour, we decided on our book.

It's our book indeed. Debbie has been mentoring me, guiding me and inspiring me since the day we met. While I am relatively new to the publishing industry, I am confident that I have partnered with the best possible publisher for my brand and more importantly for my audience - you dear readers.

The publishing industry -- like many industries housed in spectacular buildings stacked next to each other row by row in New York City -- is very set in its ways. And like most industries, publishers have been challenged by fast moving digital media technologies. And many folks who were just about born into the publishing industry have to ramp up quickly to these new technologies and work with the significant changes they bring about. And for many, my guess is that those changes are hard. After all, after years of working in publishing, there are few major surprises. The new media age is changing the publishing industry forever. It's not just a surprise; for many its a shocking shift.

I am confident that Debbie Stier is - if not the most - certainly one of the most capable of not only coping with the shifts in strategy, but actually being on the front lines of what those new strategies should be. I have no doubt that today it takes someone with a true entrepreneurial heart to take full advantage of new digital landscape - and Debbie is that person.

Debbie is present and presents at digital and social media events and conferences all over the country. She's highly active in social media. She consumes new technology like most New Yorkers drink coffee. She's inspired by movers and shakers. She's motivated by motivated people. She's actually passionate about the changes in the industry. Harper Studio may stay the same. It may ride the new waves as they come about. It will always be modernizing, taking risks and being what it was designed to be: an experiment in new publishing.

No one is sure what the future holds for Harper Studio right now. But I have no doubt that Debbie is the future of publishing.

Dear readers, our book is in the best hands in publishing. But who else would I dare share you with?

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie