HOW TO WINTER - out October 22nd and 24th

My first book is available to order now!

Hello hello my dear Wintry Mixers!

Fall is falling, winter is coming, and here is a special edition of this newsletter dedicated to the fact that my book, HOW TO WINTER, will be published next week! It will be out on October 22 in the US and October 24 in the UK and in Dutch.

I started this newsletter when I started writing this book - as a way to fortify myself with connection and the instant gratification of regularly putting words out into the world amidst this long-haul writing project; as a place to document my journey, literal and figurative, of researching and writing this book; to experiment with challenges and strategies that you can use, wherever you live, to make winter more wonderful, today. And also because I can’t link to New Yorker cartoons and Tiktok videos and cozy recipes in a book.

You all have been my first and truest readers, and the people (I hope) will be most excited to read How to Winter. Thank you for that. With that in mind, I wanted to do something special, just for you:

Any Wintry Mix subscriber who pre-orders my book can enter a giveaway to win a curated package of my Favorite Winter Things. To enter:

• Pre-order How to Winter! You have until Monday for this in the US and until Wednesday in the UK and can order from wherever you choose. Both the US and the UK websites have several good options for pre-ordering. (If you’ve already pre-ordered, you can enter!). Pre-ordering the ebook or audio version of the book also counts.

• Comment on this post that you’ve pre-ordered OR reply to this email OR e-mail me at kari@karileibowitz.com letting me know you’ve pre-ordered (you can forward me your order confirmation but the honor system is fine here; I trust you) by Friday, October 25th.

• You must have a mailing address in the US or the UK to be eligible (sorry to those in other regions).

I will select 3 US winners and 1 UK winner. What will be in the package? It’s a mystery, even to me right now, but I promise it will be good and will contain only my very favorite winter things that I use and love myself!

Wintry Mix will be back with your regularly scheduled winter tips, tricks, and experiments starting in a few weeks. If you’re already gearing up for the clock change, now is a good time to revisit old posts on embracing the end of daylight saving time: Hello darkness, my old friend and Welcoming winter.

That’s the important part of this post, but if you want to read a little bit more behind-the-scenes info on How to Winter and the publishing process, read on!

How to Winter semi-frequently asked questions:

A few answers to questions that are not necessarily the most frequently asked but are the questions I have very good answers to: 

Why does it matter whether I pre-order the book or order it later? A little insider knowledge from the publishing industry: pre-orders are extremely valuable to the life of a book: they signal interest both to the publisher and also to bookstores, who will be more likely to stock the book if there are lots of pre-orders, which then makes it easier for people to buy the book. So, if you know you are going to order the book anyway, pre-ordering it is extra helpful and extra supportive; pre-orders can also help influence the chance that How to Winter gets on some of the fancy Lists, but no one is thinking about that right now (I'm definitely not thinking about that and my husband definitely isn't addicted to checking the Amazon sales rank of the book). 

Do people like the book? Some people do! Carol Dweck said that How to Winter "offers essential strategies for turning life’s challenges into opportunities for growth." Daniel Pink called it "a stunning debut from a major new thinker." And Kelly McGonigal said it's "a book that will help you find magic and meaning in everyday life and one you'll want to give to the people you love." It was also mentioned in the SF Chronicle's Fall Books Roundup, is an October must-read from the Next Big Idea Book Club, and is an Editor's Choice for October nonfiction on Amazon.  

My dog, Zeus, also read an advanced copy and gave it 5/5 woofs.

Who is reading the audiobook? I am! So if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “wow, I’d love to hear Kari speak to me about winter for 8 hours and 24 minutes,” now is your chance!

How else can I support How to Winter? Omg, thank you so much for asking! There are lots of ways you can support the book besides (or in addition to!) purchasing. They include:

• Reviewing the book on Amazon or Goodreads (there is currently a Goodreads giveaway happening!) 

• Posting about it on social media

• Recommending the book to a friend or forwarding them this newsletter! 

• Requesting the book at your local library or bookstore to encourage them to stock it 

• Reposting this on substack!

Where else can I read about How to Winter? We're expecting lots of media around the book over the next few months - stay tuned for original articles from me in The Washington Post and Time, as well as articles featuring the book in outlets including NatGeo, Real Simple Magazine, and the Guardian! 

Will the book be published in any other languages? It takes most places a little while to get the book translated and published - the Netherlands is ahead of the game, but next year the book will also be out in Romanian, Spanish, German, Russian, Polish, Slovakian, Lithuanian, and a Large Print edition! 

Thanks for being on this journey with me - your readership, comments, and responses to Wintry Mix have given me ideas and inspiration for How to Winter; I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world and to hear what you think!

Notes from the slush pile:

• After this video went viral on Tiktok about embracing winter darkness, my UK publishing team sent the creator, Mike Cactus, a copy of How to Winter. Here’s his reaction to starting the book.

• Another book on embracing winter is out this week: Cecilia Blomdahl’s Life on Svalbard combines her reflections and experiences living on Svalbard (an island close to the North Pole) with her stunning photographs. She was kind enough to send me a copy and it’s just gorgeous: if you want to really understand how the Polar Night is a time of beautiful light and magic - not full darkness - this is the book I recommend.

• A take that is self-serving yet I also fully believe: stocking up on books counts as preparing for winter.