How to (Successfully) Launch Your New Book Without Books

There was a time in my professional life when I would have thought a book party with no books was a tragedy. I mean, seriously. A book party with no books?

One of the things I learned from living on St. John, however, is that if you just go with it, sometimes things work out better than you ever could have imagined. That goes for life and parties.

The “It’s Almost a Book!” Book Party

The books not being ready in time for the book launch wasn’t the only problem. (Or, “challenge,” as we used to say in the PR business.) The party venue got sold. There were torrential, mud-creating downpours for a week. (Outdoor event, of course.) The caterer’s car caught on fire. With her in it. (She’s OK. The car, not so much.) And when the rain finally stopped, it was steamy and hot. (I swear I tried to do something with my hair.)

Spoiler alert: It all turned out fine anyway.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out to the “It’s Almost a Book!” book party earlier this month at Coral Bay Caribbean Oasis (now Johnny Lime). It was not only a great celebration but also a fun reunion of some of my favorite Coral Bay people, all of them hurricane survivors who—five years after hurricanes Irma and Maria—are finally starting to thrive.

One success story: My good friend and chef Erin Pryor Durrell has just launched her new business, Coral Bay Catering. She and her team did an incredible job with the food at the party. (A taco bar? Yes, please!) Check them out for all your St. John catering needs, including the delicious weekly vegetarian offerings at St. John Veg Heads.

Special thanks to Rich Greengold for the music, Celia Kalousek of CEKA Ventures for planning and promotion, St. John artists Bryan McKinney and Billie Denise Wright for work that will be featured in the book, and William Stelzer for photographs and cover design.

NOT ON ANY MAP On Sale January 2023

NOT ON ANY MAP: One Virgin Island, Two Catastrophic Hurricanes, and the True Meaning of Paradise is a reported memoir—part love letter, part elegy, part meditation on paradise. The book tells my story of moving to St. John in mid-life, learning to sail in Coral Bay, and sailing across the Atlantic in a 30-foot boat—an adventure that changed the course of my life—then returning a decade later after two back-to-back, Category 5 hurricanes destroyed the island.

NOT ON ANY MAP will be available January 2023 wherever books are sold. Papaya Cafe & Bookstore St. John is taking pre-orders now. Proceeds from books sold at Connections East in Coral Bay (available after publication) will benefit the Kids and the Sea (KATS) all-volunteer sailing program on St. John.

For more information or to get notified when the book goes on sale, visit margiesmithholt.com.

I Coral Bay.