Barbaro Updates: 1011

updates are now here.

Update 6228: A lighter schedule of racing this weekend as we get to within two weeks of the Kentucky Derby: Twinspires.com Weekend Stakes: Where To Watch.

I am coming to the end of this swing of my book signing tour. I will be at Sam Houston Race Park tonight, and then heading back to Pennsylvania for a couple of days. I am getting light on books, so I am experimenting with an “Amazon Special.” For each book sold on amazon this weekend, I will contribute $5 to LOPE, the organization here in Texas that helps with retired race horses and the beneficiary of my book signing tonight at the track. Anyone in Texas, hopefully this is a cool way to support a great organization!

I will plan similar weekend events in the future, starting with the Kentucky Derby weekend and supporting Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue.

Update 6227: Review of the book by about.com. This is the same people as the first review, but in a different format.

Update 6226: First review of the book, from Horse-Races.Net.

Update 6225: Lots of racing action for this weekend, which includes the final two key preps for the Kentucky Derby. Keeneland hosts the Bluegrass Stakes, and Oaklawn Park hosts the Arkansas Derby: Twinspires.com Weekend Stakes: Where To Watch.

Update 6224: Phew, it’s time to do an update on the book! I am now in Houston, Texas, chilling out for a few days ahead of a few book events next week. It will be good to get a couple of days of downtime.

So far I have had 10 book signings, starting in PA and as far west as Oklahoma, and as far south as Florida. The reception for the book has been very promising; 390 books have been sold through the book signings so far. About 230 books have also been sold through amazon.com. People can order the book, via amazon.com anywhere in the world, other than Canada, which just seems a bit bizarre to me.

While I don’t have the details in front of me, I am guessing I have sold about 150 books directly, and the book is also available in more than 20 retail outlets. I do not have the specific numbers from sales from those outlets, but would guess at about 100 books total.

So about a month into launching the book sales are about 800 in total, which I think is a decent start. I am now waiting for reviews of the book to be published, hoping that will help stimulate sales. And of course the closer we get to the Triple Crown, I am hoping that that helps ramp up interest in the book with some potential media coverage and some advertising on my part.

It’s all very exciting, but a little nerve wracking too!

Update 6223: Lots of graded stakes action this weekend, with key races from Keeneland, Aqueduct, Santa Anita, Oaklawn and Hawthorne. Three races are cosidered Kentucky Derby preps, although we have lost a couple of key contenders: Twinspires.com Weekend Stakes: Where To Watch.

I’ll be at Keeneland on Saturday, and Oaklawn Park on Sunday, signing books.

Update 6222: It’s Gulstream Park’s marquee weekend of racing which includes a key Derby prep race in the Florida Derby: Twinspires.com Weekend Stakes: Where To Watch.

Update 6221: I am now in New Orleans, in preparation for today’s book signing at the Fair Grounds. It will be interesting to see how my first book signing at a racetrack goes!

The Fair Grounds hosts its biggest day of racing today of the meet, headlined by the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. Earlier in our day Dubai hosts its marquee event, the Dubai World Cup, which helps make this a very interesting weekend of racing: Twinspires.com Weekend Stakes: Where To Watch.

Update 6220: The first two book signings, on the road, have been a great success. At Aiken we had a great crowd and sold about fifty books. I also now have the book available in two stores in Aiken and one in Camden, South Carolina. At the book signing at Cumming, in Georgia we also sold about the same amount of books and enjoyed hanging out with some of the rescue horses at Save The Horses. For the first three book signings combined we have now raised more than $1,000 for equine related charities. Very cool!

The book has been getting some great press too, both with the Daily Racing Form (New Barbaro book details the colt’s legacy
) and At The Races with Steve Byk.

And here is a very cool picture.

Posted by Alex at 12:53 PM | Comments (513)