Timely and increasing demand following stress of Covid-19 shutdown and furthered by the anxiety of the presidential election: Creativity and self-help books, particularly interactive workbooks, are more popular now than ever before, evidenced by they're being one of the only genres to see substantive growth during the Covid-19 crisis, with a 39 percent uptick in sales (Library Journal, March 30, 2020). This book will release at the end of a traumatic year and during the stress of election season—a peak time for a book encouraging art therapy and artistic releases that can be done at home.

New year and holiday gift book hooks: With a year's worth (52 weeks) of creative prompts, this book is perfectly timed to release just before a new year begins and to set readers up for a full year of personal, creative growth. It is also the ideal holiday gift book for a family member or friend who loves making art, is looking for an entry point into doing so, or simply needs support in alleviating stress though a healthy, sustainable manner.

Proven success of similar titles, but with a unique approach: Even before the surge in popularity of creativity workbooks tied to Covid-19, the genre had proven long-lasting success, particularly when tied to a day by day or week by week schedule as this book has, as shown by titles like This Year I Will...: A 52-Week Guided Journal to Achieve Your Goals (Althea Press, 2019, 14,500 RTD) and 365 Days of Art: A Creative Exercise for Every Day of the Year (Chronicle Press, 2017, 17,000 RTD). This book is a welcome addition to the genre, set apart by its ability to engage readers in several mediums—creative writing, dance, drawing, and multimedia—rather than just one mode of creative expression.

Author has experience capturing media attention: Author is a motivational speaker, performer, and artist who has garnered national attention for her compelling story; her Ted Talks have clocked nearly 20k views and a video of her story on the Great Comebacks YouTube channel has over 20k views. Author has been featured on NBC's Today Show, CBS, ABC, and MSNBC, and has written for the Washington Post, Glamour, Seventeen magazine, the Huffington Post, and has been covered in the Daily Mail. She will leverage her television, online, and print connections to promote the book.

Gallery show tied into promotion: Author is an accomplished artist whose work has been featured in a variety of magazines, galleries, and exhibits across the country. She will plan and execute a gallery show tied to the release of the book to garner media attention and promote sales.

More about the book:

Creativity and Gratitude has creative prompts; narrative, including the author's story; and four-color art from the author throughout. Its package can be compared to that of A Zero Waste Life In 30 Days (Apollo; April 2020)—small trim and pb for portability and user-friendliness. With a November release, the 52 creative prompts can be used 1 a week for the new year, but they are not in calendar format, so can also be initiated at any time.

Exercises are evenly divided into Hope, Gratitude, Creativity, and Storytelling chapters. There is also an intro and conclusion, sidebars, and other text to engage throughout. Users can write in the book or in a journal to respond to stirring text such as "Check here if _____ " or when writing gratitude lists.

A June 2020 event run by the author was hosted over Zoom by Hamden Public Library in Hamden, CT.