My cookbook is finally available for pre-order...

And here is the answer to all of the questions you could possibly have.

This newsletter is for ALL subscribers! Everyone’s support is so appreciated, and I hope you enjoy. But, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the newsletter.

If you’re a paid subscriber, please leave your Instagram handle in the comments (if you haven’t already) so that I can add you to my “close friends” section of Instagram. I’m taking a break from posting content on my feed, but will post random Shit on my stories and even some of that I want to be able to control who sees it.

If you can’t swing a paid subscription, no worries! Here are some other ways to show support: Buy Mami a burger, send her a Starbucks gift card (grande hot mocha with whip) or nail polish at the Dollar Tree:

Mami Maisonet
5960 S Land Park #222
Sacramento, CA 95822

---

Diasporican is currently #1 in two niche categories on Amazon: California cooking and Caribbean!

While the book isn’t here yet, official release date is October 18, 2022…it’s finally available for pre-order. Something some of y’all have been asking me for since I got my book deal in August 2020!!!!!!!!!

It’s available for pre-order wherever books are sold. All of the places a lot of you have expressed you want to avoid: Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Walmart, Target. But, it’s also available to pre-order on some smaller and local bookstore websites like Omnivore Books!

Why is it important to pre-order?

I wanted to talk about how important pre-orders are because…well…NO ONE TELLS YOU (or us!) this! “For an author, pre-orders can alert retailers and consumers that they should pay attention to your book. From the bookseller perspective, the pre-order quantity is a good early indicator of a book's success, and can lead to retailers increasing their initial orders.” There’s been a lot of questions asking me if my book is for sale in such and such bookstores and the truth is, I have no idea! But, pre-ordering and calling your local bookstores is a good way to make it happen! The sellers see it as desirable and deem you worthy enough to carry. It also helps the publisher decide if they’re going a second round with you in a second edition. If you’re thinking “I’ll just wait until it gets closer to the actual release date which is far away,” please reconsider pre-ordering now. If you have the means!

Will my bookstore carry it?

If you want to know if your local bookstore is taking pre-orders, please call them and ask. I have a highlight on my Instagram profile of some of the places around the world some of y’all have already reached out to and pre-ordered the book from. Otherwise, I have absolutely no idea! I don’t have any control over who carries the book. That belongs to the power of the consumer.

“Does it matter where we order it from?”

I don’t think so. Although authors do get royalties, it’s a very small percentage. Most of the money comes from the entire deal, which is disbursed in increments over the course of two years. You can ask for more money in your advance, which I did, but you also pay more taxes on that. As you know $16K of my advance went to IRS in one lump sum (BC they say you have to. Or, you can pay $4k quarterly, but the first payment was due at the same time I paid the lump sum, so I would have had to drop $20K in one go to IRS and then come up with another $4k three months later), the rest went to the stylist and my photographer.

I’m in debt and still owe money to members of my team. I’m so sorry, y’all.

Will you have signed copies for sale?

Yes! I already have several in-person book signings and author talks scheduled. Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Omnivore Books will definitely have signed copies available, which is their specialty. That is all I know as of right now. See above statement, “I’m in debt and still owe them money.” I’m the one that has to pay for the book tour; travel and lodging. Therefore, the appearances will be minimal. Definitely NYC. Possibly Portland, Oregon and Chicago. I don’t really have plans to go anywhere else.

Does your new book include some of the recipes from your tiny cookbooklet?

Yes! Mostly nine out of the ten recipes have been updated because that booklet was published in 2015.

What does the name of your book mean and how is it pronounced?

Some people say, DIE-ASS-PORE-AH. Some people say, DEE-AH-SPORA. The dispersion of any people from their original homeland. I live in the land of “ni de aqui, ni de alla.” When you’re apart of the bi-cultural paradox, you have your foot in two worlds and neither seem to claim you until it’s beneficial to them. Puerto Ricans de la Isla don’t consider me Puerto Rican. And maybe I’m not. But, I’m definitely a Diasporican; A Puerto Rican belonging to the diaspora.

Why are you doing signings in San Francisco and not Sacramento?

Sacramento is my hometown, I won’t ever be able to get away from that. But, I’ve only officially been back in Sac for two years! And I still go back and forth from the residence in San Francisco and Sac. I left Sac when I was 23/24. I have spent the last 15 years of my life in the Bay Area. I started in San Francisco on the corner of 15th and Valencia and ended in Alameda on the corner of Clinton and Union. It’s the place that nurtured my art. It’s the place that gave me my start. I don't know why I’m rhyming now. It’s the place where I met my husband. It’s the place where I got married. All of the fundamental elements of where I am right now…in this moment…is attributed to my life in the Bay Area.

I love the title! How long did it take for you to decide on it?

I had like two other titles I was hanging on to for years and years. And then I finally got my book deal and the first phone meeting I had with the Lorena Jones of Ten Speed I just blurted out, “Diasporican.” Although I had used that word plenty of times before… I had never ever thought of naming the book that before. Total spur of the moment.

If you want to know more about upcoming events, make sure to subscribe to the newsletter.

The cover

This was the day we took the photo of the cover. We made Mami stand patiently still while we kept stacking stuffed arepas (some people call them domplines), painting drips and organizing tentacles into and over her cramping arthritic hands. The arepas are stuffed with a pulpo and camaron salad. I just left the tentacles super wild and rampant.

A lot of the stylized shots, like this one, weren’t planned ahead. Our Artistic Director wasn’t even there that day, which meant we were left to our kooky devices. We were just in the moment and that’s the way me and Dan work for the most part. Although the theme of the book was mostly “colorful,” I didn’t let that keep me in a box. We went super moody on some of the shots because there were some days were it was raining outside and I was moody. Mami just happened to be wearing a dark, velvet top that day with my grandma’s Puerto Rican bandera tablet bracelet. And I said, “stack em!”

It was the last shot of the day. The team worked really hard and long hours. Sometimes I would show up later than them, after they’ve set up an entire shot, and I’d say, “I don’t like it. Chuck the whole idea.” And not gonna lie…tempers did flare once or twice. I feel like no one talks about that side of things. Especially the money!!!

We had two other shots that were a possibility for the cover, but as soon as we printed this shot out…Dan and I KNEW we had a fucking winner. We just hoped the publisher agreed with us.

Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered, which you can do EVERYWHERE books are sold online.

Y’all, give me strength to tolerate the flood of questions that will come at me and will be the same set of ten questions that I have already answered over and over.

New headshots taken by Gabriela Hasbun. Inside of Parada 22 in the Upper Haight.