Did you feel that? The vibration, the way everything’s sorta jiggling around the edges? At first I thought I was having some kind of drug flashback (Hi Mom), but then I realized what’s behind it: Anticipation. Huge, ridiculous, nearly unbearable anticipation.*

Three weeks from today Parents Need to Eat Too, the cookbook that represents the last 2+ years of my life, finally goes on sale. Finished copies arrived last week, and are now making their way across the country. To bide us over until then, I’ve got a little present for you.

Many of you have been reading along since before I ever thought of writing a book. Some, I imagine, pre-date Harry (again, Hi Mom). But regardless of when you got here, I’m glad you did. Thrilled. Tickled pink. And if you have even for a moment considered pre-ordering Parents Need to Eat Too, read on.

Before the holidays, many of you took advantage of my special offer of a free bookplate and holiday card. It made for a pretty package under the tree (or beside the menorah). But if you ordered the book for yourself, it didn’t give you all that much. Time to fix that.

As a little incentive—and a thank-you—HarperCollins and I have put together a suh-weet Parents Need to Eat Too Digital Starter Kit, which we’ll send to anyone who provides proof of a pre-order. Yes, even the lovely folks who already received bookplates! It gives you a sneak peek at some of the book’s contents, as well as exclusive bonus material that’s not in the book.

That’s right.

Extra stuff.

Not in the book.

Free.

Check it—you’ll get:

• Bonus Recipes: An e-booklet of additional recipes that aren’t in the book, for an extra One-Handed Meal, Quick Supper, and more
• Make Baby Food: A handy guide to transforming any grown-up recipe into food for the wee’un
• The New Parent’s Pantry: The essential ingredients for easy, healthy meals
• Countdown to Baby: A food-focused timeline for the third trimester
• Solid Feeding Guidelines Chart
• Sample Day Chart
• Bookmark: Perfect for noting which recipes you—and baby—like best
• Gift Card: Print it out on card stock, and your baby shower gift is ready!

Now, I realize I’m patting myself on the back here (just a bit), but I think that’s quite an impressive kit. And did I mention it’s FREE?

Send the receipt for your pre-order to debbie [at] debbiekoenig.com. My publisher tells me the kits will start emailing out no later than Friday, Feb 10.

Warning: I’m about to beg.

If you know anyone who’s written a book, you’ve no doubt heard how crucial pre-orders are these days. That’s because the booksellers themselves are paying attention, of course—and if they see that a book is getting a significant number of pre-orders, they perk up.

Even more important is the cumulative effect: All those pre-orders that kind folks have placed over the last few months will ship in the first week. So if there are (dream big) 1000 orders from the five or six months before it goes on sale, all those sales are officially counted at once, in the first week. And reported to various bestseller lists. You see where I’m going here, right?

Now, I’m not saying I think I have a shot at bestsellerdom (again, dream big), but velocity out the door has a tendency to snowball. Extra discounts can kick in. Front of store displays. Things that only encourage more sales.

I realize I’m getting kinda technical on you—that’s my 15 years as a book marketing dork speaking. So I’ll shut up now.

Have I convinced you? My knees are pretty achy from all the groveling, so in addition to a big, fat, wet kiss, I’ll end with this handy-dandy set of links to online retailers:

Choose your bookseller:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

* And possibly, the stripes in that image. Do they make you dizzy?