Release and Reception
The book was released on October 16, 2007 in hardback press by Flying Dolphin Press and WaterBrook Press. Mosaic received rave reviews from a variety of outlets, including Entertainment Weekly and Christianity Today. In November, the book debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list at #35, rising to #27 in December. The book also spent several weeks in the Amazon.com Top 100 best-selling books list.
Grant downplayed the media's characterization of the book as a tell-all, saying, "It’s not an autobiography, but more a collection of memories, song lyrics, poetry, and a few pictures." Still, she has acknowledged in interviews that the book features a number of candid stories. On her website, Grant told her fan club that she is "anxious to get back in the studio after the book is finished, and reinvent myself as an almost-50 performing woman" and indicated that she plans to write again in the future.
To promote the book, Grant launched a national book tour and WaterBrook Press sponsored a major online blog tour. Grant's book tour coincided with her own concert tour and symphony tour at the time, which also promoted Mosaic along with her new Greatest Hits album.
In December, Amy Grant appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in an episode entitled "Heading Home for the Holidays". The Christmas-themed episode featured an extensive interview with both Grant and husband Vince Gill as well as all five of the couple's children. Grant gave a tour of her home and of her writing cabin on the show. During the episode, Grant discussed Mosaic at length and host Oprah Winfrey read excerpts from her favorite sections. The two debuted the song "True Love", which has never been recorded but was included in lyrical form in Mosaic, as a live duet. Additionally, Amy sang an excerpt of "What the Angels See", another unrecorded song with complete lyrics inside Mosaic. The studio audience received gift copies of Mosaic, Grant's Greatest Hits album, and Gill's These Days album. Following the show, the book's position on the Amazon.com and New York Times bestsellers lists spiked. The episode marked Grant's third appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the first in nearly ten years. It was Vince Gill's first appearance.
Other television appearances included The View, Paula's Party with host Paula Deen, The Today Show, The 700 Club, CMT Insider, CMT Loaded, CNN's Showbiz Tonight, Hour of Power, and Fox & Friends. Additionally, the upstart Gospel Music Channel aired a documentary on Amy Grant as part of their Faith and Fame series.
At the time of Mosaic's release, Grant, a one-time spokesperson for Land O'Lakes Butter, became a spokesperson for Country Crock butter and the company's Spread the Sharing campaign. The book, the campaign, and Grant's Greatest Hits CD were cross-promoted. In addition, in support of the new book and CD, Amy Grant launched her own ten episode podcast on iTunes, where it was made available for free. The podcast covered highlights of the artist's life and career and was a major part of a larger iTunes promotional campaign that marked the launch of Grant's entire catalog in digitally remastered, digital rights management-free format on the iTunes Music Store.
Read more about this topic: Mosaic: Pieces Of My Life So Far
Famous quotes containing the words release and, release and/or reception:
“We read poetry because the poets, like ourselves, have been haunted by the inescapable tyranny of time and death; have suffered the pain of loss, and the more wearing, continuous pain of frustration and failure; and have had moods of unlooked-for release and peace. They have known and watched in themselves and others.”
—Elizabeth Drew (1887–1965)
“The near touch of death may be a release into life; if only it will break the egoistic will, and release that other flow.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“Aesthetic emotion puts man in a state favorable to the reception of erotic emotion.... Art is the accomplice of love. Take love away and there is no longer art.”
—Rémy De Gourmont (1858–1915)