Let this be your first lesson, Grasshopper. I’ve got to blog on a fixed schedule. Nobody is going to check back every day for irregular postings, nobody except crazed stalker-fans. And my mom.
With this in mind, I’m going to start posting up twice a week. As already established, I’ll post book reviews on Sunday. Since I can’t knock down a book a week, you’ll have to deal with some hazy recollections. But still, I’ve read a lot of books and will do my best to point out the more entertaining (for better or worse) of them.
I’m also beginning a workshop, “Dog Ear”, to be carried in the general area of this blog, talking about writing, publishing, presentation, and the gut-wrenching crap you’re likely to encounter in this field. Yes, it’s a hard world out there and likely nobody is going to tell you what to expect besides me. If there is a way to lose money at this, I’ve experienced it. And all this I’ll pass on, once a weeks, postings on Thursday evenings. You’ll find them in the general area, with “(DOG EAR)” postfixed on the name.
As this counts as my first entry, let me mention that I’ll be manning my first booth this Saturday, March 31st, at the UCF Book Festival. By my count, even if I sell every one of the books I’m bringing (about 60), I’ll still fall below the booth cost. And that’s okay – you never know who might pick one up, a film producer, an agent, a book club president, or even a crazed stalker-fan. So I’ll spend the day over there and take a loss and hope it leads to better things. And that’s part of the deal – pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, into humiliation and rejection, because that’s really what this is about. Pain leads to fame (or perhaps just more pain).
I’ll post a special report on this on Sunday, letting you know how it went and perhaps posting a booth picture or two.
So let’s open this chapter, place our finger upon the first word, and begin to read. Thusly…