The Comfort Zone

Just had a reading last night, to celebrate the launch of the paperback edition of the novel. Celebration is exactly the word I would use. There were about 30-35 folks there, most of whom I know very well and all of whom have given me their support time and again throughout this project. And I am grateful. There really is nothing like sharing a piece of your creative soul in a room of people who have cultivated that spirit in you. Validation. Trust. Joy. Gratitude.

I have gotten enough positive feedback to begin to doubt it:) It is time to push this project outside the comfortable confines of my personal network. Of course I have no idea how to really do that. The journey of a indie publishing continues!

Paperback in hand... now, how the fuck do I put it into the hands of people I don't know? This last year has been a series of hectic pushes to get this novel polished and ready, formatted and re-formatted, uploaded and downloaded... and here it is. Here we are.

Golly. Next steps? What more could I possibly do? Shit tons in fact, because I don't want this project to die in my lap. I have got to get this project out of the sphere of my network. My hope is that it will be a literary javelin, thrust into the side of the white whale. In truth, in spite of the professional editors, countless readers and dozens of careful re-reads, every time I open the book, something drives me crazy. That tells me something. First next step. Start writing something else. Short form, fiction, poems, monologues... doesn't matter. I don't think I am truly gonna cut the cloying creative link with this novel until I start writing something else. The umbilical needs to be cut. You really must divorce yourself from the creative work at some point and focus on the work of selling and promoting.

I've arranged to sell the book at Our Bookstore  in the passageway in downtown Omaha. That is my first brick and mortar bookstore and I would like to place it locally in a couple more. I am also working on breaking the ice for a local review. This has been impossible up to know because I have not had a physical copy. I need to generate a press contact list of reviewers and online listings.

Also, still planning on uploaded to espresso book printing machines at some point. Need to record the audiobook, need to upload the 1.1 version of the ebook. Need to book a reading outside of Omaha.

Yeah... lots to do. So what are we doing writing/reading silly blogs... Lets get to work.
-Thom