Setting Up Shop

Merchandising is not a dirty word.  It means selling stuff and, if you're going to publish a book, you might as well try to make money on it.  You can sell more books if you bundle related products with it.

I didn't think of this for our book until I went to a book signing for a Guide for the Modern Bear a field guide to Gay hairy men.  If you're a Gay man, you know from bears; they are the thing right now.  (I'm hoping we Gingers will be the next thing.)  At their event they had books and tshirts for sale.  I bought both.  The tshirt has a drawing from their book: a muscle bear in Jockey briefs.  Got me two date offers.

So I suggested to David we have tshirts.  He brought up the fact that our Ginger market was limited (only 2% of the human species).  What about the other 98%?  I came up with--tah dah!--the gingerphile tee.  So if you like gingers or are one, we got you covered--literally.

I went to Cafe Press, an online design and sales site I'd used before, and designed our tshirts.  They have a store option but I didn't set one up immediately.  When you self publish, you dance as fast as you can, i.e., there are more good ideas than you have time and energy to pursue.  I designed and ordered the tshirts, dude.  Give me a break.  However, recently Logosportswear, which is the actual source of our tshirts sent me an email mentioning setting up a store with them.  I thought: why not?  Maybe I'd been drinking.

Set up was pretty easy though and now we gots a Ginger & Gingerphile Store online.  The good thing about this is that tshirts are cheaper so people who aren't sure they want to buy a $25 full color book are more open to buying a $15 tshirt.  (Those are event prices: we pass along our discount.)  And then they say what the hell and buy the book too.  We wear the shirts at events so they have to stare at them for an hour.  That might lead to sales.  Also, the shirts are RED, which is a motivating color.  Ask any bull.

It doesn't have to be tshirts.  The Modern Bear boys have dog tags and other products.  David is going to sell prints and cards of the book photos.  Someone said we should do a calendar since we have 13 images, one for the front and one for each month.  A little late to get going on it now but a good idea for 2014 maybe.

For now, check out the Ginger stuff we do have:
   Ginger Snaps: the Book http://blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527
   Ginger & Gingerphile tshirts http://gingergingerphiletee.logosoftwear.com

Today's Quandary: Writing While Promoting

We are halfway thru.  Halfway thru our three month publication period, halfway thru our limited edition of 100 copies, halfway thru our eight stop book tour.  Janus times three.  We, David and I, have learned many useful facts, techniques, and how to do's.  But one thing I definitely have not learned yet is how to flog a book and keep writing something new.  I'm working on two stories now for publication but I don't feel very creative at all.  My pilot light is almost off.

Normally, I am--after waking and sufficient doses of caffeine--ready to write: all chipper and eager to spew words.  I like writing in the a.m., for several reasons.  My brain is fresher, my body is more at ease, the world is quieter.  

But promoting and selling Ginger Snaps keeps my mind stopping and starting, at least one body part tense, and my world anything but quiet.  I'm don't like writing in bits and pieces, although I can do it.  I wrote and edited stories to and from work on mass transit.  I prefer chunks of time, knowing I can tippy type my way thru a few hours, which means a lot of words since I write quickly.  Write quickly, edit slowly: those are my modes.  And I'm pretty good at settling quickly back into The Flow.  When all I'm doing is writing....

But planning events is time consuming and execution nerve wracking.  I get wound up before and after, even though I was an actor for 10 years and have spoken or "performed" in front of people for 10 more.  But wait, there's more.  Getting a bookstore to take self-published copies is an act of seduction.  They don't really want you so you have to woo them--literarily, not literally.  Successful seduction takes focus.  And did I really remember everything to put in that box before I shipped it off to New York?

So, how to write while promoting your book?  I DON'T KNOW!  Maybe it's just not yet or maybe (horrors) that's the way it is.  And if you write with the intention/hope of publishing, you have to expect/hope promotion will come.  Like thunder after lightning, sturm after dram.   I am sure this is why I didn't write for publication before.  I just happily sat at my desk, scribbling (metaphorically speaking) away at Happy Ending stories, without a care in the world.  No one's going to read this stuff, I sez to myself.  I didn't care if they did, but I do now.  I'm thru the looking glass, baby, with no ticket back.  

I've been to lots of other writers' readings and several of my own by now.  No one ever asks "How do you write and promote at the same time?" in the q&a.  But next time I'm at another author's reading I will.  And so should you if you're serious about being A Published Author.  Or maybe it won't be a problem for you.  If so, then lucky, lucky, lucky you.

25 Amazon book gift card to the best answer to my question: 

How do you write and promote at the same time?

Check out our book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527

Ginger Books, Going Fast!

We used the rest of our PayPal account today to buy more copies of Ginger Snaps: Photos & Stories, i.e., our book.  Like I said in an earlier post, when we raised money to publish, most Backers put their money into our PayPal account.  We figured we could print 70 books out of PayPal moola and we have.  Promise kept, all you wonderful Backers!  From now on as needed, we'll print 10 at a time out of our own money, reimbursing ourselves as they sell, on our way to selling 100 copies by New Year's.  That's our goal: a limited edition of 100.

We do have one gig past New Year's already scheduled though: the Noe Valley Authors Festival in March. Back in the hood, as you know from another earlier post. Very cool. Hope we still have books.

To find out where we're reading/showing photos next, check out the events listing a droit.  Several people have nagged--uh, asked me to do this.  Tough love but love just the same.  As you can see, next stop on the Ginger Choo Choo is New York, New York.  Yeah, baby!  Back in the Big Apple!  I'm a Brooklyn transplant and David's from Upstate (Westchester).  Point of contention.  David doesn't think Westchester is Upstate but from a Brooklyn point of view, dude, it's way UP!

Blue Light Special!  Kmart shoppers, we sell books and tees at discount prices at Ginger Choo Choo stops.  No comea to the event, no getta the discount.  We will start selling them online in January (if any are left).  We'll know we're hot when copies start showing up used on Amazon and eBay for twice blurb.com's price.

And, if you only read electronically, we will also start selling the ebook edition in January.   Also applies if you're just plain cheap--er--thrifty.

Have a great weekend.  Read a book!

Preview our book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527

There Is a There There

Last night, we were in Oakland, California, the hometown of Gertrude Stein.  Not even early I-80 traffic and very dubious parking kept us from being on time, sort of.  However, due to those famous "unforeseen circumstances", we weren't quite ready when the first folks started arriving.  Luckily, Nell and Matt are two very good friends of mine so we were able to get away with it.

Here's a lesson learned about book touring: Foresee the Unforeseen.  No, you need not be clairvoyant to publish a book; you should just assume something to go awry and not get all freaked out if it does.  There do always seem to be a glitch or two.  Last night one was where to put the screen for the continuous photo display.  We had the space at Farley's East all arranged and then had to rearrange it for the screen, which then made the party impossible, so we had to re-rearrange.

Then, the food and drink.  It was in a logical place when Josh, the Farley's manager, and I did the walk thru but logical turned out to be too far from where people actually hung out during the party.  (Darn those illogical humans.)  Thankfully, my friend Kristin helped me ferry all the edibles to a much better space: the tables vacated by the screen.

This sounds very disorganized I'm sure, but David and I had three meetings about the event, and Josh and I talked several times and did a walk thru.  Sometimes, your life just gets rearranged by the Universe.

But I am painting a negative snap.  The event was anything but negative; it was a success.  We had our biggest crowd yet, people had fun, and we sold a lot of books and ginger/gingerphile tshirts.  Re-ordered tees today.  It's like writing.  You are pushing words towards your planned climax and suddenly the story takes off on the path not taken.  So, Go With the Flow.  The Universe won't do you wrong.

Starting today, we have a little event break.  Yay!  The Ginger Choo Choo is unscheduled until 11.19 in New York, New York.  We need the time, baby.  Final planning for NY, NY! and more planning for post Turkey Day events at Alley Cat Books, GLBT History Museum, and Cliche Noe Gifts.  Besides, dudes & dudettes, it's my birthday and I'm all busy celebrating.

Today's Game:   Guess my birth day & win a present.  What is it?  Hey, it's a surprise!

Preview our book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527

Ginger Snaps Support Network

Our Noe Valley book party was a success!  We had our biggest audience and sold more books and ginger/gingerphile t-shirts than ever.  Le Zinc French Bistro served a lovely sauvignon blanc and cotes du rhone and several delicious trays of hors d'oeuvres.  It was great to see friends from as far away as the North Bay and the Peninsula and just as wonderful to see friends from Noe Valley, USA, as well as elsewhere in San Francisco.  We played The Ginger History Game.  The answers were: 7, Moby Dick, Herman Melville, and Napoleon Bonaparte.  Don't you wish you knew what the questions were?

When you begin publishing, you hope strangers will find their way to your book but in truth it is your friends who find it first.  They are your first level of support.  I feel so grateful to our friends who have come to our first three book events and hope friends in the East Bay and New York will come out as well.  Our final three events will be a test though.  Will people show up who don't know us but are intrigued by the book or think the party sounds like fun or the panel interesting? We feel encouraged to try to make it happen.

For the last year, the Ginger Choo Choo has been traveling under the steam of Rick and David but now it's moving forward on the push push of our friends.  Blanche may have depended on the kindness of strangers but, luckily, David and I do not.

And now a few words about the next stop.  Win!  Free!  Books!  Win a $20 Amazon book gift card if you're the first to answer this question correctly:

                What literary connection do Paris and Oakland have?

Come see us Tuesday, Nov. 6, 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Farley's East, 33 Grand in Oakland's Uptown District, an easy walk from the BART stop at 19th Street, with plenty of street parking nearby.

Preview our book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527

French Ginger

Stop #3 for the Ginger Choo Choo is in Noe Valley, our (current) hometown.  For this one we're going French all the way at Le Zinc French Bistro, my favorite San Francisco restaurant of any cuisine.  Check it out at www.lezinc.com  If sweetbreads are on the menu, grab em!  Actually, better use your fork.  My friends Diana Barrand and Max Braud own and run this charming (really) bistro with delicious food and wine.

We are offering some of both at our event this Sunday: complimentary French wine and French hors d'oeuvres will be served. I may try out my college French or ask my twin to translate since she retains more French thru more frequent practice visiting France and other French speaking areas of the globe.  Even the game questions and prizes will have a French twist.  (No, there won't be an all expenses paid trip to Paris, not even Paris, Texas.)

The rsvp's came in at a good clip so we reached our goal and didn't have to tell Diana and Max only three people wanted to come--including us.  If you're in our neighborhood, don't worry about the non rsvp.  Just come on in.  Le Zinc is located in Noe Valley, San Francisco, at 4063 24th Street--one of our two main drags--between Noe and Castro Streets.  We'll be there this Sunday, 3:30 to 5pm.  David and I will be wearing our gingerphile and ginger tshirts, respectively, so you can recognize us.

It's nice to be able to walk to this one--although, on second thought, we'll have to drive the 10 blocks because of the party box with book copies and tshirts to sell, framed photos of the book and easels for atmospheric display, game prizes, etc.  Prizes include gift cards from all the local coffee places--we're like Little Seattle here, a do it yourself ginger kit and ginger chocolate from our excellent chocolate shop on 24th www.chocolatecoveredsf.com, among others just as wonderfully clever or at least useful.

See you Sunday!

Check out our book at http://blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527

New York, New York!

My eyes have been staring at The Weather Channel, CNN, and online as much as possible the last couple of days, watching the heart wrenching reports of Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy.  David is from New York and I lived there for many years.  It's a relief to know our family and friends are ok but impossible to fathom the destruction and disruption in Jersey and the city, across Long Island, and everywhere else in the Northeast.  What does ok mean anyway?  They're alive; their homes are intact.  But can you get from home to work?  Does the lightbulb work?  Can you drink the water?

The mind tries to make massive tragedy specific to understand it.  Flooded subways?  I thought of the RR and the D trains I used to take.  Can't get there by subway?  I thought of the days Brooklynites walked together back and forth or hitched rides with strangers (sorry, Mom) over the Brooklyn Bridge after a blizzard or subway strike.  East Village under water?  I thought of the good meals on 6th Street and good times in bars and bedrooms, of still feeling brave wandering around Alphabet City.

Of course humans are resilient--New Yorkers may be the most--but saying so minimizes the mess you have to deal with.  We shouldn't ignore tragedy, any more than we should wallow in it.  Lives are gone; lives are disrupted.  Let's think about that and honor them, grieve with them or their survivors.  Let's also take time to ask and say what lessons have been learned here.

Anyway, I'm off the podium now.  No more lecture.

David and I did do our teeny bit to soldier on.  We sat down and made plans for the Ginger Choo Choo stop in Manhattan Nov. 19.  More than the book though, I just have to see the great city and my friends.      It's been a while.  It's been too long.

New York, baby!

The Rick and Dave Show Hits the Road

Book touring is new to us but it's part of the process of publishing your book so it's a good thing to think about it from the beginning.  Books, sadly, don't sell themselves.  You, the author, have to promote them, send your child out into the world.  One time honored way is the book tour.

When we knew we had a book, we thought: Let's party!  One and done.  But opportunities came up and then there were eight of them staring at us, saying: You've committed to doing us.  Get doing!

Most of the tour, we do have to do the doing.  If you're a famous author, maybe all you have to do is get your body in the door but if you're not, well....

We were in LA yesterday, where David lived and I went to college.  (Fight on for old SC!)  My adventure started at the airport when Southwest cancelled my flight and the one leaving 90 minutes later became 2 hours, which meant I'd be late for our event.  Complaining got me a $50 travel voucher and not much else.  A 30 minute, $55 cab ride from LAX brought me to the venue, Neveux Artisan Creamery, a place I highly recommend.  Owner Leo and his ice cream are both well constructed.  http://neveuxartisancreamery.com

I saw immediately, as David already had, that the layout of the shop wasn't going to let us read stories, much less play games and award red jockstraps.  This is the danger of nontraditional.  We want our signings to be events so we're in mainly not meeting rooms: ice cream store, French restaurant, museum, luxury condo.  But the evil twin of this good idea is sometimes the space doesn't work for what you want to do.  So, be flexible or ask for schematics.

Luckily, David and I are flexible boys and we switched to chitchat in L.A.  I met some terrific people, people I'd very much like to see again.  We sold books and ginger/gingerphile tshirts.  And the ginger ice cream was excellent.  You should stop by and take a bite.  Warning though: it bites back.

Meanwhile, I still have this red jock.  Anyone want it?

Preview our book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527.

Ginger Goes Shopping

As you know David and I are doing events on our book tour, rather than straight readings.  We can't do straight anything.  haha.  Little LBGT joke there.  We have games and quizzes and contests which require giving of prizes/rewards, which requires the buying of same, which is fun.  Don't get anxious though.  The center of each event is still showing photos and reading stories.  Hey, we are up for fun but we do want to sell stuff too.

At our Castro Kickoff last week the prizes included a do it yourself ginger kit (red hair dye), a red feather boa (molted badly) and 110 spf sun block.  If  you're a ginger like I am, a high spf is de rigeur.  Ginger skin comes in two colors: white and red.  Either color can be accessorized with freckles. A handsome blond friend won both the boa and the sun block.  Said he does his hair with sun block.  Strange people these blonds.

LA is all bought, packed and shipped via David's Car Service, meaning David drove to LA.  For Noe Valley and Oakland, I'm still wandering the streets with debit card in hand, or at least in pocket.  I found a terrific new hipster candy/soda pop store in the Mission: The Fizzary.  Definitely check them out at www.fizzary.com.  Do your Halloween candy shopping there.

I was pining for Ginger Bears, which you can only get now from the mother country (Australia).  (Let me know if you can get them Stateside.)  No Ginger Bears at The Fizzary but they do carry Reed's Ginger Candy Chews.  I know from Reed's ginger beer and, anyway, who wouldn't want to chew on some hot Ginger?  I bought all they had.

Elsewhere I also bought soap, hand lotion and coffee cards for future use.  I like variety; don't you?  I look for game specific, activity specific, location specific, audience specific prizes.  Are you dizzy yet?

Won't give you too many specifics on the specifics though--we are hoping you'll come to a Ginger Snaps event--but LA prizes/rewards involve coffee, ice cream, athletic support--and ginger.  Come check out our specifics, baby, at Neveux Artisan Creamery, 7407 1/2 Melrose from 4-6pm Saturday.

Preview our book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527.

Putting the self in self publishing

I woke up today realizing how much work publishing your own book is, but I still recommend it, at least to get started.  Getting started on anything is the thing.  I'll write when I've retired.  I'll get serious about my art when I've made my first million.  Uh huh.  Do it now, dudes and dudettes.  Now is all you have.  Enjoy and employ it.

Wouldn't it be better to get a publisher, you say.  Wouldn't they take care of all that?  No and, anyway, publishers are hard to come by.  Big publishers don't think they can sell Queer books and they only want bestsellers anyhoo.  Publishing is a business.  Businesses want to make money.  They think what they've sold a thousand times will keep making them money.

Unless you know someone--and if you do, introduce me--I think you might as well go for it on your own.  What are the odds you'll find an agent and a publisher?  Very slim, my friend.  And, if your goal is to make a living writing, good luck with that too.  Statistics say only 5% of writers do.  So, what are you left with?  Desire, drive, a belief in your words maybe?

Having gone from writing the first word on paper a year ago to planning and executing our book tour now, I am glad I did it.  Glad I have a book.  Whatever happens, the book exists.  Along the way I recommend having small expectations, small markers of success.  This is also called being reasonable.  If your goal is to sell 5 books at an event and you sell 5, it's party time!  If your goal is to sell 20 and you sell 5, you are not a happy person.

And you never know: your book might be discovered.  I met someone at our first book tour stop who is trying to set up a meeting for us with a publisher.  Friends who did Guide to the Modern Bear got their book picked up for wider distribution.

Speaking of events, the Ginger Choo Choo will be in Los Angeles this weekend, 4-6pm Saturday, Oct. 27 at Neveux Artisan Creamery, 7407 1/2 Melrose.  Free ginger ice cream, me reading stories, David showing photos, and you playing games for prizes.  Hope to see you there.

Preview Ginger Snaps: Photos & Stories at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527.

The train has left the station

Kickoff!  Score!  The Castro Kickoff for our Ginger Snaps book tour was successful--exhausting but successful.  Neither David nor I had ever done an author's event.  Oh, we have been to mucho many author signings.  Well, I have.  David doesn't read.  No, he's literate and all.  He just doesn't read.  He says so proudly.  Sort of a literary Luddite instead of a technological one.

The Castro evening started off with Ginger refreshments: pinwheel sandwiches with tomato, red fruit in the fruit salad, ginger snap cookies of course.  All washed down with ginger ale, ginger beer, and red wine.

The program began with David telling everyone how the book came to be, followed by everyone playing the Pumpkin Patch Game for fun and prizes.  (FIRST OF YOU WHO CAN TELL ME WHAT A GINGER'S PUMPKIN PATCH IS WINS A $5 STARBUCKS CARD.)  Then David presented the photo Ginger Wearing, Well, Ginger and I read the story from the book.  Then Ginger Checking Out a Smooch.   Smooch was the first story I wrote for David.  Wearing Ginger was the one that convinced David we should do a book.

Then it was on to a Pop Quiz and prizes and Q&A with more prizes for anyone brave enough to ask a question.  My favorite question was what is queer in Cockney Rhyming Slang.  Answer: Ginger Beer.  Finally, PRODUCT SALES!!  We got rid of--er--sold our first books and tshirts.  Yay.

The Ginger Snaps Choo Choo is now picking up steam and heading south to L.A.  More about that next time.

Our goal is to break even

I did find and eat (way too many) gingersnaps, in case you were wondering.  Sad to say, our neighborhood Whole Foods does not have them, at least not the official Gingersnaps from Nabisco.  They do have something gingeresque from Paul Newman (may his gorgeous soul rest in peace) but I was after the real deal, which I eventually found at the dreaded Safeway on Market.

But enough about sustenance, I promised to talk money.  No, not the national economy.  The Economy of Rick and David.  How can we afford to publish Ginger Snaps, produce official ginger/gingerphile tshirts, and pay for an 8-stop book tour?  Independently wealthy, you ask?  Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
The kindness of strangers?  WE WISH.  No, we went begging, hats in hands, to our family and friends, who came thru big time for us.

We applied some vc expertise learned thru Kickstarter and gave ourselves a goal of raising $1500 in 30 days.  We set backer bucks levels, thought of terrific rewards for backers, and cautiously optimistically sent off our first email.  I learned pretty quickly that Kickstarter definitely is worth the money so don't leave home--financially speaking--without it.  In this day and age, people want to pay by credit card.  Kickstarter makes that easy, plus they have nicely organized, easy to use templates.  Just plug it in, baby.  Here endeth the commercial.  Credit cards.  Luckily, we had PayPal.  Twice as much money came to us via PayPal as from checks & cash.

Bottom line, we raised $3500--$2000 more than our goal!  Yow!  It came from parents, cousins, aunts & uncles, nieces, sisters, and friends friends friends.  46 peoples.  Average backer buck donation: $76.  Of course that was skewed when David's parents sent us a check and we landed on the big money space.  Thanks, Mom and Dad/Richard and Sheila!!  Thanks, everybody!!  Because of you we'll be able to reimburse ourselves for all (hope, hope) of what we spent to publish and buy books, tshirts, party refreshments, game prizes, and miscellaneous items too many (and boring) to list.

We're about to buy our first refreshments and prizes for our first book tour event: the Castro Kickoff  tomorrow night.  If you're nearby definitely come celebrate with us.  We'll have Ginger food & drink, play Ginger games with Ginger prizes, sell Ginger/Gingerphile tshirts, read a couple of Ginger stories and show ALL the Ginger photos--and, oh yeah, sign Ginger books.

Details: Oct.18 at the Johnston Tax Group offices (thanks, Jeff!), 2327 Market St., SF (between Noe and Castro).  7:30 reception, 8pm program.

NEXT TIME: We tell all about the Castro Kickoff and list when the Ginger choo choo is coming to your town--or at least within 1500 miles of it.

Tossing our cookies

The author photo.  If you preview our book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527, you'll see two of the results.  Well, there were 100 results but two shots David and I both found acceptable.  He tells me that's a typical batting average.  I'm glad photography is not a contact sport.

It was a dark and stormy night when we met for our close up, Mr. DeMille.  Not really.  It was a bright and sunshiny afternoon at Castro & Market.  David posed us on a red cafe table (but of course) at Jane Warner Plaza.  That's where the naked men hang out.  No naked humanoids that day though.

The table was full of ginger items, including me.  Gingersnaps in three shapes, ginger root, ginger tea, ginger ale.  Ginger, ginger, ginger.  We were seated behind this plethora, smiling. Little did I know I would have to keep smiling for TWO HOURS.  Friends who model or take photos of models say that's nothing.  We got off lucky.  Four hours is more like it--and you should bring a book or iPod or both.  Not having been a model, I just brought me.

Me got pretty bored pretty fast.  At first Rich, David's friend shooting us, tried typical hand on the chin glamour shots.  I always wonder about those kinds of author photos.  Is the author's head so full of BIG thoughts that one (or both) hands have to help hold it up?  Anyway, it wasn't a good look for either of us, especially me.

I was having a hard time not eating the cookies so suggested we toss them for the photo.  David liked that idea so he and I began throwing cookies up in the air and staring at them, amazed.  We were supposed to look amazed because in the shot the cookies would be suspended in mid-air.  Very conceptual.  If you look at the book (please look at the book), you'll see that it does work.  Cookies mid-air, two sets of amazed eyes.  Our mouths open in amazement.  I admit I tried to catch one or two.  Even more amazing was how many times we had to throw those damn cookies into the ozone before we mastered speed, height, and eye to cookie coordination.  But finally Rich and David approved a shot and I buried my head on the table in celebration, eating cookies.

David joined in and Rich took shots of us.  Voila, le back jacket photo.  My hair never looked better.

Writing this has made me hungry.  Off to Whole Foods for gingersnaps!

Next time: Our goal is to break even.

Here we go!

This is a blog about a little book that could: Ginger Snaps: Photos & Stories.  Photos by David Sweet, stories by Richard May.  Me.

A year ago David and I started on a narrow road which widened and widened and widened...until now we're on the freeway and driving as fast as we can.  It all began when we met at a movie and then ate Japanese food.  I'm a ginger; he takes photos of gingers.  Commonality.  Next, over coffee he showed me some of his ginger photos.  I made the mistake of telling him that his photos told me stories, which they did.  97.9% of my short stories start with a visual telling its to me.

David asked me to write a story.  I did.  He said: LET'S DO A BOOK!  Since my life was complicated enough, I suggested I write three and see how he felt about it then.  It's called putting off.  Unfortunately, he liked them.  That's when the car really hit the streets and we started rolling along.  25 mph maybe.

We picked 20 or so of David's ginger photos--he has many, many--that he was most proud of and starting yakking to me.  I wrote 17 or so stories, which we narrowed to 13 (my lucky number, btw) to fit into the blurb.com format.  Then David put the stories and photos online, designed a cover, and I began playing editor, having been one in New York at Doubleday.  Who knew I'd ever use those two years for my own benefit.

I filled in details like title page, acknowledgments page, copyright page, front flap copy, back flap copy--all that interesting stuff.  I played copyeditor, discovering that blurb.com has intriguing hyphenation rules.  I also discovered my stories were too long so had to edit myself, sort of like performing your own appendectomy: is that paragraph really necessary?

Next installment: The Author Photo