Mar 15, 2010

My Wildest Fantasy

This is a site for my fantasies, right? Well, I've got a crazy one for you. It has nothing to do with sex and nothing to do with the site but I feel that I need to write this down, as if writing it down may help it come true; might help me focus.

I have another book in the works. It's what I call my "clean" book. I handed it over to my publisher, a small company out of Baltimore, back in January 2009 for a September/October 2009 release. Obviously, it's well past that. The second date they gave me was April/May 2010. There's no chance in hell that's going to happen either. As of January, 2010 they were crying poor; the bad economy and winter storms of 2009 have kept their coffers empty with no "spare" $10K around with which to fund my book.

Part of the problem is that once my publisher sends out books to distributors that they won't be paid for a few months. That's the name of the game with distro.

That said, I've tried to be helpful and offer some suggestions to my publisher. I posited that they should find out how much the book is going to cost consumers and start taking pre-orders to get that cash rolling in early.

I've already volunteered to do a postcard campaign to all of my old subscribers and friends. I don't want to send out anything, though, until there's a way for people to pre-order or buy the book. No sense sending people to a URL where they can just say, "Wow, sounds interesting. I'll have to remember to come back some day." If I know anything about marketing, it's to present the customer with the option to buy as often and as loudly as you can.

I even offered my publisher $5K up front to help them out, despite my desire that this book cost me no money. My saying going into this is, "I don't care about making any money, I just don't want to lose money on it." That's already been blown with the fees I've payed for photos and with the charges I'm sure to incur for the aforementioned post cards. I'll probably also be spotting the money for ads in various magazines and for postage to send out review copies to others.

But here's the fantasy part. Here are the wild and crazy ideas that I want to put down on paper to help crystallize them happening in real life.


The book comes out with enough notice for me to start the ball rolling on pre-publicity. I get the word out there and get interest.

My publisher helps set up several engagements across the country including Boston, Chicago, and Wisconsin, and Portland where I do book signings as well as host screenings of a few movies that play really well with the material covered in the book.

My friend in Baltimore sets up a screening that also plays well with the book material and this helps promote the heck out of it.

I pay for the flights and even the hotel stays but my publisher sets up all of the dates and engagements.

I get invited to a couple of "cons" where I can promote and sell some copies.

I send out copies of my book to relatives at Xmas time, thus saving me the expense of getting them gifts.

Oh, and maybe I finally get some notice here in my own hometown of Detroit, MI. It'd be nice to have some of the local film festivals/events know that I'm around and maybe extend some invitations to be a part of them the same way that other festivals around the country have. It's so strange to not be known in one's hometown.

The first print run (1,000 copies) sells out and a second run is needed within six months.

My publisher agrees to do my follow up book in 2011.


That's my fantasy. Crazy, right?

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