I got me a Literary Agent

Today I will be signing a Contact with a Literary Agency who liked what they saw in my Fiction Novel, “Desert Son.” This would be my second book, but first work of fiction. Creating an entire world and the people within is very satisfying. Then having someone in the world of literature telling you that it’s something that could sell is leaps and bounds beyond satisfying. Maybe I could create a Literary world where my fiction book is accepted and published and call it a day. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. The agency has some contacts, but there are many genres of fiction, and the manuscript must be appropriate. My agent was hopeful after reading my manuscript because it dealt with reincarnation, and it would cross many genres. She said she could send it to publishers of Horror, publishers of paranormal, and several other variations of these. The fact that she can send it out to more publishers increases its chance of publication. She does have a contact with a publisher of Horror, who read the synopsis of “Desert Son” when she was considering representing me, and he told her that he would definately take a look at the manuscript. More to come on this one…

2 Big Shows upcoming

I will be returning to 2 big events from last year. The CT International Auto Show (November 20th and 21st) and the Northeast Recreational Vehicle & Camping Show (January 22nd and 23rd) are again taking place at the CT Convention Center. These events bring thousands of visitors, and this year I will be inside the show for both events. The CT Convention Center shows have held the biggest events for me so far, so returning with a new softcover edition of “Strapped Into An American Dream” will be a much easier task. Since I caught the show director’s earlier this year, I will be listed in their advertising and better promoted.

“I’m interesting” and the Art Show

I will be showing my book, “Strapped Into An American Dream” at the annual Employees art show where I work. Each year Artist’s display their work and hundreds of their coworkers can take a peek throughout the day. On October 21st, I will be showing my book, but they told me that I cannot sell it. Good enough, I thought, because I could tell them where to buy it. Then I had a thought to go to the little store in the Lobby and ask if they would be interested in carrying it so I could drive people who wanted to buy it to the Lobby Store. I explained this plan to the Chinese man running the store, and he said in so many words that he wanted in. Actually, he said “I’m interesting.” What he meant was that he was interested. I built a book display out of a Tic Tac display I found at Aldi’s, and it really came out nice. I brought my own books in instead of waiting for his books to come in. I arranged his invoice for 20 books and brought in half of them for his display to get him started, and would bring in 10 more when his order comes through. I went down to the store last week and asked if he ordered the books yet, and he told me that he didn’t. I told him that he must do so in order to get the books before the art show on October 21st. I think he just wants to sell my books and get a cut of that. I do have alternatives, he is hard to communicate with, and it’s just another chapter in my marketing effort. Time will tell how this deal goes down.

CT Author’s Trail with 2 Donald Bains

I spent the night in Uncasville at the Mohegan Sun as part of the CT Author’s Tour last Thursday night. I was all set to meet Donald Bain, author of 110 books (including “Murder She Wrote” and “Coffee, Tea or Me”). I had seen his picture, and he was the Keynote speaker on this evening, so I was surprised to see him standing outside the entrance of the Ballroom chatting with the casino employees. I had both arms full with my duffel bag, easel, poster, books, etc., but unleashed some of this load to shake hands with Donald Bain. I had emailed him the week prior and he replied to my email and told me that he would stop by to say hello. I excitedly thanked him for the email and held my poster up, asking if he remembered my story, but he just nodded and smiled, as if he barely recalled. However, I told him I hoped to chat with him later, and grabbed my haul and moved inside. I was greeted by Carol, the columbia librarian, who helped set me up in the back of the room. After I got myself settled and was sitting conversing with my new meighbors, an tall, older man came up to me and told me that he had gotten my email. It was at that moment that I realized the guy at the entrance was not Donald Bain, and he probably thought that I was crazy for approaching him the way I did. Later on I would see the Donald Bain imposter with his light green jacket running up and down aisles to offer a microphone to the people who had questions. The stage in front was for Donald Bain, who sat on the stage on a chair on a rug with a lamp. He told us that this was the coolest set he’s ever had, and proceeded to tell us about his career. I sat with 2 other authors and shared marketing tales, while listening to Donald reinforce how the publishing world has changed dramatically over the years. The ballroom was very nice, the people all around were very nice, the Bain moment was a disaster even though the real Bain did chat with me for a while, but it was a wonderful experience at the end of the day. After all, how many times in one lifetime can you meet someone for the first time twice?