New for 2008

I have a little plan for 2008. I'm going to keep track of every penny I earn from writing and see just how much I earn in a year. Specifically, I will track money from book sales and appearances. I do also teach creative writing, but that falls under my job at Delta College, so it's not going to count. When people ask, I often say that I earn about one thousand dollars a year from writing. Now, I'm going to find out for certain -- at least for the year of 2008.

If writers can be broken down into classes, I would say I'm an upper lower class writer. (I hope I'm not rating myself too high.) I have three full-length books and four chapbooks. I've had some nice recognitions here and there so . . . yeah, upper lower class.

In 2008, we'll find out just how much an upper lower class writer can plan to make in a year. Stop back frequently for weekly updates.

Happy New Year!

Year in Review: Last One

Not sure what this tally means, but I also kept track of how many of my books I sold this year.

Of my seven books (4 chapbooks and 3 full-length books), I sold 289 copies. Since I've never kept track before, I don't know what that means. My novel sold the most with 176 copies. Transient sold the least at 2 copies -- but they were my last 2 copies.

It will be interesting to compare next year.

I hope everyone has a great New Year! Thanks for stopping.

Year In Review: Part 4

Well, if we're lucky, we writers get a few things published during the year, too. I'm pretty happy with how 2007 turned out for me.

In January, I had a flash piece accepted by Smokelong Quarterly, and I also had a full-length story accepted by Whistling Shade.

In February -- nada

In March, I had a full-length story accepted by the Coe Review.

In April, I had a flash piece accepted at Johnny America and a poem accepted by the River Oak Review.

In May, a New Zealand magazine called Bravado took a full-length story of mine. They pay $20NZ -- which might soon be worth $30 American!

June -- nope, nothing, zilch.

In July, Rattle accepted a poem of mine.

In August, Controlled Burn took one of my flash pieces.

Existere, a Canada-based magazine, took a full-length story of mine in Septemeber.

In October, March Street Press released my full-length collection of poems entitled Poems New, Used, and Rebuilds.

In November, Spoon River Poetry Review took a poem of mine and, to bookend the year, Whistling Shade took another full-length story from me.

I'm pretty happy with a year like that.

Year in Review: Part III

Well, if I'm going to list what I accomplished as a writer this year, I also need to list the pieces that I finished. Here they are in order.

"God's Bodyguard Talks to a Reporter" -- a flash fiction piece that was inspired by my son saying, "I want to write a story called "The Death of God's Bodyguard." After a few days of his not starting the story, I stole his idea. Seven-year-olds really need to be more careful about sharing their ideas.

"The Neighborhood Division" -- a full-length short story that wouldn't be as good as it is without the night I spent at The Green Hut in Bay City with Josh Maday and Matt Bell. Thanks, guys! This one was accepted for publication at Existere and will appear in February of 2008.

"Green" -- a poem that was accepted by Rattle.

"How Bright Their Frail Deeds" -- a flash fiction piece that was accepted by Controlled Burn.

"The Long Run" -- a full-length short story that will probably never be published, but turned out exactly like I wanted it to.

"Energumens" -- a horrible poem that centered on cliche and generalization.

"Insomnia" -- another full-length story that turned out really well -- at least as far as I'm concerned.

"Lilac in October" -- my last full-length story for the year. Again, another gem.

"Thank God it's Friday" -- poem. I like this one, too.

"The Last Summer of Ten Speeds" -- a flash fiction dud. Stinky. No good.

"Friday Afternoon, Workplace Training" -- another poem that I really liked.

"Microcosm" -- maybe the best poem I've written in years.

"The Difficulty of Endings" -- a flash fiction piece that I'm really quite proud of.

I can only hope that 2008 is nearly as productive.

Year in Review: Part II

This year, I also kept track of my readings, signings, and appearances. For what it's worth, here they are.

In February, I read with Larry Levy at the Creative Spirit Center in Midland, MI. It's a nice little winter venue with a lit fireplace behind the readers.

In March, I read and then signed books at Schuler Books in Lansing. What a great bookstore!
Also in March I was the keynote speaker at a writers conference at U of M Flint. The lesson I learned? Always keep your books nearby. I didn't have my books in the presentation room and, as a result, I didn't sell many. To get my books, the participants had to go down the hall. Just that little effort, I believe, kept many from browsing. Always keep your books nearby when there's a selling opportunity. Never give people an excuse not to buy.

In April, I read in downtown Bay City at the Jeff Ward studio as a part of the Gallery/Poetry walk. People came into the studio, and I read a few poems each half hour. The audiences were great, and I can only hope that this becomes an annual event. Also in April, I read in Sharon Bernthal's English class. She used my collection, Emergency Stopping, in her course, and so she had me come in as a visiting author to read a story to her students. That's always fun.

In June, I read to Stuart Barbier's literature course. He used my novel, Into the Desperate Country, in the course, and so had me come in under the same auspices that Sharon had had me visit.

In July, I signed books on Mackinac Island. Here's a tip: always make sure that the bookstore validates ferry crossings! Also in July I was invited to teach a two-week fiction workshop in the MFA program at Northern Michigan University. Part of the stint included a reading. The whole two weeks was a grand time.

In August, Josh Maday and I went on the road again. This time, we went to Lexington, MI, where I signed books for the day at the Lexington Booksmith -- a great little independent bookstore. That was a great day with many sales! Of course, the day was made better by Josh Maday's company.

In September, I read in West Branch with Ken Meisel -- always, always a good time. Also in September I read at Kirtland Community College as a part of their visiting writers series.

In October, I met with the book club of the Bay City chaper of the American Association of University Women. They were a fun bunch, and it's always a good time to be in a room full of people that have read your novel and want to discuss it. In additon, in October I read at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Detroit with Ken Meisel. Cool venue.

In November, I read in Plymouth with Ken. We had a good time and sold a few books.

In December, on December 15th to be exact, I signed books at the Sweet Boutique in downtown Bay City. It proves my oft-stated point that if an unknown writer like me wants to sell books, he has to put in the seat time at signings. Granted, I only sold four books, but that's four books I wouldn't have sold otherwise.

Well, that's about it. Do stop back often if you would like to keep posted of appearances I'll be making in 2008.

Year in Review

The next few entries will be a sort of blog diary -- of interest only to me, perhaps. I kept track of things I did that related to writing. Reading is a big part of what writers do, so I kept track of the books I read. Here goes . . .

When the year started, I was reading Jame Joyce's Ulysses, which I finished in June. I knew I had read something important and big, though I also knew that I had missed much of it.

In February, for a class I was team-teaching at Delta, I read Mitch Albom's For One More Day, which was more tolerable than I thought it would be.

In January I finished Benjamin Percy's The Language of Elk, a collection of short stories that were mostly good.

In June, also for a class I was teaching, I read Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, which never leaves me wanting. If you haven't read it, give it a shot.

Also in June I read Ron Carlson's new novel, Five Skies. It was a birthday gift from Josh Maday, and I appreciated his remembering that I love Carlson's short stories. I wish I appreciated the writing as much I appreciated the thoughtfulness of the gift. Much of what makes Carlson's short stories work just doesn't play out well in the longer form. Sorry, Mr. Carlson. If I had to, I would give it three stars.

In July I read Jack Kerouac's Visions of Gerard, which was really quite touching -- very different from the more beatish stuff.

In July I also read Thomas McGuane's short story collection, Gallatin Canyon. Somebody sold me on this one much too strongly, and I was left disappointed. The longer short stories were tedious, and I can't honestly remember many of the shorter stories, which says something. To end on a positive note, I will say that the story "Old Friends" was quite good and dealt with the way "old friends" can creep back into our lives. Once we let people in, they own a part of us.

In August, I read Sundog by Jim Harrison, partly because someone had compared it to my novel. It was good, though I think, like many of his contemporaries, Harrison is a little sex obsessed. The sex scenes felt adolescent, though I do remember liking the complexity of the book.

Without a doubt, the surprise of the summer was Jerry Dennis' non-fiction book The Living Great Lakes. What a beautiful, fascinating tribute to these waters that surround us. I can give it a very truthful five stars.

In August, while down in Alabama, I read Animal Farm by George Orwell. I'm embarrassed to say that I'd never read it before. I don't think I'm the first person to say that it's a masterpiece.

Also in August I read Marquez's In Evil Hour, which is a novel that predates One Hundred Years of Solitude. I really enjoyed the feel of this book and the rich mix of characters. Certainly deserving of at least four stars.

In September, I started Joyce's Ulysses again.

In October, I read Animal Farm aloud to my eight-year-old son. It's really amazing what children can grasp if given the chance. Early on, I asked my son what he thought the pigs would do, and he said, "They're going to take over the farm." I love that kid.

Tonight, I finished Ulysses for the second time this year. The second time through is most certainly better. I'm not sure we've invented words yet to describe the genius of such a book. Tough read? Yes. Worth it? Yes.

I only hope next year offers as productive of a reading year.

A Shout Out

Okay, I'm not even sure what a "shout out" is, but I'm doing one to Sleepy Hollow bookstore in Midland, MI. I had the pleasure of going into the store today to discover that two copies of my novel, Into the Desperate Country, had been sold. While I was there, I was reminded of what an excellent bookstore it is. If you live in Mid-Michigan, and you're a reader, and you haven't been to Sleepy Hollow on Saginaw St, you're missing out.

They have everything -- along with the atmosphere that a bookstore should have. No coffee shop. No jackasses typing away on laptops. No fools looking through music. Just books . . . lots of great books. Their classics section is incredible. Okay, so today they didn't have a copy of Joyce's Ulysses but, in all fairness, you can't keep a copy of that book on the shelves during the holidays. It's a Christmas classic! Everybody wants a copy. It's the literary equivalent of a wii.

Anyone else have an independent bookstore that they want to shout out for? Post a comment. Let people know where to buy books in Michigan -- or anywhere for that matter.

Forgive the picture of Franky, my pug. I just learned to upload pictures to this thing, and I wasn't about to miss out on the chance to go public with Franky.

A Writer Event for 2008

I've been invited to give presentations on both poetry and fiction at an annual event in Lansing called A Rally of Writers. It's on Saturday, April 5th. Looks like an event worth attending.

Check it out: http://arallyofwriters.home.att.net/news.html