More Fun with Amazon

Well, some kind soul (thanks so much) already bought the copy of Into the Desperate Country that Amazon got in.

But, somehow they restocked the book in less than eight hours! I only had to send them one email.

They're getting good.

Please, somebody buy their new copy. Keep them thinking that Into the Desperate Country is some kind of literary Phoenix rising from the ashes of a not-so splashy debut.




My plan is kind of pathetic. I'm trying to stick it to Amazon by having people buy my book from them.

Amazon

I've been fighting with amazon to keep my novel, Into the Desperate Country, in stock.

They finally got one copy in. Someone please go order it.

I don't make any money off of an amazon purchase, but I want to create a sense of urgency around the book.

Thanks.

New Press on the Block

Yes, Joe Van Valin and Whistling Shade magazine have tossed their hat into the ring . . . they have established Whistling Shade Press. And, they have their first release of books. Make them feel welcome and buy one. Seriously.

http://www.whistlingshade.com/press.html

Week 30: The Dough Report

Okay, not a big week, but a profitable week. I made a dollar. Yes, one Washington. But, I didn't get skunked, which is always my goal for a week.

My to-date total now stands at $800.11. Back in June, I predicted that I wouldn't have $800.00 by the end of August, and here I have it before the end of July. Go, Jeff. Go, Jeff. Go Go . . . Go, Jeff.

(I apologize for that)

Still, that doesn't take the pressure off for this week. I need to sell one book at least, so the offer a couple of posts below still stands.

And, if you live in Midland, you can have any of the three books for just $10, and I'll pedal it right to your door.

Just drop me an email: jcvandez@delta.edu

Another Casperian Book

I can say this much about Casperian Books; so far, they have quite an eclectic offering. The most recent book of theirs that I read is End Credits by A.F. Rutzy, and it's quite different from Motor City Blues, which was quite different from The Tea House.

In short, it's the story of loser Raymond Kessel who gets the chance to see how the other half lives when he dies and then re-inhabits the body of Leonard Hawkins III -- who is anything but a loser (though, then again . . .)

Rutzy puts out many threads to the story and, like a spider, constructs his web tightly enough that many a reader will be caught by this simile-filled tale. Like with its similes, it's also jam-packed with cynicism about American society and the general unfairness and absurdity of things. If you think that in America everything is pretty fair and as it should be, then you need to read End Credits.

One thing I can say about Casperian Books . . . they certainly put out handsome looking books. And, they're sturdy. You can slap 'em around pretty good, and they stand right up to the beating.

So, go ahead, take a chance on End Credits. You might like it. Plus, your purchase goes a long way (well, at least a little way) toward supporting a small press, and that's always a good thing.

Just Writing to Write

Well, somebody bailed me out this week, and I've already turned a small (very small) profit. I'm already looking ahead to the next week. So, if anyone wants my novel, Into the Desperate Country, my short story collection, Emergency Stopping and Other Stories, or my poetry collection, Poems New, Used, and Rebuilds, just send me an email (jcvandez@delta.edu), and we can make arrangements. Any one of the books is only $12 and that includes shipping. I'll gladly sign it too -- if you want me to.

Check out G.U.D.

It's a magazine -- Greatest Uncommon Denominator.

http://www.gudmagazine.com/blog/archive/2008/7/18/issue-3-pre-launch-buzz-contest/

My fiend, Matt Bell was in it, and GUD looks like the real deal. They are trying really hard to put the magazine in readers' hands -- which is the essential chore of any mag.

Subscribe. Blog about 'em. Get the word out.

Here's an idea . . . buy someone you know a gift subscription to GUD, and then you can read it when you use their toilet.

Week 29: The $ Report (and a plea)

Okay, the weekly report is coming in a day early because I need all the time I can get. First, this week I earned a $1.94.

That makes the yearly total to date: $799.11. For the math people, that's about $27.55 a week.

Ah, yes, life as a D-list writer!

Okay, now the plea. I really feel a zero dollar week coming on. I don't want it. So, I'm willing to sell copies of either my novel, Into the Desperate Country, or my short story collection, Emergency Stopping and Other Stories for $12.00. That will include shipping, handling, and signing. I'll also throw in a book mark that my daughter will make personally with your name on it.

Just send me an email: jcvandez@delta.edu, and we can work out the details.

Please, help me keep the money coming in! I'm serious.

Cormac McCarthy Doesn't Have a Blog

You know you've made it as a writer when you don't have to have a blog in order to talk about yourself ALL the time.

I wrote half a poem today. I read three pages today. I have a story coming out in Dog Poop Review next week. I went to B.L. Owhard's blog today and made a link. I had a thought today. I watched a film last night. I did something. I did something. I did something. Please pay attention to me. Please! What am I without your momentary recognition of me?

Good God, do writers' blogs get boring to read, but we keep doing it.

Why?

Btw, thanks for stopping by.

Block Buster Blues

And, no, I don't have a beef with the movie/dvd store. My problem is with our block buster mentality, especially we writers. We want the new thing, we want to read it momentarily, have its newness make us feel good, and then we discard . . . as though the new thing had no value beyond the moment.

We are so adverse to classics that we refuse to let anything become a classic. Our generation doesn't want classics. It just wants new, new, new. Resonance is dead. Apparently all fictional work becomes meaningless after six months. Or it just gets washed away in a wave of new fiction. Not necessarily great fiction . . . just new.

Think of the movie American Beauty . . . try to remember for a moment how you felt when you watched that movie. I mean, come on . . . the plastic grocery bag scene? That movie was among the best I've ever seen. Who still watches it or talks about it? Maybe a few people . . . but not like some people talk about On the Waterfront. The generations that came before us allowed themselves to revere the past. We are reviled by the past. And, it's a shame because On the Waterfront is still an incredible movie that deals with themes that are still relevant to us. And, American Beauty is still incredible, too, despite its age.

Why don't we talk about older writers very much? How does The Women on the Wall, a strong collection of stories by Wallace Stegner, have nearly no sales rank on amazon. It's SO much better than many of the contemporary collections I've read. The guy was a master writer. What's wrong with that? We should revere and READ our masters. We have to know where we've been to understand where we're going. And, it's not just about the history of the "craft"; it's also about the idea that many of those older books still have something to say.

Just my rant for the day.

Oh, by the way, I'm not saying "to hell with contemporary writing". On the contrary, I think we should be blending our reading. A little from the past, a little from the present. My next book to read is End Credits out from Casperian Books within the past year.

Also, I'm not saying read "classics" necessarily. The Women on the Wall and The Leaning Tower and Other Stories are not considered classics . . . not in the strict sense that Moby Dick is a classic. I'm just saying not to look at publication dates on books like they are expiration dates. You're only hurting yourself if you have the "newest is greatest" mentality.

WeeK Twenty-eight Money Report

Well, here it is, Week 28, and Ihaven't been skunked since way back at Week 2. I managed to sell a few books (through the deal I offered two weeks ago), and so this week saw me turn a profit of $3.60. That brings my yearly total to: $797.17.

In other news, I took my daughter out to Midland's nature center, and she took some pictures with our digital camera. I told her that I would post a few of the pictures to my blog. She was very excited at the idea of having her work appear on the Internet.

She'd probably get a kick out of it if a few people commented on her photos. Keep in mind, she's only six. Don't be too harsh.

How's Every Little Thing?

Week 27 saw profits. $6.52 to be exact, which brings the year's total to . . . $793.57.

The past six days I was in the Upper Peninsula at my mom's house for the holiday. While there, I finished a very good book by Katherine Anne Porter called The Leaning Tower and Other Stories. I'd heard a lot about her, but had read very little. I didn't really care for the first three or four stories in the book because they struck me as character sketches . . . or they were just so subtle that I didn't get them. However, other stories like "The Grave," "A Day's Work," "The Leaning Tower," and "The Downward Path to Wisdom" were excellent, and I can understand why she was so admired. Her characters are very well drawn, and she should be studied for her ability to give her characters both flaws and strengths. "The Downward Path to Wisdom" is a perfect example of her ability to make a reader like and dislike all of the characters simultaneously. Soon, I plan to read her book Ship of Fools.







Before I get to Ship of Fools (or maybe Pale Horse/Pale Rider), I'm going to finish The Women on the Wall by Wallace Stegner. It's a collection of short stories, and so far I have really liked the first three. Stegner does a very good job of starting the story in motion and letting the reader discover what's happening. He brings the reader along for the ride, and trusts his skill enough to let the back story be slowly and subtly revealed.