Three years ago today, I uploaded this video to YouTube.
One year ago, I posted this one.
I watched it recently for the first time in a while. I’d been loafing around the house and feeling like a shut-in. It put me in a good mood, as it always does, and reminded me of some good times. That was actually the intended purpose when I started all this — something I could look back on to remind me of the places I’d been.
And that it is.
This being an odd-numbered year, I’ve got nothing to show you today.
I did put out a book recently, though. If you read this blog, you might’ve heard me mention it once or twice.
Here’s a sample chapter for download.
I’m working on putting up a little store on this site with a sales page. I’m going to include a custom inscription for anyone who orders from me. I won’t be able to match Amazon’s price, so I figure it’s the least I can do.
It’s not on Kindle, in case you were wondering. The book has several hundred photos inside, which makes that a tricky proposition, but not something I’d altogether rule out.
I got a call from my publisher on Thursday. They said it’s not selling great on the tables at Barnes & Noble and Borders. The stores will return copies if things don’t turn around.
Apparently the world is not clamoring for my life story.
I’m more or less unphased by that. I put out a book I’m proud of, minus a few details here and there. No one has told me to my face that it’s bad — or emailed it to my face for that matter. Everyone who’s read it seems mildly amused, which was all I was aiming for. I’d like for it to be successful, and I’ll do what I can to move copies, but the feeling of contentment remains either way.
There was a CNN interview brewing, but that went out the window when the Iranian people got all cranky about their totally legitimate and not-at-all-rigged election. For some reason CNN feels the need to provide round-the-clock coverage, which leaves me no time to promote my book. Some folks just have their priorities all out of whack. What can you do?
Plus, ya know, the publishing industry isn’t exactly going through a renaissance. Might as well say it. In switching from the newest medium to one of the oldest, a certain moribund quality seeps in.
Maybe I should’ve just blogged the book, or broken it into 2000 separate tweets to stay hip with what the young people are into. I just really wanted to write a book…or rather, to have written one.
And I did.
If you feel like buying it, that would make my publisher very happy. They would feel less regret over signing a YouTube star to a book deal, and that, by extension, would make me happy.