Yes folks, I finally got around to writing the book. It only took forty-some-odd years. But what the heck, I got it done. I did the whole deal. Wrote it, edited it, sent it to a real editor. Rewrote it. Sent it around to folks to read (them call ’em “beta readers” in the book biz…). Got a lot of great feedback, both positive and negative. Changed it around some more.
Sent it to another real editor.Started looking for a book agent. Finding an agent is like trying to carry a double armload full of chicken livers. I’m not sure it’s possible in this day and age, unless you don’t happen to actually need one. They live in a rarified world, and it’s pretty much impossible for a first time book hack like me to win one over. So, after several months of fishing around, I decided to just publish it myself. We live in a time when it’s possible to publish, print, and promote a book, all from your laptop. So, that’s what I set out to do.
In the meantime, I started going through boxes of old photos of Gizmo and me, news clippings from the ride, slides, old film, and whatever media I had that I could use. Ended up with a bazillion photos and started sifting through ’em. I hadn’t looked at most of them in many years–decades, really–and they brought back a whole lot of memories, and jogged my mind with lots of things I’d forgotten about. Just going through all those pictures was worth the price of admission, I reckon.
So, I was able to piece it all together (with the help of some knowledgeable friends), and out pops this book. You can check it out on Amazon, here: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Horse-Long-Across-America-ebook/dp/B075821TZ7/
Amazingly, it’s getting really good reviews. Of course, I was smart enough to keep Gizmo up front, and you can’t go wrong with having a horse on the cover. Everyone likes horses, so having Gizmo as a pal is still paying dividends.
And even though I’ve been in the publishing business in a roundabout way for a long time, producing records for musicians, I must admit that I’m finding it pretty compelling to be a very small cog in the giant machine that makes up the book world. It’s all new and uncharted territory for me. And if there’s one thing I’ve always been a sucker for, it’s a new trail.
Wish me luck. I think I’m gonna need it.
PS: here’s a link to Writer’s Thesaurus
