learning by learning

Well, I've been plugging away trying to get my book to be formatted properly with Blurb.com's "booksmart" editor. There are no default poetry book settings it seems. The text flow thing keeps readjusting itself in ways I don't want. I will have to, I figured out last night, I think: import each piece separately perhaps. (or maybe do it up in word and save as a pdf and then import it. the margins may work better) All their "help" stuff is on videos, I'd much rather read a few lines of FAQ than sit through videos to see if they solve my issue.

I do however like how easy it was to make a spanking nice cover. I have that part all figured out. Given myself the next week (til payday) to figure out the formatting. The little chapbook I was going to publish is now an actual book of poetry at 80+ pages. I think I will also then apply for an ISBN number through the Gubmint.(sic) Then I can bring it to bookstores maybe?

I am getting antsy that and having a lot of self doubt about being ale to save enough cash to do this project. Luckily I can order as many or as few book as I can afford at a time, and the cost is no less or more than a regular actual publisher would charge you for your books.

But to get to the learning by learning... I feel that I am by thinking of this book project and working on it everyday, learning a lot about how to get some confidence about my writing and my ability to perhaps carve out some kind of discipline from the block of angst,repression & fear that is my creative life. Already in the planning stages I have two more book publishing ideas. One a book of photo-shopped all to hell photos illustrating my eventually complete Arthurian Cycle of poems... which so far aren't really connected, by much other than tone. I'm hoping the photo help me to bring that all together.

Secondly I'd like to do a similar project with my previous chapbook "Like Bukowski In Drag"... planning to do both an e-version of that (as well as all these other ones) as well as a 3rd edition/printing as a "Deluxe hardcover edition with some new poems added, and a lot of artwork as well. Both these projects are in the very early planning stages, and I will update about them as I make progress.

Then there is the novel writing.

My novel that I started last year about this time has been simmering lately in the back of my brain. My plan with that is to have a decent readable/editable first draft done by the spring. Edit it all summer, then publish it myself in the Fall next year. Why no submissions to pub houses? Impatience. i'm going to plow my own fields. I am not adverse however to some house picking up any of my books for more "mainstream editions" if that were ever to happen.

Getting yourself out there and known even in tiny circles as someone producing work that people hopefully enjoy is really all that I'm after. I'd love to be able to supplement my job and perhaps even work there a bit less and more on the writing.

someday. Now to work.