Latest project

I spent time Monday writing up a news release to use for touting "Texas & Other Planets", which I then posted. I also spent a little time sending out some copies via email. One Texas newspaper features it on their web page, The Colorado City Record. It looks good.

My real purpose is whipping up the press release is to have a story to send the local paper when I hold a signing. My next step is to set up signings. Local (meaning East Texas) chain book stores are few and far between; the only chain really is Hastings, and they are so downtrodden it's a waste of time to go there. I might revisit the one in Longview; I sold seven copies - I think - of "Fantastic Texas" when I visited them in 2010, but otherwise I've visited stores where I sold between 0 and 2 copies. The employees are hapless and stunned, and they don't help authors out at all. Joe Lansdale and I talked about this when I visited the Hastings in Nacogdoches last December.

Independent book stores are probably a much better bet; it was disheartening, though, when the bookstore in Marshall where I debuted "Texas & Other Planets" - and sold 13 copies - back in December closed up shop a month ago. Prospero's will be missed.

The only signing I have set for now is with the Friends of the Library in New Boston next October, but I plan to set up a series of signing between now and then and the end of the year. That's why I spent time working up the news release. Sometime later this year I expect Yard Dog Press will be publishing "Music for Four Hands", my chapbook of stories I wrote with Ed Morris. Then I will have even more books to tout.

I'm thinking about renting a half table for ArmadilloCon in August. With "Fantastic Texas" and "Texas & Other Planets" and "Music for Four Hands", I actually may have some stuff to peddle. Maybe I'll get some copies of GUD, too.