Book Reading & Signing @Milkie's On Elmwood This Sunday With Diane Meholick & Justin Karcher!

     My Fall/Winter slate of book readings and signings kicks of this Sunday at Milkie’s On Elmwood from 4-8 p.m.  Admission is free and I’ll be offering discounts on bundled book purchases!  I thought it would be fun to team up with some other local artists and musicians this year, so I’ll be doing a Round-Around-Robin with science fiction author Diane Meholick (Buffalo Stories, Painting Katherine, A Switch In Time) as well as young upstart Justin Karcher (Tailgating At The Gates Of Hell).  I’m firming up some other readings in November, December and beyond, but this one should be a real blast!  A poet, an essayist and a science fiction writer walk into a bar…there’s a good joke in there somewhere.  We’ll get ot the bottom of it this Sunday!

We hope to see you there!

Tom

2015 Reading & Signing Announced April 12th @Milkie's On Elmwood!

     In the midst of implementing my overall plan for 2015, I've spent a few weeks working with Ed Becher, the booking agent for Milkie's On Elmwood.  After a volley of emails and phone calls, we finally scheduled, booked and confirmed a date and time for my first reading and signing of the year.  Here are the details: 

Book Reading & Signing w/local humor author Tom Waters 

Sunday, April 12th 2 p.m.-4 p.m. 

Milkie's On Elmwood 522 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo 

(716)882-5881 Admission is free.  

Signed first edition books available from $15.  

     

     I've been hearing a lot of great things about Milkie's lately.  It's refreshing to discover so many new businesses in the city who are open to 'out of the box' promotions as well as supporting local artists.  This is an event that I'm really looking forward to.  With a four month lead time, I hope you all have time to join me! 

     As far as Icarus On The Mend: Memoirs Of A Manic Depressive goes, I am over the tipping point on the limited print run of special edition hardcovers sold.  There are now less than 25 copies available for sale.  Hopefully I will still have some copies on hand for the Milkie's reading.  If you are interested in a signed hardcover and would like one beforehand, I can be reached at: 

bigwordsmailbag@yahoo.com 

     

     That's all for today.  I'm sure I'll be booking some other readings this year, but Milkie's may be the only reading I commit to before autumn arrives.

New Year, New Deal

New Year, New Deal

2015 is going to be an exciting year for me as well as my company, Doubt It Publishing.  For the first time in my life I have a solid battle plan as well as the means to implement it.  My vision for the next year in a nutshell is this: Expanding the legacy I have and preserving it at the same time.  While some of you may argue that 'legacy' is too strong a word, let me proactively counter by saying that every one of us leaves a legacy in our wake either intentionally or unintentionally.  If I'm being optimistic, I've still got half of a lifetime left.  I'd like to make it count.  What follows is a specific outline of my plans for the radio show, the video show, my own bibliography and a possible catalog for Doubt It Publishing in the coming year:
I don't want to lose what I've already accomplished.  Discovering that The Big Words I Know By Heart Radio Hour had gone offline and off the grid on iTunes (as a direct result of the website Mevio closing their doors) really stung.  To date, I've ported the 100+ episodes of Big Words Radio twice to two different websites.  The process is arduous and time intensive.  I really didn't want to see the show disappear forever from public view.  Thankfully (as a result of my renewed passion for reading), I stumbled onto a website that will hopefully never go away.  It's a non-profit project to preserve the best of the internet for generations to come encompassing audio, text and video.  Think of it as a PBS for the information age.
The website I'm referring to is the Internet Archive.  I've been secretly and quietly uploading episodes of The Big Words I Know By Heart Radio Hour chronologically and placing them there in what I hope is their final resting place.  They've been uploaded under a Public Domain license, which means that anyone who reaches my shows can listen if they like, share with whomever they like or download the shows for free.  Episode V was just uploaded yesterday, and I'll continue to post the entire catalog as the year plays out.  You can view, listen and download the current shows available here: The Big Words I Know By Heart Radio Hour.  If you listen or download, please take the time to write a brief review of the episodes you peruse.
As for Big Words Video, there are some amazing shows in store for you all and they are all confirmed and booked through to the very end of 2015.  Filmmaker and comic book proprietor Emil Novak (Queen City Bookstore) will be my guest in two weeks.  Who else is coming on?  'Dr. Dirty' himself John Valby, Graham Nolan (the comic creator of Batman's Bane), Public publisher Geoff Kelly and possibly Tom Sartori, to name just a few.  I've learned from producing four years of the radio show that it's a smart move to plan ahead, always have a backup plan and always be prepared.  Filming the show (as opposed to interviewing guests over the phone or via Skype) has forced me to give the content more of a local focus.  There is a wellspring of talented writers, comedians, musicians and other entertainers with no sign of drying out, and I will continue to help celebrate the homegrown talent we have on hand locally and regionally until further notice.
  Big Words Video Episode I: 'Hang In There, Baby!' has already passed the 400 view mark on YouTube and from what I'm seeing, it looks like the show keeps picking up new viewers with every episode.  Not only that, but the people who watch appear to be cycling back through the other shows as well.  Later this month I'll be exclusively filming on location at the 2014 Buffalo Night Life Music & Club Awards, and with more equipment and a looser leash on Youtube just around the corner, you can expect to see a marked increase in show production in late August when Big Words Video kicks off Season Two.  In the meantime, you can support the show by 'Liking' and 'Sharing' it on Youtube as well as Subscribing to my YouTube Videos (bigwordsmailbag@yahoo.com) for the Bonus Episodes as well as my producer's (Richard Wicka).  It's been a great deal of fun so far and it's just going to get better.
As for my books, I own all publishing rights to the last 8 out of the 12 books that I've penned since 2002.  There's a larger plan for that too, but I don't know if I'll have the time or the resources to get around to that particular wrinkle.  As a reluctant and late adopter to the digital revolution, I am hard at work designing multi-format ebooks for my entire catalog.  I can't give you an exact date because I want to make sure that it's done right (and some editing may be applied to each individual title before they go live), but I can promise you that by year's end, Mockery and no less than one other title from the Doubt It Publishing roster will be available on iBooks, Kindle format and all other ebook devices.
As far as BuffaloComedy.com, my alliance with editor Kristy Rock will continue until at least October of this year.  The freedom I've been allowed on the site to write, do and say as I please has been much-needed, and it's a comfort to know that my sense of humor is still intact after weathering one of the most tumultuous times in my life.  Her only request was one for positivity, and that single instruction has helped to drastically change my writing, which is directly coloring the content to Travesty, my next book.
Where Travesty is concerned, there is less than a third of the book left to pen.  That being said, I am in no hurry, and it will not be released until it is near-perfect.  After writing 12 books and releasing 15 in the short span of 11 years, I sincerely feel that I don't have anything to prove anymore, and should subsequently relax and take my time with any future endeavors.  Travesty may come out later this year or early next year.  Unfortunately I can't be any more specific than that.  It will come out when it's ready.
As for Doubt It Publishing, I'm reminded of the near-inescapable fate that many independent music and book publishers eventually reach.  If history is any indicator, I may be doomed to a catalog that largely shares my last name.  I wish this wasn't so, and will try to do what I can to combat it.  The doors are still wide open for local or regional authors looking to find a home for their work.  I am going to put on my thinking cap this year and try to find some viable writing talents with fresh and subversive voices fighting for the chance to be heard.  If you or someone you know has written a great manuscript that has a fighting chance in a competitive marketplace, queries and sample chapters can be sent to my attention at: bigwordsmailbag@yahoo.com.  More on this as the year unfolds.
Where readings and signings are concerned there will be more, plain and simple.  The last two readings were very successful financially, so it would be foolish not to continue.  Once the winter months recede, you can count on me hitting the road with a PA system, a few boxes full of books and a bicycle horn.  Now that I'm older I don't see the benefit of booking three and four appearances a week for three month campaigns anymore, but I'll be picking and choosing some select venues and peppering them throughout the summer and fall.
This is a remarkable time in my life and I'm grateful for the cornucopia of opportunities (and mediums) I have to channel all of my creative needs.  As always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the trip with me.

Starting 2015 with a bang,
Tom

Striking Gold At The Western New York Book & Arts Center

     The Book Reading & Signing today at the WNY Book & Arts Center was something of a fourth quarter Hail Mary.  Is that an appropriate sports metaphor?  I certainly don't know.  At any rate, attendance wasn't looking too good from the outset, but a really nice crowd showed up from Amherst, Depew, Lancaster and Buffalo proper, and not only that, they showed up with money!  I'm very grateful to have readers who know that the best way to support local, living authors is with their wallets.  I'm a happy camper after this particular reading, and I certainly wouldn't mind circling back to WNYBAC again some day.  After two readings in two months, though, this old dog is tired.  That's it for the live promotions for a little while, at least.  Maybe I'll see you all on the front lines sometime in the spring.  In the meantime, here's a clip from today's 2 hour marathon reading:

Thanks are in order to Rosemarie Williams at WNYBAC as well as all of you who came near and far to see me.  As far as the YouTubes go, you'll see me (not the other way around) in less than two weeks!

Sharing the Buffalove (ugh...),

Tom Waters

Travesty Back On Track, Icarus In A Holding Pattern

It's astonishing how much effort goes into maintaining an existing bibliography.

Even if I never wrote another word, there's still always work to do.  Updating bios, links & the book list itself, porting galleys over to new devices, selling from my current inventory when I'm not even expecting it and overhauling or editing from my database of essays.  It's not a full time job, but to do it properly it probably could be.
Last week I said that it would only be a matter of time before I started writing again.  Well, that time has come.  I dusted off the current manuscript for Travesty (the follow up book for Mockery) and started quietly adding to it.  Working on any project (like the new video show) sparks a certain momentum in the creative part of my brain, so everything else is falling into place.  A third of the Travesty  book is already complete, which leaves roughly a hundred more pages.  Piece of cake.
It occurred to me a few days ago that I've had a book published (under the Doubt It Publishing imprint or through other publishers) every other year for the past twelve years.  That doesn't even seem real to me.  I just plug along and write one essay at a time.  They pile up into a book, the book gets put together, proof read, designed and packaged, released and then promoted.
Icarus On The Mend: Memoirs Of A Manic Depressive was a much different project than anything I'd worked on up to that point (2010-2012).  It took a lot out of me, and I wanted to take a break after writing it.  Due to personal problems, the limited print run hardcover was never effectively promoted in clubs, stores or libraries.  I'm not done with it yet, but I'm certainly not going to promote it at present.
The idea for Travesty was largely inspired by working with Mark McElligott on publishing and promoting his book, Random Thoughts From A Broken Mind.  He reminded me that essays (rants, whatever you'd like to call them in this day and age) don't HAVE to be sixteen pages long and that often, they're funnier and punchier when they're short.  I went back to basics when I started writing Travesty.  When I first started writing consistently for a deadline (for the Clarence High School Advocate, which I was also the Editor In Chief on), I punched out essays on a Brother electric typewriter and wrote each one in one sitting.  Essays (at heart) are designed by nature to be written (or read) in one sitting.  They shouldn't be an ordeal that's digested piecemeal.  There's a real joy in returning to the roots of how I got started in this messy business to begin with.
If time (and routine, and my track record) is any indicator, Travesty will be in readers' hands by the fall of 2015.  I have no timetable for the mass market two volume trade paperback launch of Icarus On The Mend.  When all 50 copies of the limited run hardcovers have found a home, Icarus will fly again, so to speak.
And I've been mulling over sharing some of the new writing on my official web site: Big Words I Know By Heart.  I don't want to give the entire book away, but I'll drop a morsel this Friday just to give you a taste of what's going into the pot.  This Friday I'll post 'Your Great American Novel', an essay about the aggravations of being approached when people find out that you're a writer.  After seven days online, it's going back into the vault.  Sound fair?

See you all in three days time,
Tom Waters    

Final Artwork For Icarus On The Mend Limited Run Hardcover by Six Shot Studios

Preliminary Artwork Compliments Of Six Shot Studios For Icarus On The Mend: Memoirs Of A Manic Depressive

October 25th is right around the corner...

Doubt It Publishing @The Buffalo Small Press Book Fair

The show must go on!

While I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend or not due to work obligations, Doubt It Publishing will have a table at the event along with a catalog of books on sale at The Buffalo Small Press Book Fair.  Doubt It authors Mark McElligott (Random Thoughts From A Broken Mind) and David Waters (12 Priests & 3 Gnomes) will be at the event to hawk their wares, sign some books and meet and greet with attendees.  The boys will also have copies of If They Can't Take A Joke, Slapstick & Superego, Mockery and Poke The Scorpion With A Sharp Stick for sale. 

This will be the third year that Doubt It Publishing will participate in the event.  The Buffalo Small Press Book Fair takes place on Saturday, March 24th at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum in downtown Buffalo from noon-6 p.m.  For more information, feel free to visit:  http://www.buffalosmallpress.org/  

Buy our books already!

Tom Waters

Publisher, Author

Doubt It Publishing  

The Willy Wonka Theorem

            Time to face facts.  Doubt It Publishing cemented the publishing house with Voices From The Herd: An Anthology For Buffalo, NY.  Despite the time involved, anthologies are an easy project to attract local writers.  The project was a colossal success and the proceeds that the book has earned for The Just Buffalo Literary Center will resonate for years to come.   

            Lightning struck twice when heretofore unknown Mark McElligott sent his manuscript along for Random Thoughts From A Broken Mind, which was easily one of the funniest books I've read in fifteen years.  While Mark (and the contents of his book) aren't exactly family friendly, we found a niche for his talent and his book continues to entertain while finding a new audience.    

            The open reading submission for 2011 was less than satisfactory.  I'm slightly saddened to announce that there won't be any Doubt It Publishing Author Of The Year this year because, truth be told, I put all of my eggs in two or three baskets.  Not one, but three promising manuscripts passed my desk that held promise.  One had potential but it wasn't polished enough.  Another had stellar character development but the author's needs and requests were unreasonable.  The final project was perfect but the person behind the collection couldn't commit.

            I've spent the last ten years interviewing writers to find out what works and what doesn’t.  What behaviors succeed, what personality traits work and which ones don't.  In the same sense, I've spent a lifetime learning what it means to run a successful publishing business.  Many schools in the music business open their doors to anyone willing to collect a paycheck and find themselves on the verge of bankruptcy within a few years.  Other ventures weed out new creative endeavors after a short time and turn to subsidy publishing, choosing only to publish and copyright their own work. 

            Doubt It Publishing is an ideal.  A publishing house that was built to foster new, subversive and talented Buffalo authors and save them from the pitfalls and aggravations that I've gone through for the last ten years.  This won't be a vanity house and it won't be a catch-all for any author coming down the pike.  It has to be an imprint that welcomes those of you promising enough to make the cut who are willing to put as much work into promoting your book as you did writing it. 

            2012 is a wash.  The Doubt It Publishing docket for this year has failed.  So we grow, evolve and adapt.  Here's the decision moving forward: The Call For Submissions will be year round from here on out.  As the Publisher and Editor In Chief, I will no longer depend on any one writer or any one manuscript.  There will no longer be a six month reading period.  If you have a promising work and you want to publish and promote it next year, I want to work with you.  The business model remains.  I'm still looking for one book to work with, but I'm swinging the submission gates wide open. 

            Tell me what you've been working on, Buffalo.  You've got all year to do it, and every year from here on out. 

Please send your sample chapters, query letters or entire manuscripts to: bigwordsmailbag@yahoo.com   

Out With The Old, In With The New

2011 was truly a banner year all around.  If someone told me this time last year that I’d launch three books in the span of 8 months while working on two more and holding down a full time job, I’d tell them they were nuts.
Mockery got better media exposure than my last three books combined and went on to sell more copies faster than any other book I’ve released.  In terms of sales it’s second only to If They Can’t Take A Joke.  It continues to sell steadily even though the inaugural push is over with.
Mark McElligott’s Random Thoughts From A Broken Mind was a resounding breakout success from a talented and previously unheard of writer.  Together we managed to find a larger audience for his idiosyncratic brand of humor in his hometown of Lockport as well as throughout Buffalo.  And while there was no real launch campaign for Poke The Scorpion With A Sharp Stick, it’s turned a tidy profit since its release in August that would make its previous poetry predecessors proud.  The collection was received as an entertaining step forward compared to both Breathing Rooms.
            Somehow this year I also managed to get banned from Time Warner Cable and earned a film credit for the music video ‘I Wanna Be Oprah’ (which is still available on YouTube).  I guess we can chalk both up to being in the right place at the right time.
            As far as Big Words Radio, Season 4 turned out to be the magic number.  Somehow despite the over-the-top comedy and subversive, offensive content the show turned out to be the Little Podcast That Could, finding an audience of over 3,000 listeners per month.  Season 5 promises to be just as crass and irreverent as it’s always been, so stay tuned!
The next two years should be light duty compared to this one.  I’m putting the finishing touches on Icarus On The Mend: Memoirs Of A Manic Depressive before working on the cover and interior design with cover artist Derek Patrick Evoy and graphic designer Brian Platter (Six Shot Studios) for a firm signed and numbered (50 copies only) hardcover release date of October 25th, 2012.  Exactly one year later the book will appear again in two trade paperback volumes for the general public.
It remains to be seen whether there will be a 2012 Doubt It Publishing Author Of The Year.  The book I devoted countless time into proofreading, editing and consultation on fell through due to contract negotiations and after Voices From The Herd I have zero interest in extending a call for submissions.  I am working with someone on something else but time will tell if the concept bears fruit or not.
Thanks for such a spectacular year, everybody.  I look forward to a productive and financially successful New Year!

Sincerely,
Tom Waters

Early Concept Art for Icarus On The Mend by Derek Patrick Evoy

Book Signing Dec.4th @Talking Leaves Elmwood w/Mark McElligott

After a four month flurry of promotions together, Mark McElligott and I are still a bit tired and weary.  Nevertheless, we are planning some book events during the busy holiday season.  On Sunday, December 4th, we'll both be at Talking Leaves on Elmwood from 4-6 pm signing copies of Poke The Scorpion With A Sharp Stick, Mockery and Mark's breakout hit Random Thoughts From A Broken Mind.  All three books will be available for $15.  Talking Leaves currently has all three books in stock at both their Elmwood and Main St. locations.

I'm also in the process of setting something up at Dog Ears Books in South Buffalo for December, so stay tuned for news about that.  On top of that, Mark's shown an interest in booking an event at Café Karma in Lockport, so odds are strong that we'll book something for him there. 

Even when we're not busy, we're busy.  I'm promoting lightly on Poke The Scorpion until my calendar frees up, so please try to make it out to Talking Leaves if you want a copy.  My time for the next month is deeply invested in proof-reading an editing a possible manuscript for next year and everything else is on a back burner for the time being.  While my poetry books have never been blockbusters in terms of sales, they're steady sellers over the years and they mean every bit as much to me as the humor books or other projects. 

We look forward to seeing you in December,

Tom Waters

Roll The Bones

The deadline for next year's manuscripts has come and gone. 

We are now at November 1st and after a few false starts, promising first drafts and possible manuscripts, I'm zeroing in on one book for possible publication next year.  While I'd prefer to put out one quality book by a promising new author every year from here on out, that doesn't mean I'll settle.  This summer I looked at a great first draft by a local horror author.  She and I both agreed that the raw materials for the plot were in place but that it still had some room to grow. 

There were a number of other books that crossed my desk, but they just didn't feel right. 

About a week ago, a new author approached me and sent me a sample chapter.  The quality of her voice as a writer and the audacity of her book (for the genre she's shooting for) caught my eye.  While I've never worked in this genre before, the manuscript itself could be well worthy of branching out and learning the market. 

Doubt It Publishing is still a fledgling publishing house.  We've only been around for four years and (despite newbie concerns), a solid catalog is more important than making money.  At the end of the day, I'd rather have a tiny library I can be proud of than a few dollars poorly earned and quickly spent. 

So I leave you with this.  In a month or two, I'll either publish a new author next year or not.  I'm tickled at the thought of tackling a new genre but it all depends on the small details.  My heart tells me to move forward and create a launching pad for a promising author with an incredible voice.  The logical side I retain is so neglected that I await a memo for an appropriate response. 

Expect great news by January or a year of dormancy.  Everything depends on a second revision.  I wish I could say or reveal more, but there's too much at stake.  Random Thoughts From A Broken Mind  was a diamond in the rough and Mark McElligott and I were proud to bring it into the fold.  I hope that this new project is just as fruitful...

Hopeful,
Tom Waters
Editor In Chief,
Doubt It Publishing

Something Borrowed, Something New

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

To say that the last four years have been interesting would be an understatement.  Fate has guided my career as a writer in directions I could never fathom.  After making more money on two poetry books than I expected (which is why I published them myself), I decided to found my own publishing company (Doubt It Publishing).  After that (with the help of co-editor's Cindy Mantai and Alycia Ripley), we released Voices From The Herd, a non-profit anthology about Buffalo with all of the proceeds being deposited directly to The Just Buffalo Literary Center.  After that, it seemed like a natural step to publish one new author a year, so fate guided my hand again and introduced me to Mark McElligott, a 50 year old cartoonist whose writing was among the funniest I've ever read.  Around the same time, I wrote my autobiography (which isn't coming out until next year).

What has all of this taught me after ten years of freelancing, writing, marketing and publishing?  To follow your hunches and stay out of your comfort zone.  I had a stray thought a few weeks ago to delve into the history of Rushford, NY.  As half a native (spending my summers there as a child and taking two weeks in the off season for the past ten years), I've always loved it there and part of my heart will always belong there.  While I despise history books as a genre and prefer biographies and autobiographies, Rushford is the one subject that I'd be willing to sink my teeth into.

So here's the web site for it.  This was built out of a hope that some of you will find it and find yourselves willing to loan or email me documents, memoirs or heretofore unseen information about the history of Rushford.  When I used to conduct print interviews for Artvoice, I preferred to research my subject backwards and forwards before I even started typing; Rushford won't be any different.  Research on the town has already begun, but this is a new genre for me and a much larger topic than a single artist, so any help I can get would be greatly appreciated.

I'm astonished to find that there isn't much in the way of books in print, web sites or archived data about Rushford.  In Buffalo you can throw a rock and find three books about Niagara Falls, The Appalachian Trail or The Adirondaks.  It's sad that there aren't many books in print about such a beautiful man-made place and that alone solidified my decision to start writing this book.  I've got a three year window to research and write it.  I'd like to give the history of the area the justice it deserves.

Here's where you come in.  If you have any out of print books in your possession, newspaper clippings, maps, old photos of the town or oral history about Rushford (that you can back up), please email me at your earliest convenience at:

bigwordsmailbag@yahoo.com

This is a very long term project with a lot of hard work ahead for me.  Unlike the autobiography, there won't be any play by plays, teasers or behind the scenes spoilers before the book is released.  If you live in Rushford, know something about Rushford that no one else knows or if there's something about the town that you find important to its legacy, please email me.  You have my full attention.

Sincerely,
Tom Waters 

Icarus On The Mend Fetches A King's Ransom, Big Words Radio Wins An Award & Doubt It Publishing Looks For A New Author On The Roster

            With such a large scale project accompanied by an enormous timeline, I thought it would be a natural idea to auction off the original manuscript (along with a copy of the hardcover when it's released).  I started writing Icarus On The Mend last October (in 2010), spent the last two months proof-reading, spell checking and generally filling any gaps in the continuity and continue to put the finishing touches on the second read-through.  The auction started on FB this week and I'm astonished to see that the only copy that anyone can read for the next year is up to $225!  We'll find out how much it fetches by close of business tomorrow. 

            A year from now, Icarus On The Mend will launch on my birthday (October 25th, 2012) in a limited, numbered hardcover edition comprised of 50 copies in an 8.25x10.75 format.  Due to the sheer size of the book (430 pages and counting in 6x9), I had to go bigger in order to make the book cost effective.  I've been working closely with a new artist on the cover concept and he's researching mythology and moths for an acrylic painting due by August 1st.  Returning Doubt It graphic designer Brian Platter (Six Shot Studios) will be designing all three volumes of the book over the course of the next year from the interior to the wraparound cover layout.  Due to the nature (and content) of the book, I'm not in a big hurry to share it with everyone.  Regardless, the book is almost done and there seems to be a very large demand in the market for people to read it.  It's been soothing to have a project that we can all take our time with for once so that we all make sure that the book is as perfect as it's going to be by the time you buy a copy.

            Once we all get around to October of 2013, Icarus On The Mend will come out in two soft cover trade paperback volumes in a 6x9 format with the addition of at least one new chapter.  Brian Platter is working on an original photo reel cover for the first volume along with an identical photo negative for the second. 

            The long term objective for all of this is to release a third volume some twenty years from now as a companion piece to the former two.  Many people have asked me how I can release an autobiography when my life is (in fact) not over with yet.  I decided to start writing it a year ago so that I could retain as much information as possible while it was still instantly retrievable.  After ten years of freelancing, it felt like the right time to reflect on my life in order to prepare for the future.  I also feel that my experience with manic depression might be able to help others coping with the illness, whether it's relatives, friends of those diagnosed or people with the actual diagnosis. 

            The book has already drawn more controversy than I expected and it's not even out yet.  For once I wasn't trying to cause any trouble and it showed up to the party anyway.  The majority of the dissension came from the fact that (in almost every instance), I've used real names in this book.  My intent as to why I'd do this has been called into question and I'm going to address this by saying that there are two ways that you can pen a memoir: You can open up a big gray area where you edit what actually happened and try to apply a complementary image to your life or you can work on being unflinchingly honest about yourself and others.  I haven't compromised my art so far and I'm certainly not going to start now.  I didn't use real names as a marketing ploy and (unless the events reported could have caused someone immediate harm), I didn't use real names to cause anything scandalous.  Again, it felt like the right thing to do and my intentions were genuine. 

            I'm shooting for a $40 price point on the hardcover and a $15 price point on each soft cover.  It's been awhile since I've released a book in hardcover format (If They Can't Take A Joke), so I'm not sure if this will be possible, but that's what we're aiming at.  I appreciate all the feedback that those of you on Facebook have provided in the interim whether it was positive or negative and I'm pretty shocked by the amount of money some of you have been willing to shell out towards the manuscript.  It's been very encouraging and it's given me the initiative for that final push towards polishing off what's left that needs to be done.  This won't be my last book by a long shot, but the production window is buying me enough time for starting a family, taking a long break (if I'm capable of taking it) or the opportunity to focus on other projects and other authors for Doubt It Publishing. 

            Wrapping up, it looks as if The Big Words I Know By Heart Radio Hour is receiving a You Rock award at Bravo on October 22nd to commemorate the Busted Stuff two-party from earlier in the year.  British journalist Joel Meadows will be my distinguished guest on Big Words Radio on October 25th, Richard Wicka will be my guest in November and we're doing the Big Words Finale Show early in December.  The Buffalo News has also accepted my third and final My View submission for the year which should be running some time in October.  They have a three submission cap and one of my goals this year was to hit all three.  There's also one month left for promising Buffalo authors to submit their original manuscripts for possible publication as a 2011 Doubt It Publishing Author Of The Year.  Manuscripts can be sent to: bigwordsmailbag@yahoo.com with 'Submission' in the subject field. 

Have a great rest of the week and thanks for keeping up,

Tom Waters