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
