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.

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    

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

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

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

Poke The Scorpion Publicity Junket Rescheduled for late October

     I try to follow my instincts, and my gut tells me that it's a smarter idea to promote Poke The Scorpion With A Sharp Stick during the actual Scorpio season, which runs from October 23rd through November 21st.  While the book is already out online, it makes more sense to promote it effectively during the boom season for the rest of my tribe, so to speak.  While I'm not superstitious and while I don't cling to too many pat philosophies, there are too many parallels and far too many coincidences associated with the Scorpio sign that are worth giving tribute to.  The entire book is devoted to the Scorpio mentality along with scorpions as a species.
     While my poetry collections make up a very small percentage of my overall revenue, the new book is still worth hitting the road and promoting.  Some people shut down instantaneously when you even mention the word poetry, so they're not going to even be receptive.  Other people's ears perk up at the notion of something new and innovative.  Others can be converted given the right circumstances.  That's the market I'm going after.  It's my wish to incorporate a few readings, signings and related events along with some old tricks that have worked in the past.  Mark McElligott will be joining me on the journey in Buffalo and beyond.  The Monsters Of Verse will get back into the habit this fall with a few coffee houses and a few bookstores.  I'm entertaining the idea of even doing some guest bartending stints just for the hell of it.
     Breathing Room Volume I was wildly successful considering the miniscule hopes I had for it.  Volume II did just okay by comparison, but it was weirder, so that's okay.  The few people who picked up the first batch of Scorpion books have called it 'the best poetry book I've written so far.'  It may be my last.  Locking into that frame of mind is difficult to do, but I'd be happy to go out on a high note where poetry is concerned.
     Please enjoy your summers and free up a few weekends in late October and November.  Poke The Scorpion will be hitting you where it hurts soon enough.  In the mean time, I'll be crouched in a small dark place waiting to strike.  Like most scorpions.
Thanks for staying tuned,
Tom Waters 

Poke The Scorpion Book Giveaway!

This month I'll be giving away three random signed copies of Poke The Scorpion With A Sharp Stick.  What do you have to do to get it? 

1. 'Like' Poke The Scorpion on FB by following this link:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/poke-the-scorpion-with-a-sharp-stick-selected-poems-2008-2011/16130225?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

2. Rate the book on lulu.com.

3. Post a link on your Twitter, FB, Google + or any other website you may have.

4. Leave  a comment on this post.

5. Drop me an email at bigwordsmailbag@yahoo.com with 'Contest' in the subject heading.

            Final deadline is August 1st, 2011.  Whether you live in Buffalo or beyond, I'll hold a random drawing at the end of July.  If you're local I'll hand you a copy at the first scheduled reading or signing for Poke The Scorpion in August.  If you live out of state or in another country, I'll send you a signed copy out of pocket.  I'd like to launch this book with a bang and I need your help to do it!

Game on,

Tom Waters 

Poke The Scorpion With A Sharp Stick: 30% Off Soft Launch Orders!

Here we go again…

            It's July 1st and (as promised), I'm proud to announce the heavily discounted soft launch of Poke The Scorpion With A Sharp Stick, my third collection of angry, funny and oversexed poetry.  While I wouldn't say that this go round is tamer than Breathing Room Volume I and II, it is softer somehow.  I wrote the bulk of the book right before and right after my wedding, so there's a soft sense of acceptance and inner peaceto the body of work that sets it apart from the other two books.  I'm very proud of the collection for the leap forward in originality as well as the design and the format.  For those of you willing to take a chance on something different, you won't be disappointed.  From now until August (when I plan on promoting the book in Buffalo), Scorpion will be 30% off if you buy direct on lulu.com.  Here's your quick link:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/poke-the-scorpion-with-a-sharp-stick-selected-poems-2008-2011/16130225

            After four solid months of interviews, press releases, and appearances for Mockery, I'm ready for a break.  Mark McElligott, Dave 'The Real Deal' Waters and I have one more outing at Brennan's Bowery Bar next Sunday (The Brennan's Boxed Trifecta) on Sunday, July 10th at 6 p.m. and then I've got a month off before we kick back into high gear.  I've never felt that summer was a good time to promote because there are too many other events going on to compete with, so we'll be resting up and waiting out the season before we get right back into it this fall. 

            For those of you who helped to make Mockery my fastest-selling book, thank you.  It's on target to be my best-selling humor collection to date by year's end.  There's a momentum to all of this that seems to be catching up to me this year in a good way.  Hopefully most of you will make the leap of faith over to Scorpion and join me for the second half of this year.  Things are only going to get better from here on out.  There's a lot left to accomplish. 

Enjoy your 4th of July and buy my new damned book!

Tom Waters