Sunday, October 6, 2013

On The Road, Again

Yes, the annual pilgrimage to Hershey, PA, to seek antique car parts that probably aren't there is underway.  I found a set of steps for Natasha.  She's twelve, and I don't think she has the spring in her step of a young cat anymore, and I want to help her get up on the bed more easily.  The carpeted wide steps in pet stores sell for around $80 or more, and I didn't want to spend that much. These are very narrow steps -- about 4" deep, more curio display width, I think, but they are about a foot wide.  The stair rails are made of rebar!  The steps are solid wood.  They are propped up with a poorly measured one by four, but Mr. L can fix that.  He pointed the out to me in jest, but I think they may do the job with very minor modification. So, we're lugging cat steps home. 

We may be stopping in a rival shop in that town on the way back -- they have a full set of 1910 Encyclopedia Britannica with index.  Library binding.  Apparently, this is a very valuable series, because it's the last edition where the articles were written by experts in the field without editorial input.  It was published simultaneously in all 29 volumes when previous editions were spread out over a number of years and got outdated before the edition was finished.  I'm thinking I need original paper before politicians started messing with things (realizing that always happens to some extent).  I feel as if I can't believe anything these days, so I'm looking for a factual foundation.  This encyclopedia set would contribute to my paper collection that does this.  It's be great for historical reference, too.

The Good Stuff:
  • Mr L has laid out a pretty good route for the trip, and the plan this year is to retrace steps the same way we came.  
  • I was sick from something earlier this week, and while that wasn't a good thing, I didn't eat much.
  • I'm making small progress toward putting together my Newsletter list.  I'm going to have to delay publication to November, because I can't do a couple of things I need to do while on the road.
The Not So Good Stuff:
  • I've been sick since the first morning of the trip.  I can't tell if I got something at breakfast that didn't agree with me or if I'm suffering the beginnings of a gall bladder attack or something similar.  I'm feeling much better today.
The Week Ahead:
  • Do as much work as I can on watching PLF videos and homework, draft my Fiction Club documents and begin drafting the inaugural newsletter (I've decided it needs to be every other month instead of monthly -- I can do supplements if necessary).  
  • I started working on a template on Aweber today, and was a little baffled by it.  I think I need to do my own template.
  • Stephen thinks I should publish under my own name and not my Nat Rogers pen name.  I'm not opposed to that, but I've been doing non-fiction under my own name.  Thoughts?
  • Survive the grounds at Hershey.  I've been feeling better, but walking around still brings on queasiness and a clammy feeling to my skin -- not as bad today as yesterday, though.
Y'all have a great week.

6 comments:

Wendy said...

Having self-pubbed under a pen name, I can tell you it's a marketing nightmare. You want to market to people you know, but it only works if people know your pen name, so mark classmates and friends you don't see often off your list. If you want a little bit more anonymity, you can use your first and middle initials and maybe use Mr. L's last name if he's willing to share. ;-)

SBB said...

Being published means you give up a bit of anonymity. I know I did, but I also made sure to only give out the info I want to share. My bio in my books says I live in Oklahoma, but it does not list my small town. If any one asks, I tell them I live near Oklahoma City. My landline phone number is unlisted. I don't give out my cell phone number. My answering machine and my voice mail don't identify me, just tell people to leave their message, and it's not in my voice. I have several "throw away" email addresses and use them with people I don't know. My Facebook feed is only to my friends and not the public, except on Stephen B. Bagley Books.

But I want my readers to know who I am so that they know what to expect for good or bad in both my fiction and non-fiction. And there's a lot of spill-over. People read my humor and then look for my mysteries and back and forth.

Wendy makes a good point about marketing to people you know who won't know your pen name. And if you have to tell everyone your pen name, well, that kind of defeats the purpose of a pen name.

Those are my thoughts on it.

Jean said...

Points taken on the pen name. I have to find my original stock art I bought for it and change the author name. (I need to anyway to try to figure out WHO I bought it from and properly credit them -- ugh!!)

I already own my domain name under Mr. L's last name. :D I should use it, because nobody would believe it was real. I was chatting with Holly one day and talking about a book I was reading by an author using the same last name. She said, "No way that's a real name." I paused, and said, "You know, if I used my married name, that's what it would be, so it COULD be a real name." I thought it was hilarious.

SBB said...

So jealous about the encylopedia. I've always wanted a set.

Jean said...

This particular set? They're asking something like $385. There's a set on Amazon for $260. If I get it, you can always have me look something up for you. Or you could come visit it.

Wendy said...

Those are great points, Stephen. I'll keep those in mind.

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