I am now a published author!
 

Took twenty years to get it done, but a journal I kept during my senior year of high school is now transformed into a book! Won't make it into the New York Times bestseller list but it's something I've prepared to commemorate my high school's upcoming 20-year reunion this Labor Day weekend.

Here's the marketing blurb for the book:
It's available right now in paperback; the hardcover copy should be available in about 4 weeks. Any of you interested in purchasing the book, click on the link above.

CONGRATS!!!

Felicidades!
 

I work with 2 2001 NM senior high grads and one of them got a kick out of seeing the book! She says she loves Mr Hudak. Apparently he goes to school on a skateboard!

Good luck and congrats again!

:D

Re: Felicidades!
 

Yep, he's been riding a skateboard to and from school for over 25 years. From his apartment in Miami Beach to the Metrobus stop and then across the Broad Causeway to North Miami, where he skateboards the rest of the way to school about 10 blocks north of the bus stop.

Spoke to him over the phone a couple of weeks ago and he's doing fine... he's already got an invite to our reunion!

Congrats! :)

WOW!!! Congrats!!!

As a rival to North Miami..... (NORTH MIAMI BEACH IS BETTER :p GO CHARGERS!!!) LOL u know im messing...all in good fun ;)

I will of course pick up this book....see how the pioneers were like all those years ago...

its cool to have a book written about an area i know alot about...
congrats and good luck at your reunion...what a great accomplishment...
congrats
:D

Yay, congratulations! I'm so impressed--I always wanted to have something of mine published, and I really admire people who have the motivation to do it! :)

I might buy it, since I finished Harry Potter a couple nights ago and I need something to read now!

Congrats!

:D
GO PIONEERS!
(Still bleed green and gray (our school's colors) after all these years!) ;)

BTW North Miami Beach's Class of '83 is also having their 20-year reunion that same weekend and at the same hotel (Fort Lauderdale Marina Marriott), but in a different ballroom. Do have quite a few Pioneers that married Chargers and vice versa, so both schools got together to at least save money on having separate events on different weekends.

Wow, congrats! That is an amazing accomplishment.

Congratulations! This is so exciting for you! :)

Congrats!!! :)

Congratulations!! :D

Congratulations, AlphaSigOU, on your getting published!

Do you have any advice for this aspiring mystery writer?

http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmili.../pinkieone.gif http://216.40.249.192/s/contrib/blac...milecrunch.gif http://216.40.249.192/s/otn/wink/smily012.gif

Basically, never let rejection get you down.

I had my book published by the print-on-demand (POD) publishing house iUniverse (www.iuniverse.com). Basically POD means just that, the book is prepared to order; there's no stock of books you have to buy or keep in storage.

Granted, traditional publishers scoff at POD houses as being nothing more than a modern-day vanity or 'subsidy' press, but when whatever you've written is focused to such a narrow audience (as my book is) most traditional publishers aren't interested, especially with first-time authors.

For $200, iUniverse will publish your book in trade paperback format; it's another $200 to have it done in hardcover (though I did take advantage of a promotion last month that got the hardcover done for free). Within a week or so you get proofs back of your book and an opportunity to make any changes. You're entitled to 50 changes at no charge, so it would behoove you to have most of your major revisions and editing done before submitting. They will also design cover art as well or you can submit a design of your own. You'll then receive a revised proof with corrections; if all is well, then the book is scheduled for publishing. People can begin ordering the book as soon as it appears in the iUniverse store. You get one free book with the submission; if you choose the Premier program, you get five books.

As far as marketing your book is concerned, you're generally on your own. iUniverse supplies you with a basic book marketing kit with your submission, but nickel-and-dimes you with additional fees for manuals on how to market and distribute your book. If you want a third-party editor to review the book and make suggestions, they charge $200; however, based on sales and editorial scoring, your book could become an 'Editors Choice' book, and they usually take care of those books that might have a fighting chance in the mainstream.

I highly recommend that you have a literary agent shop your manuscript around first and see if it is something they're interested in before going to iUniverse. My literary agent is Christina Arneson (also a fellow classmate of mine from high school); she's part of the Intellectual Property Management Group (http://users.erols.com/veritas/ipm.htm). She has a very funny book out: How to Aggravate A Man Every Time... and have him beg for more! Likewise their website has some tips for aspiring authors

That's basically it in a nutshell. I was quite surprised how quick the turnaround was from submission to print. Any questions, please feel free to PM me.