I send out an irregular newsletter, usually 4-7 times per year, whenever there's enough news and enough stuff going on to make it worthwhile. To bribe the loyal readers of the thing, I always include a personal essay which I pledge will never be published elsewhere; something about knowing I'm writing mostly for enthusiastic fans tends to allow me to let what remains of my hair down and talk frankly about all sorts of things, and this particular one is both about a major issue in my work and highly personal. Anyway, if you'd like to be added to the newsletter mailing list, use the email link at right, and let me know, and I'll send this one along. As always, it also includes some bargains and goodies for newsletter subscribers.
I'm now experimenting with putting Raise the Gipper! up on line; it's getting good critical reception and a steady dribble of sales, but my feeling is that it is more likely to die of obscurity than of oppobrium or piracy, so I posted Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 today ( June 23) and will post a chapter a day from here on till the whole thing is up; I'm planning to take it down July 27.
Why those dates? At a chapter a day, I think some people may get hooked into reading it online. And my feeling is that there needs to be chatter about the book at least a month before the Republican Convention, at which it is set (unlike the book, it will probably not feature either an invasion of evil batlike aliens nor the rancid resurrection of Zombie Reagan to give them all what they really want). So let's see what happens if I turn it loose free (everyone's favorite price) for about one month, and leave it up till about a month before the convention.
Maybe it'll kill my trickle of sales, maybe it will result in an immense bestselling flood of pirate editions from which I make nothing, or maybe -- and here's what my bet is -- people who like it will buy it, for reasons ranging from wanting to pay me for the entertainment I provided, to wanting a good laugh, to getting impatient at the chapter a day price. And I'm hoping it will get people talking. So we'll see. Worst that can happen, I wasted a couple days putting all this together. Best? Well, that's what I'd like to see.
