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I wonder if Gutenberg had as much trouble with his press as I've had with my format issues for my book. Self publishing is an adventure, a challenge, and yes I do appreciate the big NY brickhouses more. However, I soldier on and (shameless plug here), I am on Amazon Kindle - My Zoo World is available for download. Print edition coming soon (fingers crossed).

Back to Gutenberg. An article caught my eye (Dallas Morning News 10/15/11 p. 14A) about Germans in Cologne who have set up free-for-all libraries. Street corners, city squares, and super markets - shelves are available and books are donated and shared. Very cool concept. No questions asked. Take a book, leave a book, read and enjoy.

The project is open and financed by donations. Volunteer groups care for the shelves. The branch manager of Cologne's Mayersche Buchhandlung book store, Elmar Muether, said, "If books are present everywhere, it helps our business, too.". It's promotion versus competition. If someone gets hooked on an author, he or she is more likely to seek out and buy other books.

Anything to promote reading has to be a positive for society as a whole. Das ist gut!

Word Nerds Unite

It was a dark and stormy night...

Well, not really. It was a rainy dreary Saturday (5/2/09) and Sunday (5/3/09) Writers, agents, and publishers met at the Grapevine, Texas Convention Center for two rousing days of inspiration, perspiration, and motivation. Face it - it was a Word Nerd convention and I'm proud to be a member.

DFW Writers did a fabulous job of coordination. Close to 200 people attended. Forty workshop session were offered and the choices varied between learning the craft (dialogue, senses, and more) or discussing the new economic realities of publishing (traditional versus hybrid versus self).

Pitch sessions with agents proved the catalyst for nerves. Eager authors had ten minutes to tap dance a winning spiel before a selection of agents. Words to gladden the heart, "Send me a synopsis and three chapters." Yes, I heard those words and it made my day.

Now, I need to digest what I learned over this intense but exhilarating weekend. The final speaker I heard was Jeff Crilley, former Fox 4 anchor now publicist. The sheer joy he took in writing his book "Free Publicity", getting it self published, and now speaking about it (plus blowing bubbles) was infectious.

Work and write harder and have fun with it. Word nerds unite.

Joanne