My publisher, a small press in Calgary has informed me that due to financial constraints, he has to liquidate stock. ICED UNDER and a few other books have been turfed from his list. I was given the option of buying the remaining books from the distributor or they would be sent to the shredder.
The investment wasn't huge but as I'm not employed at the moment, it was a tough call. In the end I opted to buy the books thinking they were kind of an income, right? I can live on the sales, right? I had visions of me tootling along Quebec country roads, selling my book at fairs and at flea markets out of the back of the car. Just like Diane Keaton in Baby Boom. The spectacular fall colour, the crisp country air....
I have 10 boxes of books in my office. I'll be on the road for years selling it! I must have been out of my mind. This morning, attempting to address the situation, I listed with Alibris, a handy online service that helps with this sort of thing. They ensure the book remains listed on all the major bookstores websites and when an order comes in, I fulfill it. Me. From this office. You betcha.
I shouldn't complain. Before the Internet, there was no choice for writers but to spend hours on the road. Margaret Atwood described dragging copies of her newly published book of poetry to a reading on a sled in a severe snowstorm. And then only a couple of guys showed up just to get in out of the cold.
Now that's commitment.
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