Project Status Report and a few miscellaneous musings

For those of you interested in publishery doings, here's a little status report on the various book etc. projects:

Like a Tree to the Soil: paperback published, book signing accomplished, now working on the hardback!

Haines CD: I received the final list of readings and now need to make the final adjustments to the layout, then send it to Pat Fitzgerald and Susan Todd for checking. I'm looking forward to hearing this--I've never heard John Haines read his work.

Jamie Smith cartoon collections: I'll be sending out the revised RFQ to the printer this week (probably tonight); have to get a signature loan to cover the print cost, etc. I've got one galley each and now just need the sell sheets to send to potential distributors. Jamie came over yesterday and showed me oodles of cool posters he's done. He just gets better and better. Gangly Moose has been the recipient of much of his talent.

Mired in the Health Care Morass: blog in full swing (author on vacation for the nonce), advances received and going out to reviewers, main shipment expected before the end of the month, working on the sell sheet, and expecting the brochures next week. Gulliver's has scheduled a book signing for February 28, although in part that will depend on whether the books get here in time. Might be one week later.

Jorgy: This one's in layout, a slow slog. I'm still working on the graphics, as is Jean Lester, and the design, although pleasing, is a bit complicated, and so it's going slowly--and I hope to god there's no major layout changes, as I'll have to redo substantial portions of the book if so. I'm almost at the point where I have a page count and so can give the printer a final request for quote--and then a price! It's a very interesting history both of Alaska from the 1920s through the end of the century, and a personal tale of aviation in Alaska as experienced by a damn good Native pilot who flew with Northern Air Cargo, Wien, Munz, and a ton of other little airlines and air cargo services. I love books like this: I learn a lot of Alaska history. Jorgensen talks about segregation in Nome, hunting and trapping and mining in Haycock, flying the DEW line, mail runs, tricky airports, the kinds of planes he flew, being in the Alaska Territorial Guard and the Alaska Scouts, lots of interesting stuff. There's a bunch of nifty pictures, too.

Ann Chandonnet's poetry manuscript: I just received this, although Ann and I have been discussing it for a while. I'll be looking it over to make sure it's something that will fit the ERP.

Frank Keim's poetry manuscript: Frank and I are still discussing this, and we'll be meeting soon.

I have a few other manuscripts in the works, too, mostly concerned with local history.

And of course, that mainstay of my publishing career, the Republic (v. 10 n. 2, issue #107, Feb. 2008) is in the works as always. I've got a ton of submissions, mostly from men this month, not very many Esteroids. I still need a movie reviewer.

Did I want to sleep? I didn't want to sleep. I've had plenty of dreams and snoring in my youth, lots o' nap time. I can do this for a while. Sure.