News From the Front
(I posted this on my mailing list "gregorypeeps" on March 18th, 2005. If you'd like to be on my mailing lists, send me mail at gregoryp@gregoryp.com)
Dear Peeps:
and the adventure continues. I have been sitting on some really cool
news for about two weeks now, but Now It Can Be Told.
Within days of hearing about Hunter Thompson's suicide, I received a
call from a researcher at the Santa Fe Reporter, asking if I knew
anything about blogs. They were doing a story and wanted to know
about blogs and who was doing them locally. I mentioned my blog and
gave them the phone numbers of other bloggers I knew, and then forgot
about it.
About a week after that, I received a call from a number I didn't
know, but I took a chance and answered it. As it turned out, the
caller on the other end of the phone had called to tell me that he had
read the story in the Reporter, gone to my blog, read the Hunter
Thompson essay I wrote, then had gone to my website to see what else I
do. He saw that I had a book coming out and he said that he wanted to
buy one.
"Sure - well, gee, that's really great. I haven't even seen the story
yet, but I'm having a book signing thing at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame
on April the 1st, so if you want to come down and buy a book, I'd be
happy to sign it and meet you and stuff."
He said a few more things about the Thompson piece, then asked me if I
had wider distribution plans for the book.
"Well," I said hesitantly, because I really *didn't* have plans, more
like dreams and ideas, "I really don't know how to go about that yet.
I guess that in order to be in big book stores you have to be with a
distributor, and that just seems really complicated...i don't really
know the issues yet at all."
"Well maybe I can help you," he said. "I'm a book buyer for Border's."
I wish I had a tape recorder on, because at that moment I issued a
squeal from my throat that carried over into my next few words.
"Really?" I squeaked. "I mean like, uh, really?" (it was like I'd
OD'd on estrogen, i was so shrill.) "Well, then, uh, I guess I don't
have to tell you what it's all about at all."
"Well, we generally like people to be with a distributor," he said.
"But I think we could easily figure out a way to carry your book at
local Border's."
"Really? Really?"
"We tend to buy in lots of 25, so maybe we can meet next week and talk
about it?"
25 books? Like, all at once?
"Well, sure, and I could bring you a copy or two for review and stuff
and give you one too."
"You're an independent publisher. We're Border's. You give me a book
and I'll pay you for it."
Wow. Sure. Absolutely. When do you need me there?
There were details to attend to, sure. My book had to be coded for
BINC (Border's Internal Number Code) and mine is #7905890 and don't be
surprised if you find it tattoo'd on my ass when you see me next. But
this past Sunday, I got to go over to my local branch of a chain
bookstore, sell them 25 books (all at once!) and place the books on
the shelves. My books are in two sections - in All Things Local, near
the cash registers - and in section 422, aka the Journalism section.
My mom came by to watch, and my friend Jessica Carey was there with
her 35mm to catch the action. I even got to put the "Local Author"
stickers on myself, and then we placed the books on their respective
shelves and I shouted at other patrons to Come Buy My Book!
Ah-hahaha!
Placing the Journalism books held a special poignancy for me - after
all, this was my field of choice, at least when I started, and it was
extra extra extra special to see exactly where in the section my books
were being placed - on the same shelf as two writers who *did*
influence me quite a lot when I was trying to learn to write in the
first place. None other than Tom Wolfe & Hunter S. Thompson. Without
their works, I might not even be there at all, and yet it was all
somewhat bittersweet for me, because it was my obituary or Thompson's
suicide that had managed to catch someone's eye enough to put me
there.
And that, I guess, is as close of a definition of Quantum Humanism as
I've got so far. Still quite sad, though, that HST isn't here to see
it.
ps: If you're in New Mexico and you're of a mind to, please come to
my book release party at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame on Friday, April the
1st, 2005, from 5-7pm. I also have a reading at 7pm on April the 28th
at the Border's store in Santa Fe, downtown in the Sanbusco Center.
thanks everyone for all the support
gregoryp(tm)
Gregory Pleshaw
http://www.gregoryp.com (to buy my book)
http://gregoryp.blogspot.com (to read my blog)
