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Conversations with Calliope- Ready to Publish

By Joseph Langen


 

 


(Summer Jetsam)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Is your company gone yet?
JOE: Yes. They left yesterday. Back to normal this morning.
CALLIOPE: Where does our book stand?
JOE: I thought you might ask. In between visiting and swimming at our friends' pool, I managed to finish the table of contents, index and a few minor revisions.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: Next is final review of the text to see if I missed anything.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: Then is conversion to PDF format and distribution.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to go about it?
JOE: I will announce it to my readers who subscribe to my newsletter and also post notices on the websites of communities to which I belong.
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to automate distribution of the e-book.
JOE: Not at first. I will distribute it as an e-mail attachment to those who are interested.
CALLIOPE: What if you have a great response.
JOE: Then I will consider automating it. I thought the personal touch might be better if I can keep up with it.
CALLIOPE: It's nice that you have the time in this day and age of automation.
JOE: I think so too. At least I'll try it. Talk with you tomorrow.

 

Conversations with Calliope- Another Adventure

By Joseph Langen


 

 


(Mayan Road)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. Just waking up?
JOE: You know better than that. We had overnight guests staying downstairs. I didn't want to disturb them using the computer.
CALLIOPE: Did they just wake up?
JOE: No again. We had to visit with them and then stop in at their family reunion in Attica.
CALLIOPE: I see. Glad we got that straightened out. What news?
JOE: I am nearing the end of my work on our book. My reviewing is finished, the table of contents is in order and the index I worked on yesterday is looking good but in need of a few corrections.
CALLIOPE: When will it be out?
JOE: Possibly next week. I have to give it a final going over and see if there is anything else to tend to first.
CALLIOPE: Is this your first e-book.
JOE: Two of my other books are available in e-book format through BookLocker but this is the first one I will offer directly.
CALLIOPE: There's always something new to experience.
JOE: So there is. I don't know where this will lead except to a new adventure.
CALLIOPE: Enjoy the ride.
JOE: I plan to. Talk with you on Monday.

 

Conversations with Calliope- Decisions, Decisions

By Joseph Langen

 

(My Writing Space)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Well, thank you.
CALLIOPE: What did you do yesterday?
JOE: I had lunch with Carol and her son on top of the mountain in Oramel and dinner with my mother in Rochester.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like quite a bit of traveling.
JOE: It was. In addition to a thorough celebration of Mother's Day, I got to do some photography in the woods.
CALLIOPE: What about your writing?
JOE: I did talk about it with two of my nieces yesterday. I am still wrestling with my options for our book of dialogues.
CALLIOPE: Are you any further on toward a decision?
JOE: Not really? I still see the pros and cons of the various possibilities. I'm not sure yet what would be best.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to approach the problem?
JOE: I am waiting for inspiration if you have any. I also plan to discuss it with a few people who know about my writing. I'm sure I come up with a plan eventually.
CALLIOPE: I'll ponder it and let you know if I come up with anything.
JOE: Thanks, talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Publishing Details

By Joseph Langen

 (Sunflowers- Leroy, NY)
(Sunflowers- Leroy, NY) JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Energized.
CALLIOPE: Excited about publishing?
JOE: Yes. I have been relaxing a bit lately and not forging ahead.
CALLIOPE: What got you back in gear?
JOE: Who knows? Writing is a mysterious business at least for me.
CALLIOPE: In any case I'm glad you're back at it. Tell me of your progress.
JOE: The entries are ready. I finished the introduction including the ode I wrote for you and the story about rediscovering you as well as a very brief introduction.
CALLIOPE: Did you contact Booklocker yet?
JOE: Yes. I was curious about the particulars.
CALLIOPE: Anything interesting.
JOE: One little surprise. The size of the book can't exceed 3 megabytes.
CALLIOPE: Is that a problem.
JOE: It is when you take into account the pictures I have attached to each entry. I'm working on my options as we speak. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Publishing Time Approaching

By Joseph Langen

 

Broadway Street Sculpture)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Excited.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: I'm getting ready to publish our book.
CALLIOPE: Do you mean Conversations with Calliope: A Writer's Year with His Muse?
JOE: Exactly so.
CALLIOPE: How did the manuscript suddenly emerge from the mothballs?
JOE: I had difficulty knowing how to organize and format it.
CALLIOPE: And now those issues are resolved?
JOE: They are. I think I know how to proceed and have started putting on the final touches.
CALLIOPE: Then what?
JOE: I will proofread and print the manuscript and then have my two human muses review it.
CALLIOPE: You skipped that step the last time.
JOE: I have learned from my mistakes. I'll keep you posted. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Plasma Readers

By Joseph Langen

 

(Cell Phone)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Ready for another week?
JOE: I am.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about your weekend.
JOE: Last time we talked, I was pondering the future of writing in terms of paper or plasma.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I discovered an Innovation and Creativity Festival taking place at Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday.
CALLIOPE: Did you attend?
JOE: I took my grandson who I thought would be interested in the robots and of course he was.
CALLIOPE: I'm glad you got to spend some time with him. You were talking about the future of writing.
JOE: Oh, yes. The first exhibit I found was one on the RIT Open Publishing Lab and the future of publishing.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: I finally got to hold an e-book reader and examine it.
CALLIOPE: What did you think?
JOE: I'm ready for one yet. It would be like reading from an etch a sketch. I'll tell you more tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Let Us Rejoice

By Joseph Langen

 

(Westminster Abbey)

JOE: Good morning Calliope. Haec dies quem fecit Dominus.
CALLIOPE: Help me out. My Latin's a little rusty.
JOE: Okay. "This is the day the Lord has made."
CALLIOPE: You sound excited.
JOE: I am. Finally my book, Navigating Life is on its way back to the printer, text, cover and corrections.
CALLIOPE: Great. Now back to the waiting.
JOE: Still, it's a relief. I suppose this gets easier with time. I find getting everything just right a challenge.
CALLIOPE: I take it you're not the obsessive compulsive type.
JOE: Right. I am more the impulsive type. I think my personality is more suited to the freewheeling process of writing.
CALLIOPE: And less toward the minutia of publishing?
JOE: Exactly so. As Clint Eastwood put it, "A man's got to know his limitations."
CALLIOPE: Glad you recognize yours. Have you thought of seeking a traditional publisher for this aspect.
JOE: I have, but so far it only led to frustration on my previous attempts. This time I did not even seriously consider finding an agent or publisher. Maybe one of these days I'll have a go at it again.
CALLIOPE: At least you got this far. Now what?
JOE: Back to work on marketing and publicity. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Cover design- Navigating Life)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I was beginning to fear you would not show up today.
JOE: Never fear. I had some early morning appointments in Batavia.
CALLIOPE: What's up for today?
JOE: Even before I left for Batavia, I was up finalizing revisions on Navigating Life.
CALLIOPE: So is it ready now.
JOE: It is. I just now sent it off to Booklocker.
CALLIOPE: When will it finally be ready?
JOE: That's out of my hands. I need to wait for the printing wheels and presses to do their thing. I'm practicing patience.
CALLIOPE: A good idea. Any other developments over the weekend?
JOE: Yesterday I attended an Author Extravaganza at Lift Bridge Book Store in Brockport.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I found it most productive. I got to read a selection from Navigating Life and also talked with some other authors about writing, publishing and marketing.
CALLIOPE: Anyone special that you met?
JOE: I finally met Bob Fussell, an attorney and author from right here in Leroy. I figured I would meet him sooner or later. We had a great talk and plan to get together. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(More Sunset over Lake Erie)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Struggling to stay calm and focused.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I received my bound galley of Navigating Life. After discussion I realized I had made some glaring errors in the manuscript.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: The bottom line is that I will need to correct them at an extra expense.
CALLIOPE: How did that happen?
JOE: ADHD strikes again. I thought I had that part of me under pretty good control.
CALLIOPE: Doesn't sound like it.
JOE: No it doesn't. I let my excitement about the project and rush to get it into print by Christmas lead to premature submission of the manuscript.
CALLIOPE: Now what?
JOE: I have been working steadily on corrections but taking breaks so as not to become fatigued.
CALLIOPE: How is it coming?
JOE: I think I have them done. I will look over the manuscript one last time to be sure I didn't miss anything. Talk with you on Monday.
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