Most of These Stories Are Somewhat True - Now Available!
mcad64
Well-Known Member
JeffMackwood said:
Okay, this demands a story in a second book!!!!
How the feck did Enya buy a copy of your book? Sorry, HOW she bought it was probably quite easy!!!
No offense Jeff..but how did she find out about your book? Or are you just yanking our collective chains??
Mike
D
Deleted member 133
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She's skimmed several stories and let me know that she loved "Arab Conflict," "Go Grayson Go!," and "Four Floors of Whores."
Funny thing is that she didn't have $20 cash to pay for the book, so she did an Interac e-Transfer instead. I now have an email telling me that Enya has just sent me $20.
"Hi jeff mackwood,
ENYA sent you $20.00 (CAD)."
Jeff
Funny thing is that she didn't have $20 cash to pay for the book, so she did an Interac e-Transfer instead. I now have an email telling me that Enya has just sent me $20.
"Hi jeff mackwood,
ENYA sent you $20.00 (CAD)."
Jeff
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She was just sitting there looking like she had time on her hands, and I happened to have my satchel of books with me at the time, so I handed her a copy and said she might enjoy it. A little while later she handed it back and I asked if she liked it and she said she certainly did. I suggested she buy a copy - from me - and the rest is history.
Jeff
Jeff
D
Deleted member 133
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I was just doing my usual searching to see where my book's title was showing up, and for the first time there's a fairly sizeable number of new listings for "used" copies on Amazon.com - but with a twist. As well as the usual deep discounters (who, as I have mentioned before, are really just selling the same new print-to-order book as is Amazon and all the other online retailers) there are now a couple of what I call the deep gougers: sellers charging huge marked-up prices ($45-60US).
For anyone searching for a copy, let me repeat: check out the link below to my web site to get an author-signed copy for about half that price - delivered!
Jeff
For anyone searching for a copy, let me repeat: check out the link below to my web site to get an author-signed copy for about half that price - delivered!
Jeff
D
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I've been adding the odd story or two to my list of possibles for a sequel but it's been more a matter of waiting for an idea to pop into my heard, rather than consciously trying to think about them. I was watching the Raptors game a few minutes ago and two of them suddenly appeared and I managed to grab a pen and jot them down before they vanished. (I've had quite a few get "lost" because I was driving the car at the time and could not get them down in time. It's very similar to when you just wake up from a very vivid dream but within an instant you can no longer remember any of the details - at least it is for me.) Anyhow I did a count and I'm now up to 51. I'm going to try to have my notebook with me more often - just in case.JeffMackwood said:
It's funny how that works; I have all kinds of recollections of a museum, a certain valley, a set of city buildings, a person, a restaurant plate, a mountaintop, that I know I've experienced (it wasn't a dream) but I can no longer recall from where. And its almost frightening when, years later, I'm driving that same route or sit in that restaurant again, and it all comes flooding back. :shock:JeffMackwood said:
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I spent a good few hours today cutting and pasting email addresses from a variety of public web sites in order to send out a mass email marketing blurb for the book. It was more targeted than that sounded: I basically found contact info for every Canadian aerospace company (many of whom are multinationals.) That's my old stomping ground and it was interesting, as I got hundreds of current addresses together, how dozens and dozens and dozens of them are people I knew fairly well, and who are still in the biz. The message went out late this afternoon and I have already had a number of responses from people who say they will be checking out my book. Surprisingly very few got bumped back as "undeliverable" compared to some of my previous messages to other groups. I expect that most will first see it when they get to work tomorrow.
A few weeks ago my good friend Lloyd and I were chatting about our respective projects: he his first CD and me my first book. I am in awe at Lloyd's musical talent (he's also a great photographer and writer) in comparison to my writing ability; however while I have been nothing but extremely happy with my book's sales, he is disappointed by his CD sales. Not just the fact that they are apples and oranges, the real difference in sales comes down, as near as I can tell, to the fact that I have extensive existing networks / contacts (not social media-based) through my prior and work and current personal interactions, and have not been shy about promoting the book to them, whereas Lloyd is in the process of building those networks and seems hesitant to "push" the ones he does have. This not a criticism but rather an observation. And perhaps a reflection on / lesson for other expectations / endeavours in life.
Jeff
ps. On the other hand, I'm not doing well (ie. failing miserably) when it comes to attracting media attention (of any kind.) That used to be part of my former work life and while it took effort, I was always able to garner tons of positive media coverage for whatever topic it was that I wanted to promote. Not so now; at least not for the book. I'm going to knuckle down and give it a better push over the next couple of weeks. It could be due to the general decline in the number of book reviews showing up in "print" but I also think that it's because what coverage remains is dedicated to the big name writers, and is syndicated coverage, rather than local coverage of local authors - as was more of the case in the past.
A few weeks ago my good friend Lloyd and I were chatting about our respective projects: he his first CD and me my first book. I am in awe at Lloyd's musical talent (he's also a great photographer and writer) in comparison to my writing ability; however while I have been nothing but extremely happy with my book's sales, he is disappointed by his CD sales. Not just the fact that they are apples and oranges, the real difference in sales comes down, as near as I can tell, to the fact that I have extensive existing networks / contacts (not social media-based) through my prior and work and current personal interactions, and have not been shy about promoting the book to them, whereas Lloyd is in the process of building those networks and seems hesitant to "push" the ones he does have. This not a criticism but rather an observation. And perhaps a reflection on / lesson for other expectations / endeavours in life.
Jeff
ps. On the other hand, I'm not doing well (ie. failing miserably) when it comes to attracting media attention (of any kind.) That used to be part of my former work life and while it took effort, I was always able to garner tons of positive media coverage for whatever topic it was that I wanted to promote. Not so now; at least not for the book. I'm going to knuckle down and give it a better push over the next couple of weeks. It could be due to the general decline in the number of book reviews showing up in "print" but I also think that it's because what coverage remains is dedicated to the big name writers, and is syndicated coverage, rather than local coverage of local authors - as was more of the case in the past.
Some off-the-wall possibilities:
1. Even from your bleachers, you should be able to pick up a few pointers from Mr. Trump.
2. Fake your own death, with an Obituary in all papers, mentioning your book (now sold by the Mackwood Memorial Institute) and all your community projects.
3. Change your pen name to something unpronounceable, and then triple the price of your book (hey, it worked for Haagen-Daaz).
4. Cozy up to Oprah (send her a speedo shot!)
5. Didn't you sell a copy to some celebrity? Get nude shots of her/him, and "negotiate".
Good luck!
D
Deleted member 133
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I'm on it Botch!
D
Deleted member 133
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Fingers crossed but I spoke to an associate producer at the most-listened to (by a wide margin) local Ottawa afternoon radio program and she reacted really well to my pitch. She's now going to flag it for consideration by the show's producer.
Jeff
Jeff
I still enjoy the day I met you and Razz and we were driving to Flints place and we were discussing a variety of things and all of a sudden you stop and say, "oh I forgot today is me and my wife's anniversary". You then pick up your phone and call your wife and leave the most heartfelt message a man can leave for his wife on their anniversary, "Hi honey, I'm in Texas hanging with some guys I met on the internet just wanted to say Happy Anniversary". And then you hang up the phone. Me and Russ looked at each other like we had just witnessed the man with the biggest balls ever leaving a message that would've gotten any mere man a severe tongue lashing or at worst a visit from a divorce lawyer but after the call you just continued to talk about everything like nothing had happened. Years later I'm still in awe that I got to witness that exchange first hand.
D
Deleted member 133
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D
Deleted member 133
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I kinda liked the part where she says "highly confident, mentally healthy, physically strong and tall, extremely smart, competent, articulate, funny, well-travelled, tough and athletic..."^Can't image why, you strong, smart, handsome, physically fit, Adonis-like man, you.
I also think she nailed it - the book review that is!
Jeff
I paraphrased.
D
Deleted member 133
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You know, one of the great thrills of being a writer ( I still have troubling referring to myself that way) is knowing that people are actually reading you. Just as thrilling is hearing that they enjoy reading what you have written.
Yesterday I was sitting on my bench during a hockey game and one of our new-to-the-team players, a young engineer, came of the ice and randomly asked if I'd written a book. "Yes" I said. I thought I was being set up for a prank (as we hockey players are fond of doing to each other) but no he then went on to ask if I my last name was Mackwood (we're pretty much a first-name only group) to which I again replied "yes."
"Neat" he said. He continued "I have your book on my nightstand and am loving it" (I paraphrase).
I asked where he'd gotten his copy. He said from a girlfriend who'd gotten it from a friend who'd gotten it from someone else. None of these were the original buyer. So it had been enjoyed enough to be passed around by at least several people - rather than simply getting tossed aside.
THAT was a truly feel-good moment.
Jeff
Yesterday I was sitting on my bench during a hockey game and one of our new-to-the-team players, a young engineer, came of the ice and randomly asked if I'd written a book. "Yes" I said. I thought I was being set up for a prank (as we hockey players are fond of doing to each other) but no he then went on to ask if I my last name was Mackwood (we're pretty much a first-name only group) to which I again replied "yes."
"Neat" he said. He continued "I have your book on my nightstand and am loving it" (I paraphrase).
I asked where he'd gotten his copy. He said from a girlfriend who'd gotten it from a friend who'd gotten it from someone else. None of these were the original buyer. So it had been enjoyed enough to be passed around by at least several people - rather than simply getting tossed aside.
THAT was a truly feel-good moment.
Jeff