Hi. Yes, I’m still alive, even though I haven’t posted for over a week. I think I’m finally over the flu. With any luck it will be ANOTHER eleven years before I have it again. So…things are looking up slightly here. It’s still kind of winter-grey outside, but the sky is blue, and February is [...]
Over the weekend I finished the final revision of the ART OF THE PUBLIC GROVEL for Princeton University Press. Today I burned all the files onto a disk, printed it out (the subtitle is temporary, by the way–I’ve sent Princeton the list of suggestions you made on this blog), put it all into a box [...]
The contract from Princeton University Press has been negotiated, issued, signed, and returned. So now I have a question for you: what should the book be called? Important details: The book traces the metamorphosis of public confession of sin. I argue that, over the course of the twentieth century, it changes from a religious ritual [...]
I’m back to work now. So, in no particular order, here’s what’s occupying the brain of THIS working writer on the first day of December… 1. I’m waiting on the contract from Princeton University Press to be issued, at which point I’ll sign it, return it, and commit myself to delivering the manuscript along with [...]
It’s the Tuesday after Labor Day, so a long-awaited email has just pinged its way into my mailbox. That’s right: it’s Royalty Day. On the first business day of September and March, I check my email about every ten seconds, waiting for a message from my agent. When it finally comes through, it will say [...]
…And the wait continues. My twenty-five author’s copies showed up this week, and Norton is now shipping to wholesalers, but since the official pub date of March 26 hasn’t arrived, no one’s selling the book. It’s like those last two weeks of pregnancy, where every day feels like it’s about seventy hours long, and you [...]
In a way, that is. Last night UPS delivered a square package from Norton–my first copy of the History of the Ancient World, straight off the presses. TA DAAA!! It still won’t be available until March, though. Norton always asks Peace Hill Press to get copies of OUR titles into their warehouse for distribution six [...]
In the kindness of their collective hearts, Norton decided that 1) it would best to give me until January 2 to finish giving them input on the index, and 2) it would be easier for me to evaluate the index if they sent me a final copy of the book–all corrected, with maps and acknowledgments [...]
The index to The History of the Ancient World arrived yesterday, under the worst possible conditions. Background: This pre-Christmas week was cheered by my unscheduled visit to the hospital. I won’t overindulge in details. Suffice it to say that the visit lasted three days and involved an undignified amount of throwing up. Neither will I [...]
I can’t remember where I read that particular description, but it suits this time of year exactly. There’ve been no particular publishing milestones since my last post; mostly I’ve just been slogging along on Volume II (and reading a fascinating biography of Genghis Khan at bedtime), as well as revising my dissertation (for the final [...]
