Procrastination In Book Production

It looks like I may reverse myself on publishing my blog as a book. I wouldn't publish the whole thing, I repeat myself too much, but I copied all the posts into Word yesterday and it came out to over 100,000 words. If a sculptor can look at a block of stone and find the lawn ornament within, I ought to be able to find a book inside a 150+ post blog. I'll print up the posts, start sorting them into piles (ie, chapters) and see what I get.

I don't see publishing my blog as a business model for anything. The only motivation anybody would have to buy an edited down version of a blog that can be read online for free is to get it on paper. Since it's not a big production job and I'm not going to put a value on time that I would have spent anyway, I'll price it below $10 and it will be cheaper than an inkjet cartridge. How's this for a title:

The Self Publishing Blog Printed - Compiled Posts from http://www.fonerbooks.com/cornered.htm

That's my idea of truth in advertising. Another motivation for publishing the blog would be to that 90's concept of closure, or as a friend of mine is fond of saying, "Put a fork in it, it's done." It's taking me longer and longer to write these short posts as I try to say something on the subject of self publishing without merely reporting current events or doing free PR for authors. I enjoy the conversational style of writing, but after three months of posting most weekdays, I'm just winding down again and ready for another break.

What I'm thinking of doing this time is putting a "Best Of" collection of posts on the main page of the blog, rather than going with the last three posts I happen to write. I'd just jam them into the template with Wordpad rather than using the Blogger software, and take a few months off. The more I write about it, the better it sounds! The only question is what I'll do to fill the time. I could catch up with my Amazon blog, but frankly, I could use a break from publishing altogether. That's the best part of a dream job, I can take time off anytime I want.

I think.

Maybe I'll go on to form a Bloggers Anonymous chapter.

159 - Procrastination In Book Production

Procrastination - Sung to the tune of Carly Simon's "Anticipation"

Well, we all know that a book can't write itself
But we all hope it does just that anyway, yay
When it's written, the real job's just getting started
And the marketing campaign is underway.

Procrastination, procrastination
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' my book waitin' …

The corrections are sitting in my inbox,
And the new Beta Office is installed,
But I wasted the whole day on idle emails,
And took a welcome break when my lawyer called.

Procrastination, procrastination
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' my book waitin' …

I'll admit it's no way to run a business;
Where's the profit in sitting on my thumb?
So I'll get tough and set a one month deadline
But all this tracking changes makes me numb.

(Track changes makes me numb)
And maintain a back-up 'cause track changes makes me numb
(Track changes makes me numb)
(Track changes makes me numb)