David Fingerman

The first thing I do after my normal pre-sitting at the computer morning routine is to plop down on my non-ergonomic chair, check my main email account, read the newspaper online, do the crossword puzzle, crypto-quip, and jigsaw puzzle (no – i never got into doing sudoku – staring at numbers gives me a headache). It used to be that when the jigsaw puzzle was complete, that was my cue to start writing. Then I got a My Space page and soon after that came Facebook. As I wanted to learn more and more about marketing, I found, and joined, a number of other sites. As of now I am a member of nine (I guess they’re called social) websites. On the days that I devote myself to marketing I find most of these websites invaluable. I’ve gotten reacquainted with old friends, stayed in touch with friends who have moved away, met some new friends, made some contacts, have done some networking, and even sold a few books. Awesome! On the days I devote to writing, however, all of these websites can create quite a hinderance. On each one I have an email address (boy, can that take up time). More often than not someone will have written an article, short story, or even a poem that catches my attention. Holy-moly, am I ever going to start writing today? Unfortunately for me, I have a somewhat addictive personality. Some addictions, like smoking, I have quit. Others, like Battlestar Galactica, I’ll quit soon enough because the series will be over. But some, like those gawd-awful Saturday night original Sc-fi movies, checking my emails, and pouring over writing sites, I see no end to. The word ‘moderation’ seems to slip from my vocabulary and I can spend hours perusing. My day of writing can become half-assed at best. So here’s my plan – I will still be checking my emails (some things are just unavoidable) and on my main email address I’ll answer quickly. But on the other sites please be patient. If it doesn’t require an immediate response (in my opinion) I probably won’t get back to you for a day or two (and probably late at night). For those of you who post articles, stories, or poems, I’m going to cut back on my responses (c’mon, my responses really aren’t that prophetic anyway). If you’re just looking to make more points (what’s the deal with points anyway?) I’m sure the one or two you’d get from me aren’t really going to make a difference. Well, I gots me some emails to check and then I guess I’d better start getting to writing.

Well how exciting is this?  I’ve got another reading engagement set up for April 7th at Common Good Books. Please stop by and say hello.  And if that’s not enough, I was asked to speak at Rochester’s First Annual Writers’ Festival on April 18th.  It’s an all day affair and I’ll be speaking from 3:00 – 3:45.  My topic – Dealing with rejection letters. The good news is – I’m very familiar with that topic.  The bad news is – I’m very familiar with that topic.  I have a file folder that I’m quite pleased with full (well, kinda full, sorta) of acceptance letters. I have three overstuffed files (and enough on my computer to almost fill a hard drive) of rejection letters. (hmmm, maybe that’s why my old computer crashed.)  Once again I’m treading into new territory.  With the support of my friends (“We’ll teach you the sink or swim method on how to deal with hecklers”) I’m guessing that by May I’ll be curled up in the fetal position under my desk.

On the serious side for a moment, marketing is amazing.  I’m constantly learning new stuff and actually putting it into practice.  Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks of all this marketing is the writing itself.  I haven’t done much of it in the last couple of months.  I have a paved road of good intentions, but it seems like whenever I start getting back to the novel, I’ll come up with more ideas and more research that I want to know about on how to market.  (The internet is a miracle and a curse in that regard.)  It’s easy to say that I’ll deal with it later, but the mind is already racing and I can’t concentrate on plot. Soon my characters are on the computer reading bloggers. Fun for them, not so much for the reader.  So for all of you writers out there who have been in this predicament, please let me know how you deal.

Before I get back to my writing (yup – I’m going to give it another try today) I want to thank Whistling Shade, and specifically Deanna Reiter, for reviewing “Edging Past Reality.” You all are wonderful!

I’m going to sidestep my usual rants about the subject of writing in this blog and instead write about a good friend of mine. Actually, I’m going to say very little about her, and let her do most of the writing. On September 18th, 2008, I wrote a blog “Rudy Gets a Transplant.” It’s a children’s book (yes, a children’s book) about Rudy (the cute poodle) needing a new kidney. In the book, Rudy gets his new kidney. The book is written by Stacy Waibel, a transplant recipient herself. Unfortunately, Stacy is now in need of another kidney, and using the sports vernacular, the clock is working against her. Instead about me going on about what a wonderful person she is (and she is), I’ll let her take it from here . . .

Currently there are 100,000 people on the waiting list for organ donation. 77,000 of these people are waiting for a kidney. Average waiting time for a kidney is 5 years. Startling statistics considering most of the 77,000 would not need to wait if there were more living donors. Unlike other organs almost all people are born with 2 kidneys – we only need one, so we have “a spare to share.”
Back in 2003 I attended a transplant workshop. At that time the average wait was 2 to 3 years. Now it is 5 years. This condition is very disheartening. So many people could benefit from a living donor. Studies show that a recipient who has a living donor is likely to be healthier at the time of the transplant, and the success rate of the surgery is higher. (No time delay between donor and recipient so the kidney doesn’t need to be packed in ice.) A person needing a transplant can avoid dialysis which is very hard on the body, to say nothing of the quality of life.
Recently a study was done at the University of Minnesota regarding the health status of past living donors. It indicated that living donors are healthier than the average person. Reasons include – they were in good health to begin with and they benefit from a positive feeling knowing they have saved someone’s life.
If you would like to become a living donor, please contact the University of Minnesota Transplant Center at 612-625-5115 and follow the prompts to the Living Donor Coordinator. To be a living donor one should be in good health (no diabetes, MS or Cancer).

Thrilled and exhilarated.  Nervous and scared as hell.   On paper, marketing ones self doesn’t look all that tough.  Make some phone calls, send some emails, knock on a few doors.  But when you’re an introvert and normally shy away from people, it’s a taxing experience to say the least.  Still, if you want more than family and friends to read your book (not that there’s anything wrong with family and friends reading your book), it must be done.  So far, I’ve been extremely fortunate.  Everyone that I’ve met has been amazingly friendly and receptive.  And now – here comes the self promotion:  As stated in my last blog, Common Good Books is now selling “Edging Past Reality.”  Since then, Magers and Quinn (a great discount bookstore in Uptown Minneapolis) will also be selling EPR, and the Dakota County library has kindly agreed to carry my book.  (Authors!  Don’t forget the libraries – they’re a great source to get your book out there.)   As hard as it was walking into bookstores and ask to please sell my book, that was easy as compared to asking about readings and signings.  Okay, asking to do them wasn’t any harder (actually, easier because a lot of it was done by email or over the phone), it was when they said yes that my nerves started jumping.  So here goes – My first signing will be on March 7th at a marvelous little bookstore called Lake Country Booksellers in White Bear Lake.  In the past  I have walked in a B&N and seen non-celebrity  writers sitting all alone at their table, their pride and joy and years of labor stacked at their side,  smiling at people passing by, and shoppers (even employees) avoiding them like they’ve got a disease.  People do that enough to me in real life so here’s what I’m asking – if you live anywhere near White Bear Lake, please stop by and see me.  I’ll be there from 10:30 until noon.  I won’t even care if you don’t buy my book (okay, I’ll care a little bit).  But show your support for the independent bookstore.  Next up is March 20th at DreamHaven Books (a mecca for Science Fiction/Fantasty/Horror/Speculative Fiction – and they got some great toys, too).  I’ll be doing a reading starting at 6:30pm.    Reading in front of people should not be that big of a deal.  I do it almost every week in my writing group.  But there it’s fellow writers listening to critique.  At an open reading I think I’m expected to entertain people with my stories.  Yikes!  Oh, the horror stories I can think up just on that.  Okay, maybe the masochistic side of me is really looking forward to it.  Have I talked about masochism?  Another time, maybe.

All that being said, I really haven’t talked much lately about publicizing on the web.  Obviously, there’s still the blog.  I’m making more friends on Facebook and My Space (making friends when you don’t really have to meet anyone is easy) all the time (and what the hell is twitter?  I gotta check that out).  But I’d really like to thank “Authors Promoting Authors” and its webmaster, Tina-Sue, for spotlighting EPR.  Writers, check it out.   It’s a great site to get your name out there.  Readers, check it out.  You might find some wonderful gems that would otherwise be overlooked. (http://authorspromotingauthors.blogspot.com)

Well, somewhere in all of this marketing frenzy an unfinished novel has been calling, “Hey A-hole, first and foremost you’re a writer, remember?  Now get back to work.”

Gotta go.