I am seeing today as the last quiet opportunity before I change hats and change jobs. Tomorrow is Commencement at our school and I will be officially done with the school year. Monday my wife and I have a week of vacation. I have already told her that I am hers for that week.
When I return, I am a writer. Actually, I was a writer before I left, but I had divided loyalties. There will be the odd project around the house, and the odd issue to be dealt with on campus, but my first priority is writing this summer.
The only sad part is the realization that writing no longer is just about writing. A year ago, my friend Jerry Thomas, accomplished Adventist author and vice president of editorial for Pacific Press, told me, “The reality today is that more than 50 percent of a writer’s time has to be spent in marketing.” That’s the harsh truth. And even though many writers like me would just as soon cloister ourselves away and crank out the words, whether you are an indie publisher (like me) or go with an established publishing house (like I used to), you still have the onus of marketing your name.
So I guess it’s time to face it. If I were 30 years younger, I would take it in stride and assume that would be the face of publishing for the rest of my career. And it still may be, considering that my career I suspect won’t last 30 more years. But I also suspect that we haven’t seen the end of this revolution. So don’t get too comfortable with the way things are. As they used to say, “You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.”
In the meantime, I have stories to write and share. It’s who I am, and I will do whatever it takes to get them written and share them as widely as possible.
It’s what I do. It’s who I am.
The Great Adventure 