I Made a Book
After three years and 31,957 miles, I’ve finally finished my humble book about driving around America. It’s 414 pages long. Here’s what the back of the book says right now:
There was a time when the road to manhood was clear: go to war, find a job with a big company, wear a tie, and start a family. Then the wars got strange and companies changed. What does it take to be a man in America today? Here is an answer as sprawling and chaotic as the country itself…
One day James realized he no longer understood his country or what he should be doing in it. He decided to go for a drive to clear his head. The Awful Making of an Optimist is a scattershot journey through the neon corridors and dark corners of America. Cattle auctions in Texahoma. Oil fires burning across the Venice Jump Basin. Kids collecting cosmic rays in the desert. Subway preachers in Brooklyn and security concerns along the Mississippi. Staring at Mexicali through a chain link fence in Calexico. Thirty thousand miles, twelve speeding tickets, and several moments of unexpected kindness, all set to the nervous chatter of talk radio and 24-hour diners as James drives along the back roads taking pictures and looking for answers — and drifts towards a slow reckoning with his own compulsions and unexpected loss.
Yesterday I received the first test copies from Lulu and it feels good to finally hold the thing in my hands. It’s heavy. Now . . . what should I do with it? I’ve been ducking this question for a while. In fact, there are quite a few questions that need answering. There are the usual concerns — do I have anything interesting to say? am I saying it well? — and, thanks to the computernet and the reshuffling of the publishing industry, there are new questions: Does this book need to be in print? Is anybody publishing picture books by marginal authors? Should I try print-on-demand? Post a PDF? Perhaps a series of 1,320 tweets?
Approaching the publishing industry feels like walking into a labyrinth that requires arcane knowledge and a few secret passwords. I’m not even sure where to find the door. Any advice is appreciated and, in return, I’ll make my print odyssey as transparent as possible so that others might learn from the mistakes I’m probably going to make. I’ll begin by carpet-bombing my favorite publishers with a black-&-white copy (which costs only $15 through Lulu, compared to $80 for a color copy) and I might also look for an agent (maybe here?) — I’ll keep you posted if I learn anything interesting.
And since you’re here, I’d like to thank you for visiting my erratic corner of the internet. Many thanks to all of the people who’ve sent thoughtful emails, comments, questions, and general encouragement through the years. It kept me going.
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Wehey, congrats!
A navel-gazing question: does Finland inform the book in any way?
awesome. will you be making copies available on lulu soon? looking forward to it.
Whoa. Let us know if / when you make it available on lulu and we will enjoin all omnibus readers to buy it (the full-color version, of course). Can’t wait.
I wanna buy it… but how do I do that? And we expect you to come back and sign all our copies!
I really, really want a copy – where can i buy it? I can’t describe how great it has been to follow your experiences on the blog. The music, photos, writing – it’s all been a great inspriration and reminder of how large and weird and amazing this country is.
Nice! Congrats on getting it finished.
Congrats James!! Start shipping!! 1 copy please! To HKI!
I’d like to buy one too please!
+1
Wow! So that was your mission during all those miles? I always wondered.
Sign me up for two copies as soon as things get sorted out, sounds super interesting! Good work.
[...] Soundtrack und schönen Bildern unterstützt. Jetzt hat er seine Erfahrungen in einem Buch mit dem tollen Titel The Awful Making of an Optimist zusammgefasst. Ich zitiere den Klappentext: [...]
Thanks for the enthusiasm, everybody! I can’t wait to get some copies out to you. I’ll probably go through the book one last time to make sure that all of the words are spelled correctly — and then I need to figure out a way to make it a little cheaper, because it’s too expensive right now.
OlliS, there is indeed a short chapter on the F-bomb. Except for the part about reindeer & pineapple pizza, I think Finland comes out okay…
wow. impressive and cannot wait to see one. Do print it!
why not approach PowerHouse books? Daniel is always open to talk and comment, you never know!
As a fellow techno-junkie, media student, Delillo lover & open-road enthusiast (with roots in Detroit & NYC), I’ve been digging your writings (and all the fantastic music) for a while now. So it’s with a shit-ton of admiration that I offer my congrats and humble encouragement. Whatever your intentions with the publishing, if you’re back in the NYC area, I’d love to interview you for New School Radio. In any case, I’ll be on the lookout for this book — while you keep on truckin’ man.
Also, just read your follow-up. If you need another set of eyes, I used to proofread professionally, and would be honored to do so for this.
man, the color version looks awesome! i would definitely like to check that out once i find some employment. i love reading your blog, i imagine it would be quite pleasant to do a whole book of it. good job man, i wish you much luck with finding some additional publishing for it.
Wow, congratulations James, I would definitely like to order a copy as well – please send a note as soon as it’s possible
And hope to see you soon back in Helsinki:)
James, this is awesome news. Congratulations on finishing an actual book! I really want to buy and read it. You’re my hero in a new way again.
ps. Are you coming back to Finland anytime soon?
Thanks for the kinds words & suggestions, everyone!
Geralyn, I’ll definitely give PowerHouse books a shot (and now that I’m back in NYC, I’d still like to do our photo swap that we discussed like ten years ago).
Myroslaw, I’m living in Greenpoint now and would love to meet up and talk about Detroit, NYC, Delillo, etc.
Rami and Teppo: I’m planning to visit Helsinki sometime in January and can’t wait to catch up — I miss it. And you should come to NYC. I have an uncomfortable couch that you’re welcome to sleep on anytime.
Very cool. Congrats on an amazing achievement.
Nice work!