A couple of readers* (hi, AC!) have suggested that I go ahead and sort of self-publish Book Two, and have even said they’d pay to read it, which is very kind and humbling and flattering and appreciated. In light of that, a touch of history: after Book Two was rejected from by its intended publisher, I shopped the thing all over God’s green earth. Eventually, I found a hardy soul who was willing to publish the thing. I had the contract in hand. Then I got a letter from a kind soul whom I had asked to read the book, and her comments convinced me that the craft and structure of the book were simply not enough to support its aims. I must have already known this to some extent, because as soon as I read it, I lost all heart for the project, and the project did require heart.
So I put the thing on a shelf, and have been carving off bits ever since – for the blog, for Dappled Things, for various other essays. Hopefully, more bits will surface in other arenas as time goes by. I’m pretty sure that’s the way it’s going to end up. But seriously, thanks awfully for the interest.
I had a title I liked, though: Fingers Crossed That There’s A Heaven: Further Confessions of a Young Catholic. It’s taken from an old Ian McCulloch song – he’s the frontman for Echo & The Bunnymen.
*That’s what, a quarter of my readership?
For what it’s worth, I’m eager to read it.
boooooooooooo to losing heart.
Suggested new title for self-published book:
Fingers Crossed That There’s A Readership: Further Confessions of a Self-published Catholic Author
If Heaven Were A Publishing House: Fears and Trepidations of a Young Catholic Author
I’m Not Dead Yet: Perspectives of a 30-something Catholic
This is an acceptable secondary approach: farm out parts of the mss. to journals and other places on a piecemeal basis. Then, in 20 years, when you are hugely famous and justly celebrated, someone will bring out an anthology, herding all these orphans back into one book: “The Matthew Lickona Reader” or “Collected Works of Matthew Lickona” or “Festschrift in Honour of Matthew Lickona” or something like that.
“Fingers Crossed That There’s a Readership”! Ha! I literally laughed out loud!
But I like reading it for free . . .
you’d still be reading for free … you’d be donating out of the goodness of your heart.
That and the thought of Matt rationing his wine is too much to bear.
OK, so if we don’t get the book, what about a meme?
Looking forward to reading it regardless of the form it finally takes.
Kust keep writing, PLEASE!