Professional portrait

My board advised me that I need a professional portrait taken. What? Don't they like my "perspective" shot (see right)-- you know, the one with the goofy grin. I'll look into getting one and my deadline is in time to place it on the back of the Publishing Gems book. The pre-edit galley draft when to the printer today and we'll be able to forward galley review copies to pertinent publications in time for them to consider a review before the book's official publication in April. I'm trying to have our Publishing Guide complete by then, too. The first draft was complete and all board members had a chance to provide their .02, but then we changed the orientation of Outskirts Press from pure POD to custom publishing with more flexibility. That changes much of the content (although much of it also stays the same -- we're just as advantageous as before, only more so. "More so" is easy to add to the book).

So, I mention both because I'm trying to aim for a synchronous publication because I allude to being the author of Publishing Gems on Adventures in Publishing, and I mention that I'm the author of Adventures in Publishing on Publishing Gems. It would be best to hit a window where both are true as fast as possible.

All this brings to mind one of the chapters of Publishing Gems, which is about establishing one's self as an expert. I'm trying to follow my own advice. Step one is writing the book. Check (almost).

Here's a tentative cover for publishing Gems. I think it's going to change a bit. The COO thought the "self publishing" part was too difficult to read. What do YOU think?

We're also going to change the title just slightly. The subtitle is Insider Information for the Self-Publishing Writer. Oooh... insider info. Very la-de-da!