Blog Posts - Message Rain

eBook version now available! Sort of, ...

2/20/2018

The good news is that the eBook version of my book, "a man wearing a dress" is now ready! Yay!

The not so good news is that some vendors are slower than others in making it available, alas. Right now, "a man wearing a dress" is available on Barnes & Nobel's "nook" readers, but not yet on Amazon's Kindle or Apple's iBooks. Unfortunately, there have been a number of unexpected hurdles to getting it out on every system. Please rest assured that I'm working on it!

Study Guide Updated

2/19/2018

While preparing to staff my table at First Event, I revised and then printed the study guide found on this web site. Today, I have just reconciled the two versions to improve readability and clarity. Now the Study Guide web page finally matches the handout!

The study guide is for anyone who wishes to use the book, "a man wearing a dress" in a group discussion or classroom setting. As such, it gives a good summary of the form and content of the book as a whole.

If you have further questions, please contact me using the Contact Us page here on the Message Rain web site.

Success at First Event

2/8/2018

Here are some photos from First Event, Feb. 1st, 2ns, & 3rd, showing the table at which I promoted and sold my book, T-Shirts, etc.

The pages that say "Get Ready for Nov 6th!" apply to a ballot question asking Massachusetts Residents to confirm or rescind protection against discrimination based on gender identity. In other words, some people who are agains trans rights collected signatures to try to turn the clock back to allow discrimination against trans people. Can you imagine?

I'm now officially available!

1/29/2018

I just updated my home page, here on this site, and created a page for booking me for events, including lectures, panel discussions, classroom presentations, interviews, and coaching sessions for writers. Please have a look and contact me if you have any questions.

An unexpected

1/23/2018

Last night, I went to Porter Square Books to pick up a copy of "So You Want to Talk About Race," which I had ordered last week when I was there to read from and sign copies of my book.
I discovered that Denise Dubois was to read from her book "Self-Made Woman" at 7 PM, so I stuck around. Not only was it worth it, but after it was over, I mentioned that I had just presented my book a week ago, and two people bought copies of my book from the store on the spot!

Afterwards, Denise and a number of others went over to Christopher's for dinner and I joined them. A very nice night indeed, and completely unplanned!

My Gift to the Sudbury Valley School

1/21/2018

Yesterday, I visited the Sudbury Valley School, during their open house. They are celebrating 50 years of service. I presented a signed copy of my book "a man wearing a dress" to Daniel Greenberg, one of the founders of the school. You can learn more about them at The Sudbury Valley School's web site.

The school was founded in 1968, the same year I graduated from high school in a public school system. It wasn't until a few years later when I first read John Holt's book, "How Children Fail" which helped me understand that the years of shame and humiliation I experienced in public school was not really my fault!! Of course, it's too late for me to go back and "do" my education over again. But now, with 60 other schools around the country based on this model, children today don't have to be subjected to all that trauma!!
Of course, the Sudbury Valley School's model won't necessarily work for everyone, but there are many other alternatives out there. Right now, parents have to have enough money to support both public schools (through taxes) and alternative school tuition if they are to avoid the pitfalls of the public school model. I hope that someday, such a financial penalty will be removed and people can choose the kind of learning environment that best suits them.

Book Reading at Porter Square Books a Success!

1/17/2018

My reading at Porter Square Books last night went very well! We had about 20 people attending, some of whom told me that my presentation was entertaining and engaging. I read excerpts from the book, answered questions, and signed about a dozen copies.
I got to see a few old friends I hadn't seen in years! Also, I got to share a few hugs!
All in all it was a great success!

If you live in the area but weren't able to make this event, Porter Square Books now has additional copies of my book in stock, so there's not need to wait for an order to come in. For upcoming events, please see my Appearances and Events page here on this web site!

Frame that dollar to hang on my wall!

1/4/2018

I just got the word from Ingram's Lightning Source department that they deposited $78.88 into my account from sale of my book through bookstores and online sales, back in September. That's the first month my book went on sale! They are the distributor who sends copies to bookstores as they order them.

So, time to celebrate!! This my first income from direct sales through channels (as opposed to from the "trunk of my car" so to speak). Yay! I feel like a "real author" now, more than ever.

Now, you might be wondering what took so long! I can imagine. But when I signed up to have them publish my book as a "print on demand" title, I agreed to their standard 90 day delay for reimbursements. So on Feb 1st, I'll receive a similar deposit for books sold in October, and on March 1st, another one for books sold in November, and so on. (Hey, I gotta pay the rent like anyone else and every little bit helps!)

So, please help spread the word! If you can't make it to any of my events (where you can buy a book in person), then please visit your local bookstore and order one. And if you buy online, please rate and review it (however many stars you want to give it, I trust you).

Poetry Reading now at a new day & location

12/15/2017

The monthly poetry readings, hosted by Poemworks, will be on the first Friday of the month at the West Newton YMCA, starting in 2018. The first one is Friday, January 5th at 7:00 PM. I usually read a new poem (written by me!) during the open mic segment. Please see my Appearances & Events page for details. I hope to see you there!

New poster to help me publicize "a man wearing a dress!"

11/28/2017

I want to promote my book to more people, so I just introduced an easy way for you to help me! It's a series of promotional items, starting with a poster I just designed, called "What the Doctor Ordered." It's featured on a new page here on this web site, Promotional Items. That page is listed in the family of pages under the menu for the book's title.

All you have to do is go to that page, download the PDF file, print it out, and post it wherever you dare! Or just hand out copies to friends and relatives.

So, why am I asking you to help with this? Well, in promoting my book, I've come to a realization: Most people who write books that become best sellers are already famous for something else before hand. They're a famous actor, athlete, elected official, musician, or other celebrity. Or perhaps they have already written books in the past and built up a reputation as an author in their own right. As soon as they announce a book, bingo! Thousands of copies are sold.

what_the_doctor_ordered.pdf
File Size:	1013 kb
File Type:	pdf

For those of us without all that background, it's an uphill battle to get our first book read, reviewed, and become well known. Of course, my life is not only about my book, but the messages within it. That's why I hope to make more personal appearances and produce more materials related to the themes I've introduced in the book, over time.

My page, Appearances & Events lists all upcoming events where I'll be. Check that page often because I am dedicated to keeping it up to date!