publishing

starting up your own publishing company is a real pain in the ass. i've been trying to get conquered nation press, the name of my publishing company trademarked for about a year and a half now. getting this name trademarked is not a complete necessity, especially for someone just starting out with their own guerilla/independent publishing company, but it gives peace of mind knowing that i will have creative control over the name for the next ten-fifteen years before i renew the trademark. it's been a lengthy and annoying process with no end in sight. it appears that there is a dispute between how i worded my application and how the government sees certain phrases like "press" that belong in the public domain. anyway, hopefully it will be over soon and yours truly will be in charge of a bonefied trademark. it is an expensive bonefied trademark, but worth it. seeing the logo and the name printed on my books is quite rewarding, even though i don't have a distributor yet.

the next step at this point is to finish my as yet untitled novel - formerly known as cooler than the millions - and publish it along side this is hardcore. publication takes quite a lot of effort, however, so it won't be for several months. i still have to get isbn and upc codes for the books. without those codes, no major book retailer will sell the books. i also have to design the cover for my as yet untitled project, as well as do the interior designs for both books. it's a lot of work, but very rewarding in many aspects. i have 100 percent control over everything i do, which is fantastic for a control freak like me. i actually get a kick out of chosing which kind of font to use for the interior of the books. i can write whatever i want, design the whole book from cover to cover, and stamp my name over everything. we're talking about writer, editor, photographer, interior and exterior designer... everything. you kind of start to get a big head after a while, but then you end up having to try to get your books in stores and you're brought back down to earth.

speaking of getting my books into stores, i realized i need some decent advanced buzz. so i will be starting a media blitz soon for desert sessions: an anti-corporate love story. i'll be sending free copies out to media outlets, in the hopes that someone reviews my book. as it is, if any of you bloggers out there belong to a media outlet (tv, newspapers, magazines, etc.) or know of people in the business, it would be much appreciated if you contact me, and i will send you copies.

as for my current book, as i said, i took the name off the book and rewrote the whole thing because it has become an entirely different monster. it has become very personal at times, and because of that, i could no longer continue with the same themes/title/plots, etc. i do have a title in mind, but i don't want to reveal it until i am finished the book, because i've already changed the title a couple of times now and it just seems silly to settle on something before it is done. regardless, the book is turning out quite nice. the first half of the book is really intense, while the second half is almost like a different book altogether. i can't wait to complete it.

again, as i've stated many times before, i have completed the cover to this is hardcore, but i will reveal it on this blog after i get an isbn number for the book. it's coming! that way, the image is tied to my name and trademark. rest assured, it is sexual, yet still classy and somehow, a bit unnerving at the same time. hopefully people will like it. it is certainly better than the cover for desert sessions, which you can see posted on the right-hand side of this blog.