July 29, 2009

Of writing and iPhones

Remember the King Crimson song, I Talk to the Wind? The line that says I’ve been here and I’ve been there and I’ve been in between?

Well, that’s been pretty much me for the last ten days or so.

Typically, July is a quiet month for me. Not this year though. While trying to squeeze in a few days taking in some theatre and a comedy festival, I’ve been in steady contact with Jane (my new editor) and Alison (my new publicist and coordinator of all things bookish).

There are times, I’ll admit, that coupled with other projects on the go (more on that later) it all seems a little overwhelming. And, late last night, I figured out why.

Have you ever been in a car driven way too fast? I have. While the expert driver I was riding with knew what he was doing, it was, to me a mind-numbing experience—complete sensory overload, in fact, with everything moving too fast to comprehend.

After General Store told me, just last week, they liked my book, it triggered, I believe, that same reaction of sensory overload.  Why? Because I had given up on finding a publisher, that’s why.  And I had already mapped out my own self-imposed, self-directed, self-publishing strategy.

What I’m really saying, I guess, is the pace of my self-directed strategy was somewhere between lethargic and glacial.

Now, thanks to Jane (who continues to surprise me not only with her efficient speed, but also the quality of her editing), we’ve already got 20% of the book edited. And, thanks to Alison, we’re planning media-outlet promotions and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Which reminds me, by the way, if you or your spouse, parent, sibling, best-friend, happens to do something, with books, at the Globe and Mail, New York Times, Amazon, Publisher’s Weekly or any other similar organization, can you, you know, put in a good word?

Oh yes, I nearly forgot.

While the above was happening, I also got word that something I wrote, maybe two months ago, is getting published in Sports Car Market magazine. It’s a piece on old American cars in Cuba and it should be out next week.

What’s funny is, while I was visiting Niagara, the magazine sent me an email requesting—right now—a brief bio and a head shot. Because I had no computer with me, I searched my smartphone’s memory and sent them the only available photo. “Won’t do,” they said, “too far away.”

So my wife and I spent twenty minutes in a park, with my chintzy cameraphone and its meager 2 meg resolution, trying to capture an acceptable promo shot.

Which brings to mind….

Maybe now I can rationalize the desire for an iPhone. Hmmm, it might be tax-deductible too…

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July 21, 2009

We have ignition

First of all, forgive this post’s corny reference to NASA’s famous pre-launch expression, and secondly, please understand that I use it with sincerity. Because, not only does the title make a timely reference to the fortieth anniversary of Apollo 11′s lunar mission, it also succinctly describes some exciting pre-launch news of my own.

The news is that, today, I signed a deal with Tim Gordon of General Store Publishing House for the publication rights to The Net Present Value of Life.

Maybe because it was so unexpected is the reason that it feels so good. Or maybe it’s because I can now rely on professionals to oversee editing, design, publicity, distribution, and all the other “stuff” that needs to get coordinated.

Whatever it is, all I can say with certainty is that I’m thrilled, a little relieved and very keen to get started. I’ve already been assigned an editor (hello Jane!), and I met Alison who will coordinate the publicity side of things.

Alison & Michael at GSPH offices

Alison & Michael at GSPH offices

I hope you will stay with me over the following weeks and months as I document the publishing journey that my book is embarking upon. If you do, I hope I’ll succeed in revealing interesting insights on my first-ever foray into the making of a novel. Keep an eye, too, on the Announcements tab of this site. It’s where I’ll post periodic updates about release dates and book launches (two venues – Ottawa and Halifax – are in the works already).

Finally, I’ll be away for a few days and, before signing off, I’d like to thank everyone for their comments, words of encouragement and support. And finally, a big thank you to the team at General Store for believing in my book.

Talk to you soon…

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July 18, 2009

5 ways to know you’re rich

It happened again—an email landed in my inbox guaranteeing me another sure-fire way to make millions. There are, it appears, a lot of people interested in my balance sheet and my financial position—total strangers, concerned about my wealth. Imagine that.

But had any of them read my prior post, they’d have realized they’re wasting their time. The reason, you see, is that, while there is a pervasive belief that life would be so much better with so much more money, I happen to be in a minority position that believes it’s not about the money. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I don’t need money, or money’s evil, or anything like that.

What I am suggesting, though, is when we discuss money, what we’re really revealing is our attitude, and our perceptions, about money. That premise of mine, by the way, gets challenged. A lot.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I found this on telegraph.co.uk “A brain scan study has shown that no matter how wealthy you are, money is most rewarding if you have relatively poor friends, peers and colleagues.”

The Telegraph’s article describes a scientific experiment that used scanners to measure the part of the brain where a person’s “reward centre” is located. In their study, scientists discovered that when a participant won money, it triggered a noticeable increase in their reward centre. What was surprising, though, is those same participants registered an even more marked increase in their reward centre when they got more money than anyone else.

All of which, I believe, reinforces the suggestion that it’s not about money, it’s about being richer.

And so, with that in mind, here’s my unscientific list that identifies…..

5 ways to know you’re rich:

1)      Do you earn at least $25,400 per year? Based on statistics from the World Bank, 90% of the world’s population would agree that you’re rich. If you earn more than $33,700 you’re in the top 5% of the world’s income earners.

2)      Own a computer? If you do, you’re rich. Almost 91% of the population can’t afford one

3)      Own a TV? 75% of the world doesn’t. Televisions, I guess, are the trappings of the rich.

4)      Made a phone call recently? Did you know there are about 2 billion people who have never used a phone, ever? Want to feel rich? Just pick up and dial.

5)      Own a car? You, my friend, are rich. 90% of the world’s population can’t afford that privilege

You see? It really isn’t about the money.

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July 16, 2009

Do you prefer a salary of $50K or $100K? Are you sure?

Okay, I’m back. At least until I’m gone again, in a few days anyway–and only for a few days.

After last week’s brief hiatus, I returned to an inbox populated with requests for posts on the money thing. While happy to delve into that area (hey, I’m always ready to ponder and postulate from atop my soapbox), I first want to emphasize that, while my upcoming book might say something about money, it says nothing about money itself.

And if that hasn’t intrigued you, consider this.

Most of us, I’m sure, have an unshakable belief that more money is a good thing. I mean, let’s face it, those are two mouth-watering words there. While ‘more’ and ‘money’ are pretty compelling in their own right, taken together, in one thought process–more money–well, who wouldn’t want some of that?

And yet, when put to the test, it turns out, funny enough, that the majority of people  don’t want more money at all. No, that is not a typo and, no, you didn’t misread that. It’s both a documented fact and the honest truth.  Let me explain.

About 10 years ago, Harvard economists Sara Solnick and David Hemenway conducted a study that asked this question; would you prefer an annual salary of $50,000 or $100,000? Believe it or not, the majority of participants (all of rational mind and sensible acuity) opted for the 50K.

You may well wonder, what sort of preposterous madness was that? Actually, it wasn’t madness at all, but rather something called positional concerns.  And it’s also, on my part, a bit deceptive, because what I haven’t told you is there was a second part to the question. In fact, the offered choice went like this.

Choose whether you get a salary of;

$50,000 while other people got $25,000

OR

$100,000 while others got $250,000

That’s where the notion of positional concerns comes in. You see, it appears we all have a tendency to compare ourselves to our peers. And during that process of comparison, it also appears that we’re happiest when our perception tells us we’re better off than our peers (even if, in absolute terms, we may be even worse off).  Which explains why most people chose option A.

When framed as such, do you think you’d also choose option A? Whether you would or wouldn’t isn’t really all that important. At least not to me. That’s because, to me, the Harvard survey wasn’t about money, but rather the perception of money.

And that, among other things, is what my book addresses.

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