…and the kindness of strangers

As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I’m doing my serial careerist thing, moving from working in the law, back to writing.  Although writing new Matt Jacob novels may seem like simply returning to a prior career, I see much of it as something new.

I left writing sixteen years ago, in large part, because my experience with publishing houses drove me out of the writing world.  (Another story, another time.)  That hurt a lot and I wouldn’t have thought about writing books again if it meant duplicating that experience.

But we live in a different time now; all types of communication have gone through revolutionary changes.  And publishing is no exception.  Self-publishing is no longer just the domain of people writing their family history for their grandchildren, or seen that way.  Some people have become bestsellers through their self-published books.  Some bestselling authors have left their publishers to strike out on their own.

I’ve been watching these developments and have created my own plan.  I am digitally re-publishing the first three volumes of the original Matt Jacob series as e-books (the cover for the first one is fantastic!).  Then when I publish the fourth book in the series (which I took when I escaped my publisher), it will come out both as an e-book and a paperback Book On Demand (BOD).  And that is what I will do for all the new books I write for the Matt Jacob series.  These publishing methods allow me to bypass the censorship issues I was forced to battle sixteen years ago.

It’s not just the technological innovations that lure me to write a “new” Jacob series, but in fact, the sixteen years that have passed since writing the fourth novel (TIES THAT BLIND).  Times have changed, I have changed, and I’m really interested to learn how Matt is dealing with his and our social and cultural changes.  I imagine many aspects of his character will remain, but sixteen years certainly adds more than just years to one’s life.

So Matt and his crew will be different.  I can’t say exactly how since writing for me is a discovery process.  But I do know that the prospect of playing with that time difference is really exciting and has captured my interest in a big way.  So much so, that it transforms the series into something that feels like moving forward, not going back.

Which brings me to my request for help.  As mentioned above, before I can begin to write a new Matt Jacob, I’ve been getting the original series ready for digital release.  Building a new website, formatting the originals for the various Ebook platforms (Kindle, Nook, Ipad, Downloadable PDFs etc).  If all goes well, STILL AMONG THE LIVING, my first book and a N.Y.Times Notable, should be ready for downloading by the end of October.  In the meantime I’d like to build the distribution list I’ve been using to announce my Monday posts.  Sorry, those ain’t going away despite this new venture.

If you know someone—friends, family, colleagues–who you believe might be interested in my posts and/or book it would be great if you checked with them to see if they’d be willing to be added to my mailing list.  Sorry to ask for that extra step, but I really don’t want to spam anyone.  If they are, please send me—or have them send me—their email address to: zacharykleinonline@gmail.com.

Of course, if any of you are uncomfortable with this request, just ignore it.  You folks have already been kind enough to follow my posts on a regular basis and I don’t want to impose.

This isn’t one of my regular Monday raps, but I appreciate your time and understanding.  Thanks.

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
Lao Tzu