J. Timothy King’s Blog

Abe’s Turn is Up at My New Online Web Shop

Just a quick note: The J. Timothy King Web Shop is up and running and taking orders for The Conscience of Abe’s Turn, Volume 1 (with special, introductory pricing through election day, November 4) and 1001 Character Quirks for Writing Fiction: A tool for creating memorable fiction characters (with the ebook version included).

And through October 14, everything in the store is 5% off, if you use the following coupon code on the checkout screen:

GRANDOPENING
5% OFF everything
Valid through Oct 14, 2008
only at shop.JTimothyKing.com

Soon, I’ll also be releasing my father’s memoir, Can You See God in This Picture: A Letter to My Sons Making Sense of 25 Years as a Pastor. And I also have other projects in the pipeline.

-TimK

(Note that only one coupon code can be used per order.)

Video: A Glimpse into the Self-Publishing Process

I’ll make this quick. The first proof copy of The Conscience of Abe’s Turn (the Advanced Copy version) arrived earlier this week (on Monday).

I had made a mock-up of the final version (also showed in the video), wrapping it around Julie Carobini’s Chocolate Beach, which happens to be about the same size (about 5.5″ x 8.5″ x .78″), and which I’m enjoying more and more the further along I read it. My original plan was to print up a bunch of advanced copies through Lulu, because they’re fast, if expensive. I had expected the final version to take between 1 and 3 months to come to market. However…

As it turns out, submitting the final book block and cover to Lightning Source (the on-demand printer & fulfillment company) went off without a hitch. As I sit here right now, the proof copy of the actual book (as it will appear on Amazon) is on a UPS Overnight plane (or at least ready to be loaded onto a plane), destined to be delivered to my front door tomorrow. If it looks good (as I expect it to), the book may have a page on Amazon before the week is out. (However, it may take longer for the full details to become available on Amazon, or for Amazon to realize that it can actually order copies.) And I’ll definitely be able to order as many copies as I want from Lightning Source, at about half what Lulu charges. So, bully!

I may have to figure out to whom to give the one and only “Advanced Copy” of the book (autographed, with a notation that it’s the one and only Advanced Copy ever produced).

-TimK

UPDATE: Indeed that’s what I’m going to do. I received the proof today (September 18) and approved it. (Then I noticed a minor font problem and decided not to correct it because it only affects 3 pages and you won’t even notice it unless you’re looking for it and you’re anal-perfectionist like I am.) Here’s a video of me opening the package from Lightning Source:

Funny Bits from around the Internet

The Flying Alarm Clock

Ran across this real-life product, called the “Flying Alarm Clock.” The idea is that there’s a plastic propeller thingy on top of the alarm clock that pops off and flies across the room when the alarm goes off. To stop the alarm from wailing in your ears, you have to actually trudge out of bed, rummage around on the floor, locate the plastic propeller thingy where it has landed, drag it back to the clock base, all while a siren-alarm is blaring your ears, and re-attach the propeller to the clock. Or you can just hurl the damn thing across the room. (Not a recommended procedure, but I’m sure it would stop the alarm.)

There’s even a YouTube video to demonstrate it. Demonstrate the clock, that is, not hurling it across the room.

This Flying Alarm Clock actually sounds like a great idea. Simple, elegant, and it would probably even get me out of bed in the morning. It also serves as a lesson in not diluting your product with too many features, as this quote from the video reveals: (Read more…)

Friday Snippet: Recovery, Relapse, Relationship

Last week, I said I’d post the final version of the draft-0 snippet I had posted 2 weeks ago. And you know what? I just plum forgot to do it. Sheesh!

What reminded me was when my computer alarm went off this morning, reminding me to post a friday snippet today. So with my sincere apologies, here’s the final-draft version of that draft-0 snippet.

This is the result a new writing method I’m trying, similar to Lazette Gifford’s Phase System or Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method. It’s part of an Agile Storytelling methodology, specifically a method probably best called “Iterative Story Design.” The idea is that you go through the entire story design cycle multiple times, designing the story in layers, as it were, each layer providing more detailed story aspects than the previous one. (Read more…)