Yolo Crow

Riding the Rollercoaster called 'Small Business'

The Yolo Crow is out! Friday I picked up two big boxes of magazines from the printers and I've been working hard since. I've sold 20 copies so far and there are another 28 on consignment at stores around town. I've brushed up the website a bit and now I'm working on an online shopping cart so people can buy subscriptions. I'm trying to set up a reading at a local bookstore for publicity. I've got press releases going out today and some promotional copies going out to local media folks.

Phew!

Midnight Ramble

I pulled a late night last night and finished up my pirate bodice. Done. Fits me well too. I'm pleased with it. Now I can stop scaring the neighbors. Let me explain. I made this bodice with a tried and true method known to many a renaissance fair seamstress...duct tape. Yep, duct tape. You put on an old t-shirt (preferably one you're not fond of) and take a deep breath and have a good friend bind you up in duct tape starting at the waist and looping around and around up the chest.

Crow Sitting

I was heading down to a local bookstore yesterday to pick up a few books I've been hunting for and it occured to me as I headed out the door that maybe I ought to grab my Yolo Crow stuff and bring it with me. The owner of this bookstore has already agreed to sell my magazine, but I thought perhaps they'd let me post a flyer. I popped onto their website before I left to see if I could discover the name of the owner, in case she happened to be there. Do you know what I found there?

Ask and You Shall Receive

Ask and you shall receive.

Or... Complain and God says, "Alright already! Stop whining! I've already taken care of it but there's shipping time involved and even I can't speed up the US Postal Service!"

Or something like that.

Yesterday, just hours after writing my frantic blog about my mournfully empty post office box, I arrived at said box to find that providence had intervened. There, in a little letter-sized enevelope, was the first submission to The Yolo Crow. A lovely little villanelle.*

Brain Mush

So I'm having Yolo Crow dreams every night now. Dreams where I'm running around frantically trying to promote the magazine, which, incidentally, is what I'm doing in my awake time anyway.

Announcement!

Announcement! The Yolo Crow webpage is officially up and running and we are accepting submissions now. Ta-da! Check it out: www.yolocrow.com

Something to Crow About

Vote time.

I've got a few name suggestions for the magazine title. What do you guys think?

This Blog is Brought to You by the Number 6

Yesterday I sent out six emails to six people I hoped would come on board with my literary project as editors. Some of them were real long shots. It feels rather like inviting the popular kids from school to your birthday party when you know you're not cool enough to hang out with them.

This morning, when I logged into my computer and checked my email, there were six responses, lined up like little ducks in row. I was literally frightened to open them. I closed my eyes when I clicked on the first one, preparing for the rejection letter.

Surprise.

Ready or Not

I'm charging forth with my publication idea. I received a burst of confidence from wherever those creative cosmic forces flow from, so my optimism sent a nod to my muse and my self-doubt cast her concerned look, and we're off on our adventure, the three of us. Ready or not, here we come.

I'm attempting to gather together a team of editors to read submissions. I'm bribing literary friends and acquaintances with dinner at a local pizza parlor to come hear me out and hopefully climb into the rowboat with me. We'll paddle upstream and see where we end up.

Shannon gets into something way over her head. . . again

So I've been exploring routes to get myself published and found that the venue that I really want doesn't exist. If you want to publish stuff for children, there are outlets for you. If you want to publish Tolkien-style fantasy, King-style horror, or LeGuin-style science fiction, there are outlets for you. If you write poetry or my particular brand of fantasy (no wizards in pointy hats), well. . .

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