Thanks, SRS:

Patricia Campbell sent me an e-mail with a link to a blog she just started, and I found it very warm, conversational and inviting. Not surprisingly. The reason why I ask for the experience that others have had is that I read a very informative, lengthy commentary on a blog about the foolish traps they set for people who publish their book as POD (Print On Demand.) The conventional wisdom is that you get your name and the title of your book on as many possible venues as you can, and it will stimulate sales. There's a whole cottage industry of people who charge you big bucks to get your name and the title of your book in endless lists. I didn't fall for those... several of them ask $300-500 dollars to do it for you. The article I read on a blog confirmed what I suspected. The person spent over a thousand dollars on getting her name scattered around the internet and most of the efforts didn't sell a single book. I liked Patricia's blog because it's much more in line with what I would enjoy. In honesty, I suppose the Kitchen Table thread is a blog of sorts. If I can create a blog that works like the Kitchen Table thread, I'd be happy. I'm interested in reading what's happening in other people's lives as much as a I am in writing about mine. I enjoy conversations, not monologues.

I also joined Twitter and myspace, but haven't really been very active. I get frequent requests from people who want to follow my twits (what has the English language come to?) In every instance, it says that they have no followers but are following 400-500 other people. Are we a nation of followers?

It's a big help to get this imput, particularly yours, SRS. Like most people I am not completely one-dimensional. A lot of what I write doesn't really fit on Mudcat, and the same is true of the music I like. Life has become so compartmentalized. Maybe it makes sense to divide myself up into departments.

Thanks again. I may just give a blog a shot.

Any other experiences will be gratefull received.

Jerry