Thoughts And Images

Memento Mori: Remember We Die

A Stoic Approach To The Inevitable

“What really frightens and dismays us is not external events themselves, but the way in which we think about them. It is not things that disturb us, but our interpretation of their significance.” ― Epictetus

If you read my most recent poetry book you would’ve seen a section titled: What the gods sound like when you’re almost 30 and trying to practice…

Publishing and Marketing A Poetry Chapbook: Experiments, Successes, and Failures (Episode 5: Giveaways, KDP Select, and a return to Social Media)

2 Days Until Roll-Out

We are getting close folks. If you were to check right now, you would see that both the paperback and kindle are live in Amazon right now.  So why am I claiming the roll-out is still two days away?

On Monday, Feb. 3, my book will be free on Amazon for 3 days.

That is also the day I will make a push through my social media channels. So for all intents and purposes, Monday is…

Publishing and Marketing A Poetry Chapbook: Experiments, Successes, and Failures (Episode 4: Talk To People (The Long Game, Email Marketing)

3 Days Until The Book Is Live

As I mentioned in the last post, the book is actually already live, at least the paperback version is.I broke down some of the reasons for that in the last post. The kindle version will go live tomorrow, and it will be priced at $4.99. Here’s a tip if you are thinking about buying the kindle version, wait until Monday. It will be free. So why did I price it at $4.99?

Publishing and Marketing A Poetry Chapbook: Experiments, Successes, and Failures (Episode 3: Pre-Launch Strategies)

6 Days Until Air

Alright, I have 6 days left until my book will officially be live on Amazon, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It’s actually already live.  At least in paperback form? Why do I already have it live if I’m not officially releasing it until next week?

Reviews, Reviews, Reviews

Think about most purchases you have made before you are sure about the products,…

Publishing and Marketing A Poetry Chapbook: Experiments, Successes, and Failures (Episode 2: Creating Your Book Cover)

9 Days Until Launch

I have about 10 more poems to write in the next 9 days in order to fill out this book. So I obviously am spending all of my time writing and perfecting these poems right? Well, about that…

You guessed it. Instead, I decided to jump ahead to cover design. Why? Well, like I mentioned in the last post, I am an artist, not a marketer. I must follow my heart, and today my heart…

Publishing and Marketing A Poetry Chapbook: Experiments, Successes, and Failures (Episode 1: The Grand Beginning)

The Trials and Tribulations Of An Artist Who Hates Marketing

So it begins. The grand experiment. As some of you know, I have self-published one poetry book, The Cosmic Hello: Lessons in Codependence if you click that link it will allow you download that book for free, and join my email list. Or if you really want a paper copy, you can find it on Amazon here.

I also have a second poetry book…

20 Books, Blogs, and Podcast Episodes About Creativity That Will Help You Publish Your First Book This Year

  Whether You Want To Self or Traditionally Publish These People Will Help You On Your Journey

I’m in the process of publishing my 2nd book this year. The first one, which was self-published is available for free download by signing up for my email newsletter. 

The second book, which is traditionally published through Finishing Line Press, will be available for pre-order soon, but since I’m…

3 Modern Poetry Books You Have To Read Right Now – January 2020

Modern Poetry Books I Can’t Put Down This January

  1. Mouthful of Forevers by Clementine Von Radics

  Clementine Von Radicsis one of my favorite modern poets, and she’s also a great social media follow. This collection came out in 2015, and it’s full of some of the most haunting imagery of any poetry book I read in my 20s. Filled with simplistic but crushing language that spills out the darkest…

Get Yourself Off The Hedonic Treadmill

Exorcising Your Misconceptions About How To Attain Happiness

“Most people are like all stomachs: they cannot remain satisfied for a long time.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

When I was getting my undergrad in English, I was not always the most studious member of my university. I wrote recently on the ways I’ve had to trick the laziness out of myself, and honestly, it has always been a…

What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today

“He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

I’m an English teacher at an all-boys school, and sometimes it’s my job to make high school boys interested in literature that was written thousands of years ago. It’s not always easy, especially because…

A Lazy Man’s Guide To Being (Slightly) Better

Don’t Worry, There’s Still Beer and Netflix

“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.” ― Mark Twain

I am a serial procrastinator. I always have been. Sometimes I make myself feel better about it when I read articles like this one, which mentions procrastinators being more creative, or this one which says that procrastination is one of the 11 common…

“I’m Lovin’ It”: How Brands Make Money Off Of Emotional Manipulation

Am I Going To Get Sued For This?

“Advertising is legalized lying.” — H. G. Wells

People see between 4,000 and 10,000 ads a day according to some experts. That same article mentions an anecdotal account of a man who counted 487 ads before he finished his breakfast. Of course all of these aren’t necessarily formal advertisements, but just glimpses of logos or slogans. Still, the…

The Reverse Scientific Method: Why Conspiracy Theories Are So Convincing

How To Recognize The Difference Between Pseudoscience and Science

“… if you assume a big enough conspiracy, you can explain anything, including the cosmos itself.” ― Fritz Leiber, The Big Time

If you haven’t seen it, there’s an excellent documentary on Netflix about Flat Earthers called Behind the Curve. It may not sound like a great way to spend an hour and a half, but I promise it…