So here's my first attempt at blogging and using it to peddle my book, entitled
A Squid's Story: My First Four Years in the United States Navy. It will be on the market before the end of this year (maybe this MONTH) and is currently in "published" status. I am taking the self-publishing route after becoming sick and dog beat tired of getting
hundreds of canned responses from lazy, no good literary agents who probably never even took the time to get up and hit the enter key on my emails to even see what I had to say.
Discouraged? Nope. I'm a squid. We're cocky bastards. I'm used to being browbeaten and analyzed and used to working under adverse conditions. But I grew up in the Navy with one trait: meeting those deadlines on time, baby, and this is one of them.
There was, however,
one literary agent who actually liked my book. I won't mention his name, but he is a prominent naval historian. He said my book looks like a good read and it appeared to be historically accurate. He did reject it though by saying
....but the topic is too narrow for me as a publisher to invest in.Oh well. Several books were deemed to be loss leaders. But it's certainly worth a try. I am grassroots and ready to take on the world of book publishing.
The book tells the story of the people I met and the places I visited during my first tour of duty in the Navy as a Radioman. I'm discussing my job and what I did, in complete detail (yes, for those of you who are thinking I'm breaking rules here, the book
has already been officially screened and cleared for publication by the CNO office at the Navy Yard). Hey, Walker is even mentioned, because back then I used to wonder why Soviet AGI's were always waiting on us to transit from grid position ALFA to grid position CHARLIE - and how in the heck did the Russkies know we'd have one of our boomers on the surface one night shooting flares in the middle of the Atlantic? We knew. But how did
they know?
The time frame was '80-'84, the Cold War. Consider what the Navy was going through back then with huge drug problems rampant throughout the community while they had beer machines in practically every barracks in Norfolk; making ends meet in accordance with Reagan's new demands with a goal of a 600 ship Navy; the new post-Vietnam era, where thousands of so-called "Career Seamen" who were in like seventeen years and had absolutely no desire whatsoever to gain promotion and a brand new bunch of us "Brave New Navy" kids were coming into the service with a desire to be educated properly and pick up on a viable, maybe lifelong, career.
But what's different about my book is that it's not your typical military memoir. I didn't write this book to brag about how many medals or ribbons I earned or what rank I attained in those four years or even how many people I killed or what hills I climbed with a flag in my teeth. I didn't write this memoir to use as a promotional tool in getting a better job or attain higher stature.
I wrote it because I want to tell the truth about the goings-on inside the Navy at the time and its evolutions, talk about the people I met and how I wondered how in the heck some of them got where they were in rank, and so that there's a story I am leaving behind when I move on from life. I want this book to relate to the common Navy guy from the deckplate ranks up through Admiral (if Jeremy Boorda were alive today, he'd be my first freebie book recipient).
I've been told that the book would make for a good comedy flick, but first things first. While I'd like to be able to attract the attention of people in the Navy to read my book, I'd also like to know that civilians are reading the book as well. I believe that those of us who served together in the Navy can directly relate to some of the stories I've discussed - everything from stepping into Boot Camp for the first time to taking that first advancement exam to sitting under the waist cats on an aircraft carrier drinking stolen beers that were ice cold in the middle of the Mediterranean after spending 53 straight days out at sea.
If you've heard about or seen the Campfire Girls in real life...if you remember those times pulling out from the pier wondering why the heck all the guys around you are crying but you're lovin' every minute of it....if you're acutely aware of the "cleanliness" from some of the guys in your everyday berthing compartment...if you've ever visited a whore house in Naples (the one that had a really nice paneled waiting room).....if you remember getting in trouble for the most ridiculous thing....if you remember getting those first hash marks as an E-3 and thinking how cool you were for having those on your sleeve.....if you remember the day you pulled in from a cruise and realized all the guys around you had a girlfriend or a wife to come home to, and you just had a bag of dirty laundry, then this book would capture your interests. Even if you were a nerd and none of the above happened to you, the book will captivate you because every single aspect of navy life is captured here.
Hey, even if you're a virgin civilian who's never sailed the seven seas or know what it's like to be awake for over 48 hours, this book is for you. It'll give you a tasting sample of what the Navy was (most of it probably hasn't changed that much). But one thing about my book: Even though I've tried to explain some of the nautical terms and synonyms I mention throughout, there is no glossary. But hey, grow up! If you come across some term I've not fully explained, there's always Google!
So If you're reading this, stay tuned. More to come as things develop. I'll discuss what's happening with my book and where I'm at in the process. It's been written. It's already been vetted and published. Be patient. All I have to do is change all of my pictures out for higher dpi settings, make them all gray scale, and finalize on the distribution plan.
Be back soon! If you have any questions, post them here.
I entered a sales contest through Lulu, so the more books I sell the better chances I have at winning, so this month is going to be crazy for me having to push out spam like this to get people like you to help out a veteran sell his book!
