HNT - WOTS 2011

I was at The Word On The Street this past Sunday. It's always such a fantastic day. Of course, how could spending a beautiful Sunday afternoon with thousands of people who are there to celebrate reading and advocate literacy (two key ingredients of WOTS) not be a great thing?

Joining several other authors at Horror Writers Association's booth in the Writer's Block, I got a chance to meet a lot of fine folks, bump into friends I haven't seen in a while and share some information about my existing and forthcoming books.

This week's HNT include a few pictures taken that afternoon.

Nancy Kilpatrick, Sephera Giron, Ken Lillie-Paetz, Mark Leslie

Ken and I chatting with a book lover who is checking out CAMPUS CHILLS

For the display table, I had brought a beautiful hand-carved skull chest that I had purchased at a Hamilton street festival just a few weeks before - the Locke Street Festival, which is, like WOTS, always a grand time.

At WOTS I was handing out a coupon code so that people could download a free digital copy of my short story SPIRITS via Smashwords. Since the code is still valid for a few weeks, if you're interested in checking it out, please email me a request with SPIRITS in the subject line and I'll send you the code.

First Major Publisher Finally Gets It!

Last week in what I fully believe will become known as an historic turning point for the publishing industry, HarperCollins Publishers announced a partnership with On Demand Books (makers of the Espresso Book Machine) and something called “Comprehensive Backlist.”

The program will allow any physical bookstore with an Espresso Book Machine the ability to offer thousands of backlist trade paperback titles from HarperCollins to their customers. This means that the vision of walking into your local bookstore only to find the title out of stock and a wait of one to three weeks for that special order to arrive, a thing of the past.

Me and some of the first EBM titles at McMaster in 2009 in front of the EBM 1.5

Now, all the bookseller will need to do is look up the title in their Espresso Book Machine (EBM) catalogue, hit a few buttons, and the perfect bound trade paperback, complete with a full colour cover will be produced right there in the store in a matter of minutes.

This represents the very dream I had envisioned when I set about to purchase the Espresso Book Machine for the bookstore at McMaster back in 2008. Titles Bookstore at McMaster University was the 2nd location in Canada to acquire an EBM and, even though the catalogue of well over a million titles was immediately available, content from the major publishers was still part of the “coming soon” rather than the “feature attraction.” Instead of waiting for the inevitable content, McMaster took a “buy it and they will come” approach and haven’t looked back.

The EBM at McMaster has allowed us to partner with academic publishers to ensure the availability of custom versions of textbooks that helped us save students hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past three years, while increasing bookstore and publisher sell-thru. The EBM has also attracted an entirely new revenue stream due to our ability to offer services for self-publish authors. With an ideal print-run of 1 copy, anybody who ever wanted to follow the dream of publishing their own book saw some previous high barriers fall.

“Bookstores continue to be an important place for customers to shop for physical books,” Brian Murray, Chief Executive Officer at HarperCollins said in a September 22^nd press release. “The goal of this initiative is to give the local bookseller the capability to provide customers with a greater selection of HarperCollins titles in a physical environment.”

Visionary Dane Neller, CEO of On Demand Books applauds HarperCollins on this move. “By committing thousands of titles to the program,” Neller says, “HarperCollins is showing its clear support for bookstores and authors, and reaching more readers.” Neller goes on to state that “Digital-to-Print at Retail” (DPR) will become a powerful new sales channel helping to eliminate lost sales due to out of stock inventory.

This is a day that I dreamed of when I first watched the EBM roll into the bookstore at McMaster University one fine day in November of 2008.

I knew that digital books and ebooks would continue to grow and eventually become a dominant force within the publishing market; but I have also long held the belief that there was a need for digital distribution with a “print local” element – allowing customers who still prefer the printed artefact purchased from their friendly neighbourhood local bookshop an easy way to get access to more titles than can be physically held in a small and often high rent retail space.

We have all seen evidence that bookstores attempting to stock upwards of 100,000 titles on their shelves is not always a fully sustainable business model. The McMaster bookstore, for example, which used to stock 40,000 titles in the store, eventually recognized that the cost of attempting to physically carry “everything” was simply not sustainable. It was the Espresso Book Machine and the continually growing digital catalogue of print on demand titles that allowed us to finally make the change and stop carrying so much backlist and overstock. We knew that the day would come when that backlist (or Chris Anderson’s “long tail” of titles would soon be available in a more convenient fashion for customers, booksellers and publishers thanks to our Espresso Book Machine.

Now that HarperCollins has stepped up to the plate, I’m sure that the other major publishing stakeholders will follow suit.

I’m rather enthusiastic to watch a fresh new opportunity that represents a win situation for publishers, bookstores and authors, particularly at this time of unease and unprecedented change in our industry.

HNT - Avatar

For years I have been using the exact same avatar across various social media platforms. It's the little image of my head, tilted slightly to the side, with some buildings in the distance and an orange post immediately behind my head.

I thought, for this week's HNT, I would reveal where that head-shot came from.

First, I stole the image from a friend's blog back in about 2005. Taras Shuper, a buddy I used to work with at Chapters Online had a list of his blog friends on his side-bar which included images. Shupe (as he is affectionately known my many pals) had cropped that image of my head-shot from a picture I had posted on my blog. I thought it was a cool picture - so I started using it as my avatar for my profile on this blog. As I branched out into various other online social media, I used the same picture.

I thought it would be important for people to be able to recognize me across different platforms, so, using a consistent avatar is one way of ensuring people know that it's the same Mark. I also potentially confuse people since I write fiction under the name "Mark Leslie" and am known in the bookselling world as "Mark Lefebvre" and in various other circles I use the full "Mark Leslie Lefebvre" -- thus, the consistent avatar assures people it's the same me.

The original picture that "Shupe" cropped was one that Francine took of me on the Staten Island ferry. We were in New York City for our anniversary many years ago (I believe it was in 2003), and she snapped this shot of me - we were "close" to the Statue of Liberty and I wanted to get some pictures of us with the beautiful New York city skyline in the background.

New York is an absolutely beautiful city. I have also recently made some changes in my life (which will be revealed very shortly on this blog), in which New York features quite prominently. So I figured this NY picture is rather appropriate right now.

HNT - Boys Being Boys

It has been a busy few weeks. It always gets this way working at a campus bookstore.

The storm will pass, things are already starting to slow down.

For example, yesterday, I only worked 12 hours. It felt, strangely, like a really short day. (It's all relative, right?)

And though this summer was a great one (we had one of the best July's for weather in our little part of the world), it seemed to have passed all too quickly.

This morning I was looking at some pics from the past summer, and laughed when I saw this one of Alexander and I goofing around at the Dinosaur Mini Golf on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls earlier this summer.

It reminds me of how the fall season brings Halloween -- one of our family's favourite times of year. Fran and I have always loved Halloween.  And, ever since he could walk, Alexander has been involved in the huge tasks involved in purchasing new materials for, deciding on a plan, and setting up our front yard to be a spooky haunted graveyard.

And I just love those special family moments where, after acquiring one or two new Halloween things as a family, Francine sends us out to work in the front yard; then the delight we take in showing her all the details of our new "masterpiece."

Remembering 9/11 Ten Years Later

It has been ten years since the tragic events of Sept 11, 2001.

Several years ago, on the anniversary of the tragic day where 2996 people lost their lives, blogger D. Challenger Roe began Project 2,996 -- it was an exercise in bringing bloggers from around the world together to remember the victims of Sept 11, 2001.

The idea was for bloggers to take the time to get to know one of the people who died and to celebrate and remember their lives rather than focus on the tragedy that befell them that fateful day. I loved the fact that the focus wasn't on the tragedy but on celebrating the lives, the people they had been before 9/11.

I took the time to find information and remember three different individuals over the years. Each year, I go back and re-read the posts about them, think about the lives they lived and the differences they made before their lives were cut short.

The posts about the people are listed below.

Raymond Meisenheimer - Remembering Raymond Meisenheimer  (2006)

Deora Francis Bodley - Remembering The Lives of Two Heros (2007)

David Reed Gamboa Bradhorst & his fathers Daniel Brandhorst and Ronald Gamboa - Project 2996 - Sept 11, 2008 (2008)

A return/overview to the previous posts -Project 2,996 (2009) and yet another revisit last year.


These are just a few of so many lives that have been lost on that day and in the days beyond. So many lives have been altered, the course of history was forever changed. But beneath the world-wide gathering that is occurring on this tenth anniversary, all the memorials and media attention there still lies the simple fact that loved ones were lost, people who loved and were loved and who continue to live on in our memories and hearts.

HNT - Zombie Mark

I didn't leave work last night until almost midnight. I've had too many of the days that never end lately.

It seems as if there's way more to get done than there are hours in a day. And the most frustrating thing is that, even if I had stayed and worked around the clock, I doubt I'd be even close to caught up. To toss in a well-used cliche, it's like I'm trying to squeeze blood from a stone.

On days like these when it feels as if I'm shoveling water, I wonder when I'll start to look like Zombie Mark.

A buddy of mine (a friend I made through the weekly ritual of HNT actually), made this photo of me - this zombi-fied version of me is based on the profile photo/avatar I use for most of my social media presence.I thought it was pretty damn cool. Brandon is a very talented fellow.

Actually, I think the zombie Mark in this picture looks a bit better than I feel right now.

Oh well, onward and upward. If I can't pause to make fun of myself, then what good am I?

What I Missed Today

I just got home from a fourteen hour work day. I have a lot of them this time of year. Not a big deal. What is a big deal to me, though, is that I missed my son's first day of Grade 2.

For Kindergarten and Grade 1, both Francine and I were there.  This year, however, I wasn't able to be here for the first day of school ritual (cue up Cat Stevens' "Cats in the Cradle").

Fortunately, Francine took some pictures, so I could at least see what I missed.

Here are a couple of nice shots of Alexander on his way to school.

Here's ye olde standard first day of school shot . . . .

Then the old "look over the shoulder to show off my new Star Wars Clone Wars backpack" shot . . .

Of course, in the evening, after school, Alexander got his hands on the camera and took a few shots of his own. Experimental fun shots - the kind that show his creative, and "hey, let's check this out" approach that I so love.

There's the: "Look at me posing with the blue bird I bought for Mom at French River." (One of about a dozen self-pics with this bird) . . .

Then there's the: "Hey, look at me posing in front of a digital picture frame that has me in it!"

Then we have the classic: "Oh, look, a mirror! That'd be a great shot!" picture . . .

Followed by a: "Hmm, let me get this up close" shot that ended up turning into a pretty stylish and funky picture, due to the shaky hand blur.

Yes, I missed the first day of school ritual. But I think what I missed more was that fun playful evening I could have spent with my son.

And I'm thankful that though I missed some fun stuff today that I'm usually there for a good part of those playful moments . . . it makes me feel fresh and young.

HNT - Sue Dough Nym

CHCH news recently did a "back to school" piece on ebooks and came to the bookstore at McMaster to look into whether or not more students were buying etextbooks.

I talked about the fact that etextbooks were not like the "general trade" ebooks that you might normally buy from a place like Kobo, for example. (A great example to use since our bookstore sells Kobo readers along with iPads and other tablet devices that are popular because you can run various ebook apps on them).

Etextbooks are typically "time bombed" or set to expire at the end of the term, so, though the student pays slightly less for their etextbook they don't have anything at the end (ie, a book to keep or perhaps sell back into the used market and get some cash for, which typically helps them buy the next textbooks they need on their educational journey) - thus, the initial cost might be a little lower, but the residual value is typically much less in the long run.

Most of the students who have been weighing their options end up finding it a better value to purchase the textbook package which includes access to the etextbook. It is typically not that much more expensive than buying the ebook alone (several times, the ebook is included for free with the new textbook purchase), and they get the flexibility of using both depending on their location/situation. (For example, with a couple of the 1st year books we have for Chemistry and Kinesiology, the textbooks are extremely heavy. The bundled textbook/ebook allows the student to leave the textook in their dorm-room rather than lug it across campus, and if the prof refers to or reads from the book in class, the student can easily follow along accessing the ebook on their laptop, tablet or ereader device.)

Here's a snapshot from the interview done with me in our store.

I think it's cute that they got my name wrong. (They transposed the B and V - a popular mistake in a name where the B and R are silent and thrown in seemingly just to confuse people) and the second e is more of an "a" sound - ie, Lefave.......) It makes me want to collect a scrap-book of all the times I have appeared in the media over the years and my name has been mis-spelled. It might be fun to look back at.

But really, is it any wonder why I write under the pseudonym Mark Leslie?

HNT - BookCampTO 2011

Last Saturday I attended BookCampTO 2011. BookCamp is an unconference - a conversation rather than a keynote. This means all attendees are potential presenters and expected participants. The best thing about this type of gathering (besides the collaborative conversations), is that everybody is welcome to attend. Writers, technologists, publishers, readers, editors, designers, book sellers, book buyers, printers, librarians … anyone who cares about books is welcome and encouraged to attend.

This makes for a well-rounded gathering of people who are passionate about our industry.

Session ideas for an unconference like this are typically born from a flexible series of suggestions for topic areas, with anyone welcome to submit comments, questions, ideas and content related to it. This helps provide some sort of basis for each of the sessions that are ultimately decided upon. Typically, one, two, three or more people are asked to help lead the discussion. But, again, rather than it being a lecture or one to many type of talk, it is meant to be a workshop setting, with session leaders guiding the discussion, inviting participation and trying to keep everyone on track.

I always love this type of collaboration, and I am particularly inspired by the enthusiasm, passion and willingness of people to share ideas. The best book industry events, in my opinion, are ones in which people come together to work at sharing and resolving challenges, rather than in a confrontational way. For the most part, the spirit of collaboration and sharing was evident. The schedule itself included five tracks with five sessions, with lots of great choices for things for people to participate in. Four of the five tracks were left completed un-scheduled, meaning it became the ultimate natural-discussion room, where hallway conversations could be worked into ad-lib workshops.

In a nutshell, the organizers, a small group of committed and passionate book industry professionals, along with the sponsors (a similar group) and the volunteers (yes, cut from the very same cloth as the two aforementioned groups) are to be commended for putting so much time, effort and energy into providing a fanastic opportunity for people from across our industry to come together.

I could write a review, but there are already great POV posts out there that cover #bcto11 (that was the Twitter hashtag - check that out that stream to see the types of discussion and commentary about the day) - there are also some great recaps about it at such places as Amy Reads, Bella's Bookshelves and Ben Dugas . . . a blog.

There's a phrase that Indigo used to use which I always admired that says: "The world needs more Canada" - I'll slightly modify that slogan into "The book world needs more opportunities for collaboration." Events like BookCampTO are definitely necessary in order to achieve that and overcome the challenges and hurdles we face as this industry continues to evolve and grow.

This week's HNT picture is one I found via Erudit.org. It's a group shot taken from the hallway where many great conversations always occur at these types of events) and you can see my head in it. Think of it like an introductory "Where's Marko?" type of game. It's pretty easy to spot me, but with a little trick since I look a tiny bit different than my standard avatar - I'm sporting a smeckling of facial hair.

Group shot of BookCampTO from www.erudit.org

You Don't Know Jack

Most of us didn't know Jack Layton personally. But that never stopped us from feeling like we did. That's just the way he was, continually presenting himself in a straightforward and honest manner. He was the kind of leader who easily blended in with the "everyman" mostly because, despite his role as a politician and the opposition leader of Canada, he was down to earth and humble.

Photo by Donald Weber/Getty Images News (2004)

Touted as the national party leader most Canadians would want to have a beer with (you can certainly put my name on that list), no matter which role he played, there was always the sense that he was genuine. Whether fighting for the less fortunate of the community, seeking out equal rights, conducting a local town hall or rallying the NDP party to a record-breaking victory, his convictions and integrity consistently shone through.

I remember first paying attention to him with the 2000 release of his book Homelessness: The Making And Unmaking of a Crisis. (I know, strange, isn't it, that a book nerd's first exposure to a long time political advocate didn't occur until said politician released a book) What I remembered most was the approach he took in this book and in the discussions he made when it was released. He gathered analysis, research and merged them with personal anecdotes, offering an understanding combined with proactive solutions. I remember admiring his approach and that's when his name stuck in my head. Except, of course, I was thinking he would continue to write books to inspire change for the better - little did I suspect he would continue to rise in the political arena.

But the approach in this book seemed to be his approach in many of the things he strongly believed and stood for. Well before his national role he continually took a firm stand for the rights of minority groups that the rest of society would rather have continued to shun. He was one of the few leaders who forged the path for attitudes to change in a progressive and positive fashion - and well before it was fashionable for a leader to do so.

When he moved from his role as Toronto city councilor and into the role of NDP party leader, he took his fight for the common person to whole new levels.

I have long admired Jack Layton's leadership and what he has stood for. Like so many Canadians I never had the privilege to know him personally, but that never stopped me from feeling like I did.

I remember bumping into him and his wife Olivia at Toronto's The Word On The Street a few years back.The two were walking hand in hand and enjoying the simple yet magical splash of book culture that WOTS brings to the city each year. And when I saw them and we exchanged a brief nod and smile, I had to remind myself that this wasn't that couple my wife and I have known for years and before this we had never met - despite the fact that that's exactly how it felt when I saw them.

Jack Layton left a legacy of that feeling in many hearts. He conducted himself with integrity, purpose and a wonderfully down to earth charm. He was the type of leader who could inspire and energize.

And in his last letter to Canadians, written just days before he passed away, he left Canadians with truly inspiring thoughts and words.

"Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one - a country of greater equality, justice and opportunity . . . consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don't let them tell you it can't be done.


My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."

Thank you, Mr. Layton. Thank you for showing us the importance of standing up for what you truly believe in. Thank you for your integrity, for putting the common person first, for rallying for community and family, and for reminding us of the importance of working together.

I only hope that we take heed and actually listen to this message.

HNT - Just For Mark

I called my Mom the other day to tell her that she is now officially old.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because your son just used Just For Men on his beard." I said.

I did it mostly to give my beard a consisent colour. My beard has always varied between a red and dark brown colour, but lately 90% of my chin was pure greyish white, which made my van dyke beard (a combination of a goatee, which is just hair on your chin plus a moustache) look a little goofy - from more than a few feet away, the chin hair was so light and the rest of my beard was so dark it looked like I had one of those really long moustaches. It just bugged me.

My hair, after all, has long had streaks of grey in it and that has never bothered me. But this grey chin hair was just too unsettling.  So Fran picked me up a box of dark brown from Just for Men and in 5 minutes that grey was gone.

Interesting. Never thought I'd use a vanity product like that - but I was amazed at how simple and easy it was to use.

An interesting side-note. I'd been chatting with a buddy about beards lately and one of them admitted that, like me, whenever he shaved off his beard, he spent time in the washroom goofying around and trying various different "looks" and styles, much to his wife's chagrin. In a blog posted called Anatomy of a Shave I posted HNT pics back in 2006 of one of my "goofing around with facial hair" sessions.

Of course, I also found an interesting post from a guy named Jonathan Dyer called The Quest for Every Beard Type  - in it he is attempting to wear every possible type of facial hair - he continues to update it each year. It's hilarious.

Smiling At The Little Things

Sometimes it's fun to pause and just enjoy the little things that bring a smile to your day.

Take Polkaroo, for example.

Polkaroo was a character who appeared on the long-running TVO television series for children called Polka Dot Door which was broadcast from 1971 until 1993 (Just ask almost any person my age about the show and they can almost immediately start singing the show's theme song) Apparently the show was also syndicated on PBS, becoming the first Canadian television show to be syndicated in the USA.

The show had two human hosts, rotated through a series of theme days and each episode would feature an appearance by Polkaroo, a giant Kangaroo-like creature that said a single thing: "Polkaroo!" A convention of the show (likely due to budgetary constraints) was that, whenever Polkaroo was around, the male host would have disappeared. (Yes, it's the old you never see Peter Parker and Spider-Man at the same time sort of thing going on here) What was really cute about it was that, when Polkaroo took off, the male host would return and inevitable mutter: "Polkaroo was here? I missed him AGAIN!"

In any case, having grown up watching this show, it was a real treat for me to actually meet Polkaroo in person at last year's Word on the Street in Toronto. Yes, a 41 year old man became all giddy at the thought of meeting him. I had wished my son could be there to meet Polkaroo, although Alexander, of course, would have had no idea who this character is. (And let's be honest, I was the fan-boy here, likely just looking for an excuse to get closer and chat up this iconic figure from my childhood)

Polkaroo meeting fans at WOTS Toronto, Sept 2010

And, of course, Polkaroo is someone I am "friends" with on FourSquare - yes, just for the sheer novelty of it.

And why? Because, whenever Polkaroo checks in anyplace on FourSquare, he leaves the following comment:  "Polkaroo!"

Yes, it's the little things that keep me amused.

Of course, if I ever check into a place that Polkaroo has been, you'll be sure to hear me say:  "Polkaroo was here? And I missed him AGAIN!"

HNT - Have You Driven A Ford Lately?

As I had written a few weeks ago, my truck and I had, after many good years together, parted ways.

Yes, I know I make it sound like a relationship.  In many ways a man's association with a vehicle CAN be like a relationship; and this particular vehicle had been my Dad's, so there was a more intimate depth involved, and the loss of the truck was almost like losing another piece of my Dad.

I went for several weeks without a vehicle. It was a decent experience as I re-acquainted myself with our city's transit system, which seems to have continued to improve. The bus rides were actually good for me, as I was able to get more reading done on the way to work.

And while the vehicle search took a bit longer than originally planned, Francine and I scored a pretty awesome deal at Mohawk Ford.

I was able to get a used 2012 Ford Focus with just 300 KM on it. So, it was basically a new vehicle with the price chopped down significantly and none of the "new car" taxes that normally get compiled onto the price. To boot, the gas mileage on this baby is unlike anything I've ever experienced this side of a moped. (Then again, one must remember I'm going from the gas mileage of a 1997 pickup truck with a giant tank that cost me well over $100 to fill up, to the mileage of a much lighter, smaller and more gas efficient vehicle where fill-ups are now still under $50 . . . a pretty dramatic change -- and yes, you're now less likely to see me weeping uncontrollably while standing at the gas pump and watching the numbers fly up into the heavens when I fill 'er up)

Another benefit of this vehicle is that it's more comfortable for the whole family. Yes, the truck was a great vehicle for Alexander and I to go out in, but when all three of us wanted to go together, the cab could be a little bit crammed.

In any case, this week's HNT is a picture of me that Francine took on the day we picked it up. Interesting. Of all the vehicles I've owned over the years, this is the very first "new" one. (Yes, I know, I bought it used, but, except for the lower price, everything about this vehicle is NEW)

The Power Of A Good Editor

I've said it before - I'll say it again.

A writer should never underestimate the power of a good editor.

As a writer I have been extremely lucky to have worked with a number of great editors over the years, both in my fiction and non-fiction endeavors. An article posted on The Mark News yesterday is another good example of the way in which an editor's "red pen" and fine-tuning can turn a well-written piece into something even better. Or a beautiful raw mineral into a wonderfully polished gem.

Yes, writers are endowed with more ability than ever before to get their words out there directly, to self-publish, to push their words onto platforms that didn't exist when I first sat down at a manual typewriter and hammered out words, hoping to one day see them in print.

And as much as I admire -- and take advantage of -- the ability to "go direct" in getting my words out there (I've been blogging here since 2005), I am continually reminded of the extreme value of the mostly hidden work that a good editor brings.

This blog, for example, is the perfect example because I rarely ever edit my own writing, never-mind have an editor go through my posts before they're released into the world. My blog is typically a "first draft" attempt to get down some thoughts that are kicking around in my head. It actually started, for me, as a way to "warm up" to my early AM writing sessions They are, thus, mostly raw and unedited pieces of my writing - an online sketchpad or writing journal.

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post called A Smudge of Eink documenting my frustration with an ebook reader that had "died" on me. Believing the article was worthy of being read by a larger audience, I sent it over to an editor at The Mark News where I have written a series of articles related to the book industry. It had been a while since I'd done an article for them and I felt this particular one would fit nicely with my others.

Like before, when the editor sent back the changes made for my approval, I was impressed with the fine polishing done to my raw words; with the expertise in smoothing out some slightly awkward bumps in the prose, with re-arranging words into a finer flow of text.

A couple of examples:

My post title: A Smudge of Eink. I, of course, think that's a cute title, conveying my original discovery and frustration with a technology that I have been enjoying.

The Mark News title: The E-Smudge of Death. This revised title, of course, is a more dramatic statement - it serves to pull the reader in and immediately lands on the initial feeling of shock and terror I felt when discovering my ereader had died.

And next, just a snapshot showing the editorial modifications on a single paragraph.

You can see how these simple yet important edits don't change the intent of the original prose, but neatly refine it into something more readable.

And that's part of the power of what a good editor can do to a piece of writing.

This particular edit is thanks to Emily Burke, Managing Editor and Sarah Murphy, Copy Editor at The Mark News: Two fine members of The Mark News editorial team that I've had the pleasure of working with over the past couple of years.

As I've said, I have been lucky, over the years, to have worked with some great editors. And I look forward to continuing to enjoy the benefits of these silent, mostly hidden-from-view publishing world agents who revise, suggest and work with writers to create much better pieces of writing for readers to enjoy.

HNT - Halfing A Good Time

So I haven't been posting to the blog much lately. Having a tight deadline for a book will do that to a guy. I've been spending that "extra" time I would normally spend composing blog posts neck-deep in research and writing the first draft of the book.

But it has been working out relatively well in terms of balancing my time. I've been getting up early, spending about 4 or 5 hours working on the book, and then doing fun stuff with the family. (I'm on vacation this week)

And, even though my vacation was cut short because of some urgent needs at work, at least I had Tuesday and Wednesday off, (Monday was a holiday), I've been able to get a lot of research, writing AND family fun done in half a week.

The other day, for example, we headed to Niagara Falls for the afternoon so we could play Dinosaur Mini Put and do a few more fun things on Clifton Hill.

Again, it was half a day, because I'd spent the morning writing, but we packed in a whole day's worth of fun into the afternoon and early evening.

 

Gotta love it when we're able to do that "Carpe half-diem" sort of thing.


 

HNT - Memories Upon Which A Life Is Built

I'm a fan of social media and quite enjoy the fact that I'm able to connect with so many people as well as connect with friends who are geographically distant. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media platforms have allowed me to be in contact with so many people, meet new people, and even stay in touch with people I haven't seen in person in years, sometimes even decades.

Of course, there's the flip side to consider as well.

Right now I'm reading a book by McMaster professor Nick Bontis called Information Bombardment: Rising Above the Digital Onslaught. The book is a great introduction to the wonders of this digitally connected world and Bontis takes the reader on a trip through the history that brought us here and speculation about how the world is going to look in just a few short years. But more than this, he offers the reader some useful tips and advice on how to work smarter and strategies on how to deal with the massive information that is flooding into our lives. He helps the reader not lose sight of the important things and to prioritize, taking full advantage of being digitally connected while not losing sight of the basic human needs that are important for balance.

"The more time each of us spends giving our attention to various outlets of information, the less attention we have for the important relationships in our lives. Often we negotiate tiny moments every day and every week so that we can check our e-mail one more time, download new software or watch the latest YouTube video clip. Every time this happens we choose to divert our attention from our spouses, families and friends." - Nick Bontis, INFORMATION BOMBARDMENT, Page 224

How true. Even writing this blog post, for example, is time I negotiated away from other important things. (For example, I was diverted from working on a book which has a deadline to be at the publisher in a few short weeks).

Bontis goes on to say that "you still can't hug your children from afar, and you still can't smell the fragrance of your spouse from a different city." I love the way that he uses the senses to illustrate the important and concrete things that aren't replaceable despite the great new technological advances that allow us to connect digitally.

"But no matter how effective these technological tools become, they do not replace direct, in-person time spent together . . . your spouse doesn't need just to get an e-mail update about your personal thoughts or to check in with you by phone to hear about the latest events in your day. Your partner needs to see, feel, smell and hear you in person. These social contacts reveal so much more than information. They provide personal memories upon which a life is built." - Nick Bontis, INFORMATION BOMBARDMENT, Page 225

Nick's book has been a useful reminder to me of the important things. Just the other night, after a long day of work, Francine and I sat on the back deck and just unwound, chatting about little things and sharing some moments from our day. The television, the computer, the iPhone I normally always have on me were all in other spaces and forgotten. It was enjoyable and special just to have that special moment together. I can never get enough of those moments.

I really like my social media connections and enjoy interacting with some many wonderful people in the digital realm - but those in-person, those special, precious and fun moments spent in person with family and friends, those are the truly wonderful moments that I cherish.


And so, this week's HNT post is going to look back at some of the fun special moments, some special summer memories. Interestingly, these are all photos posted to my Facebook profile - earlier this week I was organzing some of them into albums and reflecting on the fun moments and special memories of doing fun things with the two people who are most important to me.

Here's hoping YOUR summer is filled with special moments and new memories of those important family and friends in your life. Happy HNT.

Moose Winooski's - Summer 2010

Another fun day at the beach - Port Dover - Summer 2007

Me, Alexander & Francine - funhouse mirror on Clifton Hill - Niagara Falls, July 2007

With Great Influence Comes Great Responsibility

I haven't been blogging much lately because I'm been channelling much of my creative input full steam ahead into a book project (nearing the "finalize and sign the contract" time) which I'll likely announce relatively soon here on this blog.

But sometimes I come across a single line that makes me think and sends me back to bloggy land where I try to work out the thoughts that bounce around inside my head. (Seems I won't be able to get back to the project at hand until I spend a bit of time tossing and mixing the ideas formulating there)

In this morning's RSS stream, I was reading Chris Brogan's blog and had to chuckle at a line he wrote:

"Worrying about whether or not you’re an influencer by someone else’s measures is like having a toy steering wheel and thinking you’re driving the car." - Chris Brogan

Brogan, author of books such as Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation and Earn Trust (co-written with Julien Smith) and Social Media 101: Tactics and Tips to Develop Your Business Online, has been an influence on the way that I think about and look at digital culture and social media for several years now -- particularly since I first heard him in discussion with a group of amazing techno culture nerds like Mitch Joel and Hugh McGuire on the Media Hacks podcast (which is built directly into Mitch Joel's Six Pixels of Separation podcast feed)

I've had the pleasure of meeting both Mitch and Hugh (even the priviledge of getting to share the stage with Hugh at the 2010 BookNet Canada Tech Forum for a talk called Trailblazing: Leading the Way to a New Kind of Supply Chain), but I haven't yet met Chris. There's no doubt, though, that I pay attention to the many great insights and valuable bits of information that he regularly shares and puts out there for free.

One of the thing I like about Brogan's blog post, and which appears consistently in his messaging, is the importance of using whatever influence a person has for good. Brogan demonstrates that repeatedly through his own social media interactions, regularly pointing out and sharing things he believes will add value to those who follow him, rather than visciously "selling" something of his own.

To me, Brogan is like the Spider-Man of social media, who does his thing to make the social media world a better place while constantly reminding himself that with great influence comes great responsibility. (With apologies to Stan Lee for adapting Peter Parker's penultimate catch-phrase into this new format)

There, all that meandering babble just so I could work out the fact that I think Chris Brogan is an inspirational super-hero type figure and that Stan Lee has likely been a subtle yet significant influencer on me for most of my life.

Okay, I can get back to my book project now that I've got that out on the table.

HNT - Mark Van Dyke

A couple of weeks ago when I was on vacation, I didn't shave for a few days. It happens sometimes when I'm on vacation. I decide to skip a day of shaving - the next thing I know, a few days have passed and the stubble starts to fill in.

By the end of the week, with the Warrior Dash coming, I thought it would be fun to shave the hair off my cheeks and leave a Van Dyke style beard. (Yes, not a goatee -- it's called a Van Dyke after a 17th Century Flemish painter known as Anthony Van Dyke - a van Dyke consists of any growth of both a moustache and a goatee with all the hair on the cheeks shaven)

In any case, I grew this beard for the 5K warrior race and decided to keep it for a couple of more weeks.

My beard has always had a red tint to it. This time, the grey on my chin is VERY pronounced. So much so that at times and in certain light, it can look like I just have a really, er "stylish" moustache that stretches down to either side of my chin.

A few folks have told me that it suits me. I think it helps make up nicely for the lack of hair on the top of my head, perhaps distracting the eye from the shiney reflection beaming off my extended forehead. In my lifetime, a beard of this style once would have allowed me to fit into the artsy or academic culture nicely - the style, though, has become way too popular and worn by so many men now that it doesn't represent anything other than standard fare.

It won't last. It never does. I had a beard for a year or more back in high school, and since then, I've grown a beard perhaps less than a dozen times, typically keeping it for no longer than a month at a time.

But this time the beard won't last long mostly because every couple of days my wife asks me when I'm going to get rid of the "dead raccoon" thing on my face.

Francine has a wonderful way of not mincing words. Gotta love that.