Almost Out

Here's my "proof copy" from BookSurge. Clear Heart is now listed on Amazon, but it says "out of print" and lacks the cover image and the "search inside the book" feature. In a day or two, the cover image and search-inside feature should appear, and you should be able to order it. The list price is $15 (Good news - less than I expected). The workings of Amazon are mysterious indeed, and even though Amazon owns BookSurge, BookSurge says they have no idea if Amazon will discount the price.

BookSurge is a print-on-demand publisher. When you place an order with Amazon, they print one copy and ship it out within one day. I've never done this before. I hope the quality is consistent. Please - if you order it - drop me an email and tell me how the printing came out.

For those of you who are Amazon-phobic (quite a few, I gather), you may buy the book directly from me, and I will happily inscribe it. My copies will arrive in 3 or 4 weeks (for bulk orders, they print it through a regular printing press, and it takes longer), so I can't guarantee that I could fulfill an order before Christmas. An order from Amazon will ship the same day that it is placed, so that's the Christmas solution. Once I receive my bulk order, I - like Amazon - will be able to fill orders in one day.

Clear Heart won't be in bookstores except in the Greater La Honda metropolitan area. When I receive my bulk order in 3 or 4 weeks, I'll place copies in the San Gregorio Store (the store itself is well worth the trip) or at Moon News Bookstore in Half Moon Bay. Maybe I'll get to some stores in San Francisco or East Bay eventually. I'm a shy salesman, though, so I can't promise to go around peddling myself very much. Also - just to warn you - bookstores have to make a profit, too, so in order to break even myself I may have to set a bookstore price of $18.95. We'll see.

Here's the deal: Send a check made out to Joe Cottonwood for $23 ($15 book price plus $8 for packaging and postage) and tell me how to inscribe your copy. My address:

Joe Cottonwood
P.O. Box 249
La Honda, CA 94020

Yeah, I know, it's an archaic way to order books. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to enable orders over the web (would anybody like to help?). Meanwhile, there's always Amazon.