My debut collection of short stories has been out now for
just over a month. The process of writing – a solitary, and sometimes torturous
pursuit, is instantly replaced by bringing the work to people by any means
possible. This means an author must now engage in the delicate art of
self-promotion. Part salesman, part performer, part teacher – I reach out to
reporters and booksellers, bloggers and avid readers, and try to interest them
in my stories

      One aspect of this process is the fine art of “blurbing.” An
author must reach out to other writers, sending out galleys and advanced reader
copies, hoping that those who’ve already had a book published will see
something in your writing that they like, and will write two, three, maybe even
four lines about it to put on the back cover of your book.

      It was during this process that I was once again struck by
the kindness of writers. While not everyone that I reached out to could, or was
willing to give me a blurb for my book, each and every last one of them not
only wished me well – they personally took an interest in me and my work. They
asked for advance copies of the book when it came out. When I sent them along,
I received personal emails, notes of congratulations, even a funky handwritten
postcard with a vintage picture of a cowboy astride a gigantic jackrabbit from
an author I’ve never personally met.

      In the increasingly competitive world of publishing, one
might expect that writers could be a cutthroat breed, willing to engage in a
vindictive blood sport for the shrinking pool of royalties from an industry we
are constantly told is dying, forever transformed by e-readers, the internet,
and the supposedly impending loss of the brick and mortar bookstore. Yet most
authors that I’ve met treat every publication of every story as a win for the
craft of writing itself.

      I’ve seen successful writers and colleagues devoting a great
deal of time consulting, inspiring and promoting younger authors in workshops,
undergraduate classes and graduate MFA programs and through literary journals.
Rather than keeping their methods and experiences closely guarded secrets, they
openly share them, encouraging others to follow their successes, and learn from
their failings.

      And it’s not just writers who selflessly put literature
ahead of individual glory. The owners and buyers and employees of independent
bookstores like Reno’s Sundance and the Bay Area’s Book Passage work to put as
many authors and books in front of readers as is humanly possible.

      Those readers are what keep the whole thing going. The
reason why my publisher decided to get into a business that runs on the
tightest of margins. The people who come out to readings and ask incredible
questions about the genesis of a story, the method that led to its creation and
the hopes they have for its characters.

     I am grateful to all of these lovers of the written word.
Writers, and especially readers, allow one to forget about the lonely aspects
of his or her profession and to instead become part of a community that cares
about craft, creative expression, and the constant exploration of the human
condition.