Well, that first blog post kind of fizzled didn’t it? The problem is, I’m not completely sure what I want to write about here. It should be writing related, this much I know, but the only other blog I write, which is sailing related, has a much more clear structure: go to a regatta, write about it. end of story….

This one is a bit more amorphous and also, maybe, more personal. Oh well, here it goes…

Right now I’m wrestling with what every writer dreams of. I got a contract for my book! Not the Anna Merz book that I went to Cornwall for. A book I wrote about a racehorse, Rachel Alexandra, who was Horse of the Year in 2009. I researched and wrote the book over 2012-2013 and spent the next 18 months trying to sell it. And now I did! Bang the drums! Honk the horns! Bring out the Pepto Bismol!

Yes, it turns out, getting a book contract is surprisingly stressful. What happens next? Is the contract fair? How much back matter do I have to supply? What photos will they use and where will they appear? And photos, boy, that’s a toughie. It turns out I have to get permissions and pay for any photos I want to use. Okay, I understand the power of photos and I’m prepared to spend some bucks to get the ones I want. What’s the problem then?

It seems that professional photographers, who are supposedly in the business to sell their work, are not that easy to reach. Several had emails that bounced, one had no email or other contact info on the website (WHAAAAAT??!!) and those I have reached have not responded. Not a great business model, is it? And here’s another problem. A lot of photos I found that I want to use are on people’s blogs, with zero photo credit.

Does that mean they took them? Did they lift them from somewhere? If the latter, from where did they “lift” them? There is this great photo of Calvin hugging Rachel after she’s retired and at Stonestreet Farm. It’s on a blog called The Vault, by a woman named Abigail Anderson. There is no email or other contact info on the blog. In order to comment I have to join some group that I tried to join but never got a sign on email. Just give me a phone number, anything people!! Finally I found her on Facebook, but still no response. Don’t these people know I’m on this amazing journey and they have to help me?? 

Okay, enough with the venting. This is an exciting adventure. This is the next step, the step I have been working toward for many years. So I’m throwing back my shoulders and soldiering on. Never give up! 

Now, it’s a sunny day. I’ve made a fair amount of progress today. Time to go play.