I took some time off and traveled to Costa Rica for two weeks. It was awesome! My wife and I decided to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in style. We stayed at the Arenal Monoa in the LaFortuna area overlooking the active Arenal Volcano for one week. I took a hike into the jungle and saw sloths, exotic birds, iguanas, and other native creatures. We then went on a 4-hour, bumpy car ride to the Nocoya Coast and stayed at the Largarta Lodge. We hiked to where the surfers hung out and took an E-Boat ride through a river where we saw crocodiles, Iquanas, and beautiful birds. I am currently putting together a page on my website to sell fine art images of Egrets and Herons. The link will be in the following newsletter. This was the first real vacation we had taken in over 20 years, and I am happy to say we had a great time:)
Back to the Book: This Saturday, Barnes and Noble.
That’s right. Those following my journey will say, “Didn’t you already do a book signing at the Denver Barnes and Noble?” The answer is yes!. They invited me back for a Holiday special. I am excited to be back, and this will be unique. Since my wife, Kate, and I will be reading from the book. Here is a video I made for the occasion.
I have to return to my other job, teaching at the Denver Art School RMCAD. I am teaching portrait photography this term. So Please share and subscribe, and if you are in Denver, stop this Saturday and say hi.
A little over a year ago, I decided to see if I could raise the funds to publish my novel, Leaving Cleveland. Throughout my 40-year career, I have never asked for money to fund personal projects. Writing a novel was uncharted territory, and I felt this story needed to be out in the world. I initially looked for a literary agent, the gatekeeper to publishers, receiving a lot of thank you but no thank you. Although those agents who read the book complimented me on the prose and content, it came down to ” this is a great memoir but you are not famous, so it would be a hard sell.”
A month before my launch, I created a marketing plan that consisted of videos, ads, letters, and whatever I could imagine would help raise the funds. I remember launching the campaign and feeling terrified. Kickstarter’s policy states, “If you do NOT raise your target amount by 30 days, you will not receive any funds. “If I did not meet my goal, I might have abandoned the novel, feeling it was not meant to be.” I met my goal in the first week if you have been following my Leaving Cleveland journal. By the 30th day, I remember teaching a class at RMCAD, and my students joined me in the countdown to the end of the campaign; it was a great moment in my life. I received $ funding from family, friends, and strangers from $10 to $500. It gave me the confidence to move to the next stage of doing the final edit; there had been about 10 edits already, and move on to production
I chose Bookbaby as my publisher since they seemed experienced in helping me reach my goals. I found them to be very helpful and always ready to answer my questions, and there were many. Once the book was published, it was accepted by the Jewish Book Council, and my book is on their website. In September, I received a letter that my book Leaving Cleveland was being considered for the coveted Sophie Brody Medal. It allowed me to send 10 of my books to noted readers nationwide. Whether it is selected or not, just the idea that book influencers will be reading my novel is reward enough. Finally, Barnes and Noble in Denver asked me for another book signing in December.
People Always Say…
One thing I always hear from people when I tell them about my novel they say, ” I always wanted to write a memoir.” I always respond, “You should, but make sure it is a great story that people want to read, not just a personal journal.” Usually, they stare blankly back at me and don’t respond.
Thank you for all your support, and please, if you read my novel, review it on Amazon. If you know of a book club, recommend my book. I am available for Zoom chats and have prepared discussion prompts. Finally, subscribe and share the Leaving Cleveland blog for the latest up-to-date news. I hope to see you in Denver for my next book reading at Barnes and Noble.
I wanted to share with you that I received an exciting email last week from the American Library Association that my novel Leaving Cleveland is being considered for nomination for the Sophie Brody Award in literature.
The Sophie Brody Medal was first awarded in 2006, and includes a medal for the winner. It is funded by the Sophie and Arthur Brody Foundation and is given to encourage, recognize, and commend outstanding achievements in Jewish literature.
Needless to say, I am very grateful to even be considered for this acknowledgment. There are 10 well-known readers in the field to whom I have sent my novel to will judge the book. I am over the moon to have my book read by them and hope they will share it with others. I believe the announcement will be at the end of this year.
A happy birthday to one of my mentors, Annie Leibovitz. I was her assistant for a year in 1982. It was a challenging year and really tested my fortitude. In retrospect, it was a lot of fun and absolutely crazy. We parted as friends and had a mutual respect for each other. Those who know of my novel Leaving Cleveland may think it is Annie, but in truth, the photographer in the book is many photographers whom I have had the privilege to work for. It is hard to believe Annie is 74 today. I will always know her as Anna Lou…back in 1982. Here is a photo of her I took in the NYC studio…Fun Times:)
Please share that brief but essential announcement and subscribe to stay up-to-date with Leaving Cleveland.
One of the questions I do recieve a lot is when is the second book coming out.
I am slowly beginning the second book, and I say slowly since I am still waiting to see how the first book is doing with interest and sales. I have begun writing, and it starts with a funeral. I am also researching the city of Boryslav before the Nazis invaded. I am also in the middle of teaching two classes, teaching chess, and creating family time. I really do enjoy the process of writing so for now it is my happy place until it is not.
You can’t judge an apple by looking at a tree You can’t judge honey by looking at the bee You can’t judge a daughter by looking at the mother You can’t judge a book by looking at the cover
Well, it appears that the cover of my book is getting noticed.
We really enjoyed the cover of your book, and when we see projects with stand-out artwork, we love to use those images of that project on our website, social media posts, emails, etc., but would need your permission to do so. We do have quite a large following on social media. It’s like free publicity!
Rebecca Rodriguez-Smith BookBaby Publishing
The back story about the cover revealed
The artwork on the cover is from a photograph I took when I first moved to NYC. I used to wander around NYC, pretend I was Cartier Bresson, and look for decisive moments. It was also an excuse to leave the apartment and feel better about my chosen vocation. The photograph on the cover was taken in the East Village section of Manhattan and was born around 1984.
I am currently archiving my thousands of photos and digitizing them.
While writing the book, I imagined what the cover would look like. I saw this frame as I was throwing out old negatives and looking at the small strip of negatives against my desk lamp. I know this will sound crazy, but as I looked at this 35mm negative, a strong impulse ran through me, and that forever voice in my head said “This is the one!” After scanning the negative and seeing the enlarged photo on my computer screen, clarity arrived. This had to be the cover; it has all the elements of the book I want to express. It has the vintage feel of the 1980s: a One-Way Sign, a Telephone booth, and most surprisingly, it has the sign Cleveland Street, which is for real. There is actually a street in NYC named Cleveland. It was perfect!
Even before the book was finished, I started to design the cover and felt more strongly that this book would be published. For those who have never written a book, it is genuinely an Ultra Marathon with many challenges and sometimes a feeling of frustration that you will never finish. Finding this image and creating a first edition of the cover gave me hope that this book was going to be published.
Looking at earlier blogs from Leaving Cleveland, you can see my poor font choices and how the cover eventually morphed into what you see today. Thanks for the design help from Bookbaby.
Just this morning, I received an email from a well-known book cover designer, David High. I reached out to him when I was writing the book, we had worked on an award-winning project together decades ago. I wanted to see if he wanted to design my book cover. I never heard back, so I figured he wasn’t interested. After the book came out, I received an email from him with an apology and said he was interested. OH WELL.
Long story short, I am currently teaching a course at RMCAD to designers about Abobe PhotoShop, and they are working on book cover design. I reached out to David again to see if he would like to Zoom with my class and talk about Book Cover Design. To my surprise he got back to me in a week and said “sure.” and sent the following:
Hi Steve, your book came out GORGEOUS! i love the pinpoint focus on the phone booth combined w/ the motion & dreaminess of the buildings, and love the font… i do not think i could have done a better job! What an amazing accomplishment… i am in awe, just in awe. one day i will write my own fictional memoir (or even not so fictional). I also would love to help with your class in a any way… Sorry for the delay, you caught me during a week i was quietly taking off… i just had two big titles finally get approved (& these things take SO MUCH more work these days, its unbelievable). Next week would be fine to do a zoom… better toward far end (following week would b fine too)
Thank you for thinking about me and the kind words about my work (!) I look forward to hearing back from you and setting something up
David High
Maybe you can’t judge a book by its cover, but first impressions matter like all things consumed.
Thank you for reading my blog, and please share and subscribe for updates. And if you read my book, please take the time to review it on your favorite bookseller’s site.
Last week, I had the fortune of flying to NYC with my Daughter to drop her off to begin her Sophomore year in College. She is studying stage management and directing at Marymount Manhatten College; for those who have read my book, Leaving Cleveland, you know that most of the story takes place in NYC in the 1980s.
The thing I love about NYC is it is constantly changing and full of surprises. We went to the MET to see an exhibit on Buddhism and accidentally ran into Richard Avedon’s exhibition of wall-size portraits of his work in the late 60’s. The image below is of the picture of the Chicago Seven with Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman.
Photo by Richard Avedon 1969
For me, it brought back a vivid memory of when I was tipped off by a Newsweek Reporter that Abbie Hoffman was coming out of hiding and was gathering his supporters. Abbie is being pursued by the F.B.I. He is the third person from the left in the above photograph by Avedon. I went to the location in Greenwich Village, with camera in hand, and met the Newsweek reporter. She knocked on the nondescript door, told the person we were from Newsweek, and showed her credentials. He let us into a dark room where about 20 other people were. About 20 minutes later, Abbie arrived to receive a big applause. I will never forget his saying, “Never trust anyone under 30.” The crowd laughed and burst into applause and started ” yipping.” Those old enough will understand what I am talking about; if not, message me, and I will explain. Sadly Hoffman committed suicide in 1989 the year I took this photograph of him at that gathering.
A lot of memories of NYC. It was a successful trip; my daughter moved into her dorm, I got to see some excellent friends, and I ate some pretty good food. We went to the Garden Terrace at the Met, where I took the photo below. I decided to use the image to advertise my book and promote the E-book discount price of $2.99 for a limited time. I also surveyed some of my readers and asked them what they thought of the book. To my surprise, ” funny and coming of age ” often appeared.
Thanks for reading, and please share and subscribe and reach out to me if you have any questions.
Leaving Cleveland 