This week’s update comes from Surrey, British Columbia, just south of Vancouver; my mother was supposed to lecture at an education conference here, but a family emergency kept her home, so I came up to pinch-hit for her. (It takes a LONG time to get from Virginia to Vancouver, no matter how you do it.) I took Christopher and Ben with me; yesterday we drove into Vancouver

and spent some time sightseeing.

Back at home, the History of the Ancient World has now gone into composition–the process that creates the pages you’ll see when you open the finished book. Once all the text has been put into this format, Norton will print them all out and send them to me in a big unbound stack–the “first page proofs.” I’ll have one last chance to make changes as I read through them, but if the changes amount to more than 10% of the total text, Norton will charge me for them.

While I wait for the first page proofs, I’ve got to finish this darned author questionnaire. I have been putting this thing off because Louise Brockett at Norton said they wouldn’t really need it until June. Now I’ve got to make myself do it.

Does anybody want to help out? I could particularly use suggestions for the following. I’m supposed to identify:

1. Special interest groups, associations, societies, or organizations that might make bulk purchases of your book.

2. Mail-order catalogs and/or Internet sites (excluding major booksellers like Amazon.com) that specialize in the subject.

3. Any specialized magazines, journals, Web sites, or newsletters that focus on the subject area addressed in your book. Include addresses and phone numbers if you have them.

4. Newspaper or magazine columnists who write about subjects similar to that of your book.

5. Any television or radio programs that focus on the subject area addressed in your book.

So do you belong to a historical society, or buy books from a catalog that features history titles, or read a history magazine…or listen to a local show, or read a local column, that tends to mention ancient history, the teaching of history, or anything tangentially related? If so, please post.

Now I’m going to go join the boys, who are watching King Kong in the hotel room and eating a whole lot of pizza.

Showing 8 comments
  • kate in seattle

    seems to me a whole lot of homeschoolers would read this book (and many would use it as a junior high/high school spine, is this not one of it’s purposes?). If those are indeed valid assumptions on my part, I would lay aside the history journals and go for rainbow resource, christian book distributors, and other major homeschool distributors, homeschool magazines, etc. Or is the homeschool market a given, and the history market would be in addition?

    wave as you fly over seattle tomorrow!
    back to beowulf

  • brian covey

    susan – i am replying from the university of nebraska in lincoln where i am for a week grading advanced placement world history exams and mingling with both high school and college history faculty from around the us and the world (i have spent the past two years teaching ap world history in a public high school in california). a lot of folks here are members of the world history association, which publishes book reviews in its quarterly journal. also, i am familiar with an online journal called world history connected that does reviews as well. there is a table in the room that we are grading that is full of world history books for review. this info may not be helpful, but i thought i’d throw it out there. i am looking forward to reading your book next spring!

  • Colleen

    Ack! You were a stone’s throw away from me and I missed you?! (I’m just across the Washington border.) I’m crushed! Vancouver’s great ~ a wealth of interesting people and places. Hope you had time to amble along the sea wall in Stanley Park.

    Take care,
    Colleen

  • Susan

    Brian, that’s very helpful. Thanks so much.

    SWB

  • Bet

    Don’t forget historybookclub.com. I just joined them and they have some great titles. They carry books about all eras.

  • Michael in DC

    I personally don’t know of any organizations here that would be specifically interested in your book, but I’m sure many such groups do exist. However, I do know a number of individuals who would be very interested in buying a copy. I’ll spread the word for you.

    Its too bad the book expo here in DC was not open to the public. You were just a stone’s throw away from me! I would have come by just to see you!

  • Molly with Two Mills

    History Book Club!

  • Jeannette

    Don’t know if this is obvious and/or helpful:
    there’s http://www.h-net.org
    and http://www.acls.org/ (specifically http://www.acls.org/ls-cao.htm) may give some direction… ??

    Am thrilled with yr timelines. I have something of an obsession with making timelines

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