How many writers have felt the frustration of toiling for months or years on a book, only to helplessly commit the finished manuscript into someone else's hands for the next necessary stage in its life? Like a parent sending a child to college, you have little control over what happens next, but you watch from a distance with concern and try not to interfere too much—no matter how capable those other hands.
I finished my memoir Missionary Man, over two years in the writing, in September of 2001. The manuscript's fate is in the hands of my agent, but I find myself unable stand back and turn my attention entirely elsewhere. I need to do something to help, or at least to document my helplessness.
Thus, MissionaryMan.net. Over the week's and months to come—maybe even, God forbid, years—I'll make a record of the process of marketing and selling a book. With luck I'll generate some interest in the final product along the way, and the only way the story will end badly is if it never ends at all.
Thanks for tagging along on the journey. As the site expands and the story deepens, your presence will help make it a little more bearable. Join me in hoping we'll both be rewarded with a happy ending.
