MFA Thesis Novel Launch Party Recap!

Comment

MFA Thesis Novel was released last Tuesday (wooooooooo!), though for me, the real release day felt like last Saturday, when I held the novel launch party at Main Street BookEnds in my hometown of Warner, New Hampshire.

This was a BIG day for me—as in, I wanted it to be as big as I could make it.  It was also my second time doing a reading at BookEnds (the first was back in 2019 when I released Eikaiwa Bums), and because this reading was for an actual novel, I wanted it to be even better.

 

Preparing

I did a fair amount of promotion for the event beforehand: besides getting it up on the BookEnds website, I put up flyers around town, mentioned it in some blog posts, sent out a message on my email list, made a Facebook event, sent it to the town email newsletter, and Continue reading »

The MFA Thesis Novel Pre-Order is Done!!!

2 Comments

MFA Thesis Novel launches TOMORROW (!!!) and I spent most of last week shipping out copies from the Special Pre-Order period.  I was no stranger to bulk mailings from the Art Swap days, but this was my first time tackling a mailing this big.

After the pre-order period I crunched some numbers and realized that with all the pre-orders, copies I’d need for future events, and probable future webstore purchases, it made sense to order 250 books and get an extra 10% bulk discount on top of the regular discount.

Continue reading »

Novel Events: Come See My Online Readings in March and the MFA Thesis Novel Launch in April!

Comment

It’s that time!  I’m kicking off an actual, for-serious book tour promoting MFA Thesis Novel (!), with events both online and in person!  This includes the actual novel launch party (!!!!!!) that’s sure to be an amazing time:

Interested in coming to see me?  Read on for the event descriptions, plus some info at the end about how I got involved with each one…. Continue reading »

HUGE Thanks to Everyone Who’s Pre-Ordered MFA Thesis Novel So Far!!!!!!!!!11

Comment

Update: The Special Limited Pre-Order for MFA Thesis Novel is over, but you can still order a signed copy and get a free bookmark! See my webstore for updated info.

Last week I posted to this blog about the Special Limited MFA Thesis Novel Signed Pre-Order and sent out a few social media posts.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect: if the pre-order went well, I’d be happy, but if it didn’t, I resolved not to be disappointed or angry.  As a way of not building up my hopes too much, I told myself that maybe people wanted to buy the novel somewhere else, or maybe they’d wait until it actually came out.

It’s always a nerve-wracking experience putting a part of yourself out there and risking failure.  In my darker moments, I worried no one would be interested, or that people would be willing to Like a post but not actually order the book.  Worst of all was the fear that I’d come across as some sort of pestering MLM Ponzi-scheme jerk making money off of the people in his social network, like those people who get sucked into nutrition supplement scams.

As it turns out, I shouldn’t have worried. Continue reading »

Special MFA Thesis Novel Signed Pre-Order With Bookmark and Sticker!!!!

Comment

Update: The Special Limited Pre-Order for MFA Thesis Novel is over, but you can still order a signed copy and get a free bookmark! See my webstore for updated info.

Many of you have been asking about the best way to get a signed copy of MFA Thesis Novel when it comes out on April 19th.  Others have been asking how to buy the novel in the way that gives me the largest amount of royalties.

Whelp, you can kill two birds with one stone during the Special Limited MFA Thesis Novel Pre-Order Period!

Order a copy of the novel through my webstore by clicking here, and not only will I sign it and write you a cool personalized message (if you want one), but you’ll also get some super-cool FREE swag, including…

  • A limited edition MFA Thesis Novel bookmark designed by Jessica Bell!
  • A 3″x2″ You Don’t Pay Me to Care sticker inspired by the But I Also Have a Day Job blog!
  • The satisfaction of knowing that more of your money went toward supporting me as a small-press indie writer and not toward Jeff Bezos sending billionaires into space! (Technically not swag, but still important!) Continue reading »

How MFA Thesis Novel Went From Word File to Actual Published Book

Comment

Most people never consider how books get made.  We have that idealized image of the grizzled writer sitting at a typewriter then delivering a hearty stack of clean pages to the publisher, who waves a magic wand and PRESTO, out pops a cleanly printed book with cover and crisp inside pages.

Nowadays, that fantasy involves a Word file and email instead of a typewriter, but the disconnect between writing and bookmaking still seems to be there for a lot of writers.  Truth be told, I had no idea how much work and how many steps go into publishing a book, which is why it was cool to learn the process when my own novel got made into an actual hard-copy book (Spoiler: I’ll show pics at the end!).

Here’s a rundown of how that process went, how much work it took from me and the others at Vine Leaves Press, and where the novel stands now. Continue reading »

Here’s What I Got Done in 2021

2 Comments

It’s been a long year, but it’s finally almost over….

That’s been my mindset for a while, since I’ve realized that I’m suffering from some pretty serious burnout due to taking on too much.  Thankfully, though, the year’s almost over, I’ve got a 2-week (!) break coming up for Christmas and New Years, and January on the Japanese university circuit is set to be pretty chill.  That means I’m almost out of the woods at last (hurray!!!!).

As such, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I did and didn’t accomplish in 2021, how things look differently now than they did last year, and where I’m set to go in 2022.  And there’s no better way to do that than with a year-end summary, both for those who may have missed my news, and as a personal reminder that things aren’t all doom and gloom ;-)

So without further ado, here’s what I got done in 2021: Continue reading »

Cover Reveal for MFA Thesis Novel!

Comment
MFA Thesis Novel cover Ian M Rogers

*Drum roll please*

The cover for my upcoming MFA Thesis Novel is finally ready!  Many thanks to Vine Leaves publisher Jessica Bell for the awesome design, and for her willingness to go back and forth with me about some key elements. (Behind the Scenes Look at How the Sausage Gets Made: one of them was the meaning of the Korean word on the neck tattoo!)  If you want to check out more of Jessica’s awesome cover designs, you can find them all on the press’s book page. Continue reading »

The Developmental Edit for MFA Thesis Novel is Done!

1 Comment

A lot of work goes into a novel before it hits bookshelves: it needs a cover, ISBN info, back cover copy, reviews from more established authors, and a whole lot of checking for mistakes.  The biggest of those steps, though, is the developmental edit.

I last talked about my own developmental edit back in June, when I went through the manuscript of MFA Thesis Novel one more time doing word tweaks, trims, and making a few small additions.  This was a solo run in preparation for sending the new draft to my awesome editor, Melanie Faith, who’s been INCREDIBLY supportive throughout the entire process starting from when my novel first got signed with Vine Leaves Press.  I wanted to make sure that Melanie got the best draft possible, so I made this final pre-developmental edit part of my summer plans.

My actual developmental edit was slated to run from June 15th to September 21st—three months where Melanie and I could go back and forth getting the manuscript into the best shape possible.  I sent her the new draft on the morning of June 15th, and we made a plan for moving forward. Continue reading »

Fall 2021 TRAM Issue Now Online!

Comment

The latest issue of the TRAM (Toyama’s Random-Ass Magazine, a.k.a. that indie zine I work on in Japan) is out, so you should totally give it a read.

This is actually my last TRAM issue as co-editor, and probably the last edition of my Let’s Talk About Japan Books! column where I write about the novels of Natsume Soseki, Japan’s most well-known novelist.  That’s because I left Toyama and the JET Program a few months ago, and the TRAM zine is very much a project for current JETs.  So, as difficult as it is, it’s time to move on…

This might also be the last TRAM issue ever, because COVID-related delays to incoming JET members have led to a shortage Continue reading »

March Novel Progress – Knee-Deep in the Excitement of Drafting

Comment

I promised you all updates on my new novel a few weeks back, so here’s how it’s going…

I’m a decent way into drafting Act I, and a lot of the scenes are starting to come together in a way that feels really natural.  It’s like the more I work on the novel, the more I’m able to mentally fill in information about the characters, their backstories, and the plot, so that areas that once felt like a confusing void feel clearer.  Now, when I’m at my Day Job, in the shower, or working on something else, I feel ready and excited to sit down and write.

Simply put, the more I work on this novel, the easier the process becomes, and the more I want to work on it. Continue reading »

Check Out the Winter 2021 TRAM Issue I Worked On!

Comment

As many of you know, here in Toyama, Japan I co-edit a cool indie zine called the TRAM—a.k.a. Toyama’s Random-Ass Magazine.  It’s a cool project that features writing and art from around the Toyama JET community and beyond, and we just released a new issue last Friday that you check out for free here.

(Fortunately because we put it out on March 19th, it’s still technically the Winter issue ;-)

This latest issue features a TON of cool art, a beginner’s guide to Japanese sake (which I found incredibly informative!), real-life misadventures from the Japanese dating scene, some Michelin-star restaurant recommendations from around Japan, and original prose and poetry.  Two pieces I was particularly proud to feature from outside the Toyama JET community were a photo set inspired by the movie Amelie by Japanese photographer Maplens and model Amy Davis, and an article about Naomi Osaka and mixed-race Japanese athletes we reprinted through a collaboration with AJET Connect magazine, which covers all of Japan.  Both required some networking on my part, and served as a cool way of flexing my editor muscles ;-) Continue reading »