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

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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

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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!!!!

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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

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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 »

Reverse Culture Shock and Thoughts on Being Back in the US

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In case you didn’t know, reverse culture shock is definitely a thing.

I’ve been back in New Hampshire for just over a week after being delayed by a winter storm that swept through the Northeast the day of my flight.  Fortunately the good folks at Japan Airlines cancelled the flight two days in advance and put me on a new one leaving two days later, so I had plenty of time to assemble a backup plan.

Even more fortunate was that when I promptly emailed my contact at my company to let them know what happened, they let me stay in my company-leased apartment rent-free (!) for an extra two days.  (Moral of the story: Stay on good terms with the people in your company who can help you!)
Continue reading »

Last Post From Japan…

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I’ve lived in Japan for the last three and a half years.  And now it’s time to go home.

In a way it feels like I’ve already uprooted since I left Toyama back in August, along with the apartment, Day Job, and social circles I’d been cultivating for the previous three years.  My current stopover in Yokohama has felt like just that—a stopover to get some work experience, live in a big city, and enjoy Japan a little longer.

Don’t get me wrong—Yokohama life is great.  I have a decent apartment in a cool neighborhood, and I enjoy my job teaching English at Kanagawa University a lot, even if it can get pretty busy.  Being down in a more populated part of Japan has also helped me reconnect with people, as well as opened a few doors—last week I Continue reading »

Here’s What I Got Done in 2021

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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 »

Why I Added the M to Ian M. Rogers as My Author Name

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Mark this as the first time I’ve written an entire blog post about a single letter.

MFA Thesis Novel is coming out in April, and I’ve got lots of decisions to make regarding how to market it now that the developmental edit is finally done.  Those decisions not only include what marketing steps I’m going to take as the author (in-person readings, Goodreads promotions, getting reviews, etc.), but how the book is presented, like the back cover copy and a shorter version of my author bio.

One of those aspects, believe it or not, is the name that goes on the cover. Continue reading »

Broken Devices Can Really Put You Behind…

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Yep, that’s my laptop.  Last week I pulled my trusty Toshiba laptop out of my bag to discover that the casing had come loose due to a malfunctioning hinge. Damn.

Said malfunctioning hinge makes the laptop difficult to open and close, and has caused the screen to become popped out of its casing. In my attempts to maneuver it back in, I cracked the corner of the screen (d’oh!) as you can see here.  The laptop is still usable, and the screen crack nearly invisible in most situations, but the opening/closing difficulty makes it cumbersome and dangerous to transport. That’s a problem because I use my laptop at my Day Job every day to plan and carry out my university English lessons through the magic of PowerPoint and the student textbook app.

Fortunately I did some asking around the department and my boss was able to get me an English company laptop to use, which covers my Day Job computer problem nicely and also means I don’t have to Continue reading »

The Developmental Edit for MFA Thesis Novel is Done!

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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!

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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 »

Do You Use Your Day Job to Find Emotional Stability?

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This topic hits pretty close to home for me.

When I was 22 and just out of college, I worked a few temporary jobs and side projects, but had very little stability.  I was still living at home, didn’t know where I wanted my life to go, and didn’t have any real creative goals.  I spent a lot of time reading, sleeping, and meeting up with friends who were in similar boats as me now that they were out of college too.  Most days it seemed like the path I’d been on for the past 17 years from kindergarten until college had flipped off the tracks and derailed.  I felt stuck.

During this time I suffered from some pretty bad anxiety and depressive episodes that I had trouble talking to people about.  I felt embarrassed that I was having these problems, and it really hurt knowing that several of my closest friends had left New Hampshire to find new jobs and start exciting new lives where they had plenty of spending money and didn’t have to live with their parents.

I felt like I had a lot of energy to do things, but no focus, Continue reading »