In May 2006, Cypress House will release my first book, THE DOG WALKED DOWN THE STREET: A COMMONPLACE BOOK FOR WRITERS WHO WANT TO PUBLISH ($13.95 and buy from an independent bookstore, damn it!). A high-powered publishing executive once explained the acquisition process as a coin-toss on whether the marketplace would welcome the proposed book, followed by a brief tug at remaining ethics to decide if the book was worth killing trees. THE DOG WALKED is printed on post-consumer paper so the tree-killing question has been answered. We'll see about the marketplace.

What follows is the story about how the book has progressed from idea to shelf. No prisoners will be taken and none offered. Stay tuned.