Today marks a BIG day…
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After nearly two years in the making, I just officially completed the FINAL DRAFT of the manuscript for Return to Real.
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Back matter and all.
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64,236 words.
In some ways, this project has been two years in the making.
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In other ways, this project began four years ago…
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In the timber frame barn in the photo above.
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In Chapter 1 of the book, I describe a moment from a few years ago that became the seed for everything that’s followed…
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Here’s a short excerpt:
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“While our boys were away at summer camp, I took a trip to a farm in the Mad River Valley of Vermont to earn my Permaculture Design Certification, living in a tent in the woods, bathing in a pond, and learning how to raise and grow food with my own hands.ÂAnd while I was on that farm, deeply connected to the land, I had an awakening.”
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That farm belongs to Ben Falk, author of The Resilient Farm and Homestead, who has since become a friend and mentor.
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(That’s Ben, standing above, looking into the fire…)
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It was on this same farm, around that same fire where I celebrated my 40th birthday — with people I’d never met before in my life…
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But who, strangely, felt like exactly the right people to be celebrating with.
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In some ways, this book has been four years in the making.
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In other ways… forty years in the making.
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That moment I wrote about above…
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Is what set me on the path that became this book.
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So now… the work shifts.
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From writing the book… to launching the book.
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And going forward in this next chapter of The Digital Contrarian, my plan is to take you behind the scenes of all of it.
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The unconventional ways I’m marketing the book…
The crazy ideas I have for promoting…
The colossal failures that are no doubt coming…
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(I’m sure there will be plenty of those :-))
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Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that the biggest thing I’m scared of right now is the pub date.
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June 30th.
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A date that matters to me personally…
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Because it’s my 20th wedding anniversary with Tylene.
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And I’ve tried to align the stars to make it happen.
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But to be perfectly honest, I don’t know that we’re going to hit that date for publication.
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It’s possible I may miss it.
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Because I still have a ways to go…
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Including a handful of diagrams to complete…
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Field sketches from my notebook that open each chapter…
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And then of course, there’s the small matter of the cover…
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So, today’s issue is going to be short…
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Because after 64,326 words…
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Today, I’m officially…
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Out of words :-)
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Next week…
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I have one final BIG decision regarding the book that I’d like to get your feedback on.
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Keep your eyes peeled.
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This is ONE thing I think you’d like to be part of.
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In the meantime…
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Have a great rest of your weekend…
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Remember to hug the ones you love…
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And until next week,
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Ryan :-)
