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The Huckster's Son: A Memoir of Fruit, Drugs, Rock and Roll is a raw and honest story of growing up in the '70s.   Why did you decide to self-publish? Did you have any doubts? I self-published on the recommendation of my editor. He thought with the publishing climate the way it was post-pandemic it would be the easiest thing. The suggestion brought me a dose of reality and freed me from the delusion of my book being on the New York Times best- seller list. In the end it was the right decision since I was mainly trying to get my story out. How long did it take? The process of writing my memoir took five years or more. It was an extended and slow morphing process but the progress and my attention to the work was very satisfying. What did you like best? I liked working with my coach and editor who gave me great direction and really helped streamline the work and move the process along. I couldn’t have done it without my coach Michelle and editor Nick. What was the hardest part? Revisiting painful moments in my life was not easy though very cathartic. It was difficult at times to keep up with the changes my editor suggested. I had to really surrender to the process. Getting to the finish line was not easy but very rewarding. Would you do it again? I hope to do it again and in the nebulous stages of a novel at the moment. We shall see! What advice do you have for authors just starting? To authors just starting I would advise to stay the course. Even if you only write or revise for ten minutes a day just do something. As long as you keep dedicated to the process you will see the progress. The feeling of completing a book, regardless of how it is received is without compare. Holding the finished product in your hands for the first time is incredible. Randy Bucksner lives in Lancaster, PA. When not writing, selling women’s apparel to small boutiques, or playing gigs with his horn, he loves spending time with his four granddaughters. This is his first book.
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 When I started Bacon Press Books, I needed to re-issue a real book to make sure I knew how to do it. Judith Podell, wonderful writer, friend and neighbor generously agreed to let me use her book – Blues for Beginners: Stories and Obsessions - for my first trial. The title story –“Blues for Beginners” – had worked its way into national consciousness as a story so smart and familiar it seemed to have written itself. Nice for Judith that the story was so popular, not so great that she didn’t receive credit every time it appeared. Blues for Beginners was included in the humor anthologies Mirth of a Nation, and May Contain Nuts. Susie Essman recorded it for the CD.. Judith gave readings. Won coveted places at all the prestigious writing retreats. Got an MFA. Made friends around the world and then her small publisher went out of business. Her work was only available to the lucky few. So, yes, she was willing to let me learn the independent publishing ropes with her book. She even did the cover art. I made a few mistakes. Did a few things right. Still, we were both pleased with the results. I wanted to hear Judith’s thoughts 10 years later.  I knew Blues for Beginners: Stories and Obsessions deserved to stay in print, so when my original publisher, a well respected small press, went out of business,
I recognized that it would be up to me. I’d always envisioned myself as one of those cult favorite type writers, like Eve Babitz and Lucia Berlin, but didn’t want to wait to be rediscovered. Actuarilally speaking, time was running out. I’ve been thinking about the marketing and publicity angle and conclude that burden is always on the writer. Short story collections like mine do not receive the same kind of in-house support as self-help books written by celebrities and never did. I had the resources for a low-key l DIY campaign of readings in bookstores and writers conferences, namely a blog http://www.memphisearlene.com, 900d Facebook friends and lots of spare time. |