Day 1481: Nothing like it

Another five hours combing websites in search of publishers yielded just one possibility.  That's discouraging, but there is good news.  I've read descriptions of thousands of books related to backpacking, middle school adventure education, environmental ed, experiential education, narrative nonfiction, outdoor activities and kids in nature.  There is not a single book out there like mine.  That's great in one respect because it fills a gap for middle school outdoor education programs.  The difficulty it raises lies in locating the right publisher for it.  Where does it fit?  Who will take a chance on it?

Next week, I will teach myself about query letters, book proposals, chapter summaries and cover letters.  I still need to revise a few chapter titles and put the whole book in one file.  One step at a time.  That's how I got this far and that's how I'll get this job done.  Never give up!

I took a big step today.  For seven and half years, I've held on to my unit binders.  Thousands of lessons and teaching materials.  Over thirty years of work in the trash.  I kept a small stack for Vince, but the rest of the paper is in the recycling.  I passed all of my electronic files on to Pat when I retired, but it was hard to let go of the binders that I depended on for so long.  It was way overdue.

Just half of the herd that raided the bird feeder today.