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Dry Ice Dreams [Bumper Sticker Shine No. 1]
by A.P. Fuchs
Category: Horror
Description: Mined from independent publisher and writer A.P. Fuchs's archives comes a collection of horror fiction, essays on independent publishing, poetry, self-publishing questions, a new 21-page comic written just for this book, and more. Not only will you be entertained, but if you've ever considered independent publishing but didn't know what to make of it or how to go about it, Dry Ice Dreams contains insights from the man who made a career out of it. A must-have book for anyone who wanted to get a glimpse into the world of a do-it-yourselfer but wasn't sure where to look.
eBook Publisher: Coscom Entertainment, 2009 2009
eBookwise Release Date: December 2009
 
Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [458 KB]
Words: 21532
Reading time: 61-86 min.
From the Desk of A.P. Fuchs -Anyone who knows me knows I like to do things myself. Ever since I was a kid I've always been a take-charge, make-things-work-my-way kind of guy. Sometimes this is good. Sometimes this is bad. I'm hoping this is one of those times it's good. I've published a magazine before. Technically, one-and-a-half times, depending how you look at it. The first was Kopfhalter! back in 2005. It ran three issues then was canceled. Long story. I also co-published with Insidious Publications their magazine, Insidious Reflections, for a couple issues as well. To be honest, as I'm writing this, I don't know if Bumper Sticker Shine is a magazine or a book, or both. The term "bookazine" has been thrown around the Net for a while so maybe we'll roll with that. To be honest, I don't really care because for me Bumper Sticker Shine is about having a good time and just putting out a collection of writing that I've done, something produced entirely by myself. Besides, I've been writing for a long time and have so much stuff just clogging up my computer that I just want to get it out there, and being the do-it-yourselfer that I am, I have zero trouble putting together my own book in a format I enjoy then sharing it with you. After all, that's what I do for a living: publish books, some my own, some belonging to others. That's what's inside this book: a collection of writing--fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics and more--gathered from combing my archives. Some of the stuff within has never been published before, others just pieces I've run on my blog, and others that were sold at one point in the past but I now have the rights to again. As of this writing, most of the first issue of Bumper Sticker Shine has been compiled. I really don't know how it's going to do or what reader reaction will be, but that's okay. I'm really digging this "for fun" platform, knowing that this is a project that is all about having a good time publishing the stuff I'm into instead of putting together the more traditional stuff I do through the Coscom Entertainment label. The underground scene has always held a special place in my heart. I love flipping through do-it-yourself-styled publications and just feeling the love that went into them rub up against my fingertips. Knowing that there was someone or a group of friends out there who got together outside the corporate model and did their own thing purely for their enjoyment--man, I love it. And that's what my entire publishing career has been--doing my own thing for my own enjoyment. The opposition from friends, family and peers has sometimes been horrendous over the years and, I admit, there were times I almost believed them and was about to give up. But I kept going, marching to my own drummer, self-publishing the majority of my work, learning as I went along. If anything, you could look at Bumper Sticker Shine as a kind of indie-do-it-yourself-let-me-encourage-you-to-pursue-your-dreams handbook. I know I'm not the only one out there who wanted to make something of themselves but didn't know how, or the only one who loved to take the bull by the horns but whatever their artistry fell into the trap of following The System. Look, stop it. Stop right now. If your field is dragging you down, then you got to go back and remember why you even entered it to begin with. Then you got to look at how you got into the hole you're in and objectively ask yourself how you're going to get out of it. I won't tell you to automatically "go indie" and start your own business and publish your own material. To do so would be assigning a death sentence because publishing is hard work, time-consuming and expensive, definitely not for those without any fight in them. What I'm saying is you need to stop what you're doing and think about the purpose behind your actions, not merely just the dream of getting there someday. Discovering the why of what you do will help you get to the where you need to go. Every step has a purpose. Forward or backward? Left or right? Or are you one of those guys who zigzag now and then? Regardless, slow down, think and read on. I gave this bookazine the title Dry Ice Dreams, which, to me, perfectly illustrates the long and hard-fought road I went on to be able to make my art my career. Dry ice is beautiful to look at, take part in, get lost in, but it's not just something anybody can create or do right from nothing. You need special items and even special machines to spread it around. Some people love dry ice fog, others don't. That's been my do-it-yourself journey thus far, a road riddled with ups and downs, hard times and good times. I'm not saying I'm special to have had made it happen (if anything, I consider it God's blessing I'm able to write and publish for a living), but rather that you can't just jump on the horse and ride it hard. You need to know a few things first before going YEE-HAW! My hope with this bookazine/publication/collected writings thing is to provide an eventual manual, showcasing what I've learned about independent publishing and how I go about doing it. Sure, I could have written an entire book on the subject and maybe one day I will, but right now I don't want to be in school any more than you do. Bumper Sticker Shine is about fun. So let's go have some. - A.P. Fuchs Winnipeg November 14 2009 Ps. Want to know what "Bumper Sticker Shine" means? Well, you'll have to follow the series to find out. It'll be worth it. * Note: Any of the reprinted material contained within was left as originally written except for minor edits and revisions on items that blatantly needed correcting. To maintain the spirit of do-it-yourself (DIY) for this publication and to honor the DIY-nature of the zine-scene, no editor was used--which goes utterly against my normal practice. Just wanted to say that now before the tomatoes start flying, however, you should be in for a clean read overall. Peace.
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