The year 2018 in a writer’s life was good. Well, kind of up and down, really. Okay, let’s just call it a year of transition. And that is actually a good thing.
This year was the first in which I published exactly zero new books since I started my writing career. My Tesla book came out in 2013; two e-books on Tesla and Tesla/Lincoln were released in 2014 and 2015, respectively; 2016 saw Edison; and 2017 was the year of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. No new books doesn’t mean inactivity. New printings for Tesla and Lincoln were put into Barnes and Noble stores in 2018, and the rights for foreign editions padded my semiannual royalty checks.
I had planned for 2018 to be the year I started writing more for magazines and other freelance outlets, but my busy travel schedule and other distractions kept me from making much effort in that regard. I also didn’t follow through on my goal to enter writing competitions. For the same reasons, fewer blog posts here on Science Traveler and Hot White Snow passed through my typing fingers, and The Dake Page has been grossly neglected. I’ll spend more time on them in 2019.
But the really good news is that my work was wonderfully recognized on several fronts. In addition to the 8th printing of Tesla and 2nd printing of Lincoln, my Lincoln book received quite a few accolades. In 2018 it received its second nomination for book awards, was overwhelmingly selected as the very first book for the new Railsplitter podcast book club (3 podcasts and on-air interview), was chosen as a resource for the Illinois LEAD: Spirit of Lincoln Youth Academy Program, and received a published review in Civil War Times magazine. The book even got mentioned in a Chicago Tribune article on Lincoln scholarship.
The Railsplitter podcast wasn’t my only interview. I had the privilege of being interviewed on Facebook Live by Coffee Party founder and influential filmmaker Annabel Park. The interview, co-hosted with fellow scientist Bob Scheuplein, garnered over 11,000 views. Annabel recently suggested another interview on the topic of leadership, which will likely happen early in the new year. Also coming up in January will be an on-air interview about Nikola Tesla with the Voice of America. I also did a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” program this past January that was highly successful, plus was featured on C-SPAN for a presentation I gave at the Lincoln Group of DC.
While no new books came out in 2018, I do have several books in the works. I made progress on my new Lincoln book and hope to get it to a publisher this year. I also began the process for a book that I will edit, with chapters by various Lincoln scholars. I’m about halfway through a draft of a travel memoir. If that wasn’t enough to keep me busy, in December I wrote the first draft of a short story I’ll enter into a writing competition in January, as well as started writing a historical science fiction novel, my first real long-form fiction attempt.
So 2018 was a very good year even though I didn’t have any new books come out. The ones I’m working on now will be different from my earlier books, which were heavy on graphics and targeted a general reading public. My next Lincoln book(s) is more deeply scholarly on a specific subject, and the other books take inspiration from Bill Bryson and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
My goals for 2019 include following through on more magazine and competition writing. I’m off to a good start as I’ve already submitted a short piece that should be published in Civil War Times soon and the first contest submission date I’m shooting for is mid-January. I’ll focus on getting the Lincoln book out the door, with the others being squeezed into “free” time for future release. Meanwhile, I’ll continue traveling (I already have trips booked to Costa Rica and Cuba) and make more of an effort to write travel-related magazine articles. I’ll also continue to be highly active in the Lincoln Group of DC. More on those topics in later posts.
Several unexpected deaths of colleagues, relatives, and friends this year reinforced the idea that our lives are fleeting and we must make every effort to enjoy the time we have on this earth. So from me to you, set your goals high, live life, and love all.
Happy New Year! May 2019 exceed your greatest imagination!
David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
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