Writing a Book!

I'm going for it, folks. This past week I have been poring over my blog posts and choosing which of them will go into an upcoming From the Driver Side book.

Why not? I've already written enough posts to fill a thick 'un, so it's just a matter of organizing, editing and adding notes here and there. Advertising on the blog has netted me a whopping $5.50 in the past year, so I can't count on Google to help me retire. Many of you have been keeping up with me since the beginning and may ask "Why would I buy a book when the blog is free to read?" I don't know how to answer that question. Hopefully you've gotten your money's worth.

I've read over 100 of the posts, and it has become clear which ones deserve to live on. It's also been fun seeing how I've progressed from a wide-eyed newbie to a slightly jaded semi-veteran.

Even though there are over 52,000 hits on this blog now, I've always wanted to reach an even wider audience. It's been a dream of mine to be read all over the world. Last time I checked, people in Ireland are reading this regularly, and I've had readers from two dozen other countries as well. This is truly gratifying. Yet the writer is a greedy animal, and I want to reach more folks.

Many folks dismiss bus operators without truly understanding what we experience every day. As I've heard from fellow operators worldwide, we all experience many of the same trials. This blog has been my attempt to describe our job, to be a voice for people who perform a vital function of any local economy. Many of my own local brothers and sisters have told me many times how my posts describe exactly how they feel; this was one of my most important goals. A book can not only give us a louder voice, but also provide our fellow citizens with a better understanding of what we do, why we do it, and how to co-exist with us.

Any writer dreams of the wide audience. Will this book succeed? Hopefully so. It will take your help, a bit of Irish luck, and some elbow grease. So pardon the lack of FTDS posts lately. I've been busy. Which reminds me, I have more work to do. I'll be back soon though, with another foray into the streets of Portlandia.