Friday, November 29, 2013

Introducing The Found Vagabond!




Scaling the most spiritually important peak in Sri Lanka, in the dead of the night, surrounded by thousands of pilgrims...

Fishing for piranha with members of a Maroon tribe in the depths of the Amazon jungle...

Flying with your lover to an enchanting Caribbean island for lunch...

Coming face to face with great white sharks during a vicious Atlantic storm...

Introducing The Found Vagabond!

Inspired by years spent living in 13 different countries and traveling to over 80 on five continents, author Kris Olson has a story to tell. Part travel guide, part memoir, The Found Vagabond is an insightful and exciting chronicle of one man's lifetime dedication to travel, and the life changing benefits of exploring the world, from one's backyard, to the some of the most remote locations on the planet.

Travel brings strangers together, breaks down your inhibitions, shatters your stereotypes and opens your mind to limitless possibility. Yet, real risks exist on the road and there are actions you can take to ensure your travels are safe, fulfilling, rewarding and unforgettable.

From novice traveler to rugged explorer, The Found Vagabond offers inspiration and insight for any reader interested in travel, delivered in a humorous and entertaining style.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

The travel book is nearly done!

I am happy to announce that I am in the final stages of completing the travel book I have been working on for many years.  Late in 2012 I decided I needed to finish it, otherwise it was never going to get completed.  So the book is fully written, been through about ten edits by myself and I now have a friend doing a full edit, which she has done and will be coming over this weekend to review it with me.

We have also struck up a friendship with a local couple who had their boat docked at the slip right across from us.  She is a teacher and he is an artist and is helping us out with designing the cover for the book - we have a great concept, just need to put all the ideas together.  This is definitely Ana's arena as my visual design skills are terribly lacking, I'm more of a content guy.

I am going to be self-publishing the book as opposed to going the traditional publishing route.  To be honest, this is the way it was always going to be, and I really haven't explored the traditional route much, preferring to sell it in digital formats, but also as a printed copy that can be ordered online.

The book has changed so much since I began; it was originally going to be a book of travel tips and things I've learned on the road.  But as I wrote it over the years, it started to change, and though it still has some unique travel tips, it became a very personal memoir on travel and how travel has changed my life and caused me to view the world, people and myself much differently.  There is also a thread of spirituality that runs through the book, ranging from the coincidences that happen while traveling to how being in a foreign place can enable so much introspection and reflection on yourself and your life.

Should I tell you the title?  Mmmm, not yet, but Ana came up with it and I think it is fantastic.  My working title throughout was The Grand Adventure but I knew that was not going to be the final one.

We are now busy getting all the infrastructure set up to sell the book such as a website, Paypal buttons, formats for Kindle, Nook, Apple devices, images to be included, trim size, pricing, mailing lists, social media strategy, local marketing plan and so forth.  We have already done something similar to the other two ebooks I've written, so we are familiar with the process, though not the physical print-on-demand version, that is brand new to us.

Is my goal to sell a thousand copies?  No.  But I do want to have a final product that I can be proud of and that others will enjoy reading.  And I do think it has turned into a pretty good book.  I've tried to balance out the tips and suggestions with a lot of stories and personal experiences to support them, plus a collection of some of the best photos we've taken over the years that gives the reader a great visual to support the writing.  And, of course, there is plenty of humour, as always.  I was happy to hear that my editor friend was both laughing and crying at various points throughout, so that is a good sign.

The book is divided into two section; the first being the core part about travel and the second a collection of ten travel stories.  Some of these have been on our website at one point or another, but they have all been heavily edited or, in some cases, re-written completely.  Speaking of that, Ana has been doing a complete redevelopment of our www.lifeisgrand.org website which will be rolled out in conjunction with the book, it is going to be much cleaner, much smaller and much more focused on travel.

Many of our friends and family are referenced in the book, so if you are reading this blog, there is a good chance you may find yourself mentioned.  I will also be asking for people to help get the word out when the book is released, maybe a Facebook post, maybe a group email, pee it in the snow (for you folks in Alberta and Saskatchewan at least), send out a raven, any sort of thing like that.  It all helps.

The goal is to have it ready for December...so I better get back to work on it!