The publishers I visited earlier tonight seemed qu…
The publishers I visited earlier tonight seemed quite eager and optimistic about publishing the Damn Book. The only thing is that they want me to translate it myself, “For a more authentic feel,” they told me. Hmmm. I guess I could do that, because they do seem very willing to give me a good deal. No major rewriting, they gave me percentage numbers and rights deal information right off the bat, and they had some of their top staff talking with me. It is a rather small office, but I suppose most local publishers here operate like that. I am going to translate one chapter for them to see how it works, and then we’ll take it from there, I guess. I still need to talk more with the other publishers who have expressed interest as well, though, and see what kind of deals I can get with them, if at all.
When I walked out onto the street afterwards, I found that the sky had opened and heavy rain pounding down, so I ditched my bike and hoofed it to the MRT station. Tomorrow I am going to have retrieve it, which is a pain, but at least it’s parked legally this time and I don’t have to worry about it getting towed again. Poor thing’s been through enough already. I slept for the first time this year with the air conditioning on, and I’ve grown unused to the noise. Consequently I didn’t sleep at all well last night. I’ve gone through this every year since I was able to afford a place with air conditioning (my last place).
Speaking of places, I still haven’t been able to find a place for my residency. Everyone’s property taxes would skyrocket if they have anyone else living there, it seems. I may actually be forced to find another place to live, somewhere where I can have my residency at the actual place where I live. These rules are incredibly archaic. Why should someone be punished for renting? At least I don’t have to worry about filing my taxes until May. I think.
Max called and said that the article about me and the Damn Book in the Taipei Times would be on the front page of the features section this Sunday, along with several silly pictures of me in uniform. I am looking forward to seeing it and plan to actually break my long-standing pledge to never actually spend my hard-earned cash on an English-language newspaper here unless one of my articles happens to be in it. I think I’m justified this once, however.
I glanced out one of the windows The Vampires missed today to see a giant SUV parked in the square across the road. Sure, you say, what’s so special about a giant SUV? They’re everywhere these days. But when I say giant, I mean giant, as in Damn. I swear, these things are getting out of hand. Ok, so this one was an actual building, but you know what I mean.
