Nick Tantillo.com Book Progress

Holding Pattern for this Blog

2010-05-05T07:42:00.001-07:00

On a serious note, my thoughts and prayers are with my mom's agent and her family. She has recently passed away and will be missed.

On a positive note, my main blog "A Tale of Two Brewers" is going strong and was recently named Blogger's Blog of Note . I'll continue to post book progress here once I find an agent, but until then keep checking the Tantilloon posts on the Two Brewers blog!

Splobucket (my real-life friend Gene) started "A Tale of Two Brewers" last year, and I joined up a few months ago. I couldn't be happier with the arrangement.

New Lolz

2010-02-25T18:39:00.001-08:00

Check this one out, and vote if you like it!
http://cheezburger.com/View.aspx?aid=3228263680

New Lolz while we wait to find an agent or publisher

2009-10-05T07:51:00.001-07:00

Usually the process of getting a proposal accepted can take several months. Since the book is already done it should be a bit easier, but my proposal still needs to be heard above the noise, claw its way to the top, and complete some sort of "Rocky" montage before I even get word back.

Until then, enjoy my new graph.

moar funny pictures

Got the final proposal this weekend

2009-09-13T14:25:00.001-07:00

I got the proposal from the editor; with a couple minor tweaks it will be ready to go!

Working on the Proposal

2009-07-02T10:30:00.001-07:00

I had a meeting with my editor the other day to start working on the proposal. I'm excited, it's time to get this thing rolling again!

My first article was published on Ezinearticles.com!

2009-04-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

So I decided to try out this whole blogosphere thing and guess what? My stuff is fit to print!
I submitted a test article to ezinearticles.com and after about five days it got published. That means the internet is almost as fast as the post office!

So now all I have to do is submit about ten more articles in my spare time... which I have none of. Wish me luck.

New Website Officially Launched!

2009-03-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.nicktantillo.com

Attention! Attention! My new website has been launched!

I'm going to start trying to get a little attention over the next few days. Hopefully I'll get rolling in no time! I really want people who enjoy my writing to get on board. Welcome to Nick 2.0.0.1.5.2!

Please sign my wall on the "Contact" page and let me know what you think!

New Unemployment Casualwear Available at My Cafepress Store!

2009-03-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

I have illustrated two new designs!

Without further ado, here is more shameless marketing!

Visit my store at http://www.cafepress.com/NickTantillo and order one, or are you not constantly complaining about the economy?

New Shirts Available at CafePress

2009-03-24T19:29:00.001-07:00

Check out the front side and back side of these new Zombie themed shirts! I had lots of fun making them.

Visit my store at http://www.cafepress.com/NickTantillo and order one, or are you not afraid of zombies?

Updated Character Sketch

2009-03-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes you draw something and think it looks fine, but then take a step back and it frightens you? That just happened to me with my new character. I realized that after the face, I gave him wimpy little baby arms.

Once I drew his skeleton (which I should have done first but I was lazy) I noticed that he probably couldn't carry a watermelon, would really suck at volleyball, and definitely couldn't reach his own hair to shampoo it.

Character Sketch #1

2009-03-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

Just completed the first character concept for possible book illustrations!

I'm currently considering a header graphic for each chapter. I'm not sure whether or not it will make the book more marketable to a publisher, but at this stage I can experiment a little bit.

I bought a Wacom bluetooth graphire tablet thinking that it might give me some talent, but much to my chagrin I still can't draw with a computer pencil! Now I feel like one of those pretentious snobs who buy a really nice guitar that they don't know how to play. Maybe with a little practice I'll be able to draw a decent curve, but don't hold your breath.

For now, you'll just have to settle for my Adobe Illustrator vector methods. I'll spare you the napkin sketch.

First Draft Sent to the Editor

2009-03-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

I have finished the first draft of my book! It is approximately 53,500 words, 200 pages, or 2 lbs of wood. I'm really excited to see what comes back during the first round of edits; hopefully I won't need to rewrite the whole thing!

I started January 19th, and finished March 15th, which means it took just under 2 months to complete. That's on average almost 1,000 words a day. That means that I could have eaten a single chocolate chip from a bag of chips ahoy for each word I typed and finished 52 bags! Why didn't I think of that sooner?

Once I finish the revisions it will be time to write the proposal, marketing plan, and essays; I need to write something compelling if I want to be in any talk shows, radio shows, or newspaper articles!

Started a book on Monday, January 19th

2009-02-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

Before I die, I feel like I will have to try out every kind of job at least once. I have already tried Retail Yarn Sales, Website Design, Quality Assurance, Embedded Systems Programming, Web Application Development, Software Training, Marketing Communications, Graphic Design, and Solar Panel Manufacturing. Considering the ground covered so far, surely I will be an astronaut by 30, President by 45, and Former President by 46.

During my current, involuntary "Unpaid Leave of Absence," I've decided to write a book. Luckily for me, the state of New Jersey is allowing me to collect unemployment insurance while I write, apply for other jobs, and mope around the house. Although it's not much, it sure helps.

If I become a successful author, I intend to redirect all the funds I have collected from unemployment to a deserving charity like Doctors without Borders, NJPAL or Obama '12. I have realistic expectations of how well a book can sell, but my idea has never been done before (according to Amazon) and should appeal in the current financial environment. I can't say what the idea is yet, but it's a doozy. This could all even out Karmically, however I sure hope I end up with a million dollars that isn't invested in a 401K.

My experience packing books for a publishing company has taught me, if nothing else, that books are really really heavy. I don't want to ever have to schlep them around again, so I will definitely not try to self publish. Being the son of an author with thirty years of experience leads me to believe that I can succeed in this endeavor. When I'm the next J.K. Rowling and you look back on this blog, you'll see just how right I was; or you'll never read this blog. Either way, you can't prove me wrong!

As of today I'm at just about 28,000 words and 108 pages of manuscript. Can't wait to finish!