I am not the Joseph Day who has been writing 45 years for Boston radio stations. Nor am I the Joseph Day who is a nephew of an admiral in the US Coast Guard. And I am certainly not the Joseph Day who is a songwriter and "worship pastor" in the bible belt.
In fact, I am not any of the Joseph Days you have previously seen on the web. I am a new Joseph Day. A professional writer who does novels.
I hate writing or talking about myself. Partly this is because I'm a private person, but mainly it's because I think I've had a pretty dull life. Of course, many people who know me would strongly disagree. But then that's only based on experiences they've had with me, or what they were told. Perhaps, I guess, relative to many professional writers, I've had a pretty exciting life. But then that's all relative. What may be fascinating to some people, may be boring to others. One person's treasure is another's trash.
As for Joseph Day the writer, there's also not much to tell. In my early 20's I was a professional writer that was taken seriously in the business, and told by a seasoned Hollywood screenwriter that I had an "encouraging future". A publicity agent had suggested I contact this screenwriter. When his wife, who is a lawyer and also his agent, answered the phone, her reply was - "Murray's got enough trouble selling his own stuff.". Nevertheless, Murray did get back with me, and spent an hour giving me advice I had already learned.
For many years I stopped writing fiction. The reason was quite simple. Money.
As a fiction writer, I could make maybe $400 ( inflation adjusted ) writing a short story for the Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine. As a professional in finance, I could make $3000 ( again inflation adjusted ) writing a three page technical letter to the IRS on a tax case. Needless to say, I went where the money was. Or as the gangster said in the Robert Rossen movie Body and Soul - "It's all addition and subtraction. The rest is just conversation."
Now, I'm back into writing novels again from my home on the beautiful island of Hawaii.
That story is just beginning, and will unfold as you read this blog. It's the story of the book business today. Or more specifically, the book business through my eyes and experience. Like the rest of my life, it's usually pretty boring.
But sometimes it can be interesting.
It's the interesting parts about which I will be writing articles. I hope you enjoy them.
Joseph Day
Author
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