More Information on the Release of Lawrence D Kelsey: The Life of the Explorer

       It is not enough to write a book. In today's market, one must also give thought to marketing such a book. One of the strategies to doing so is to create a market for the book prior to its actual release.  I therefore reported that I expected this book to be releases in late November.   This would have been nice from the standpoint that the brothers to this book, my three other books, were all released in November.    Alas, this has been an atypical project and took more time in its final stages than was anticipated.

       It therefore is likely to be available as a perfect bound 6x9 inch soft cover book in the first week of December, and in every form of electronic media two weeks from yesterday.    This should still provide time for those of you who wished to make it a Christmas present. 

      This will also allow the book to be available and ready in multiple media forms before Giedrė Žickytė releases her new documentary film "The Jump" on the subject of Simas Kudirka is released in 2018.   Lawrence D. Kelsey's role in the release of Simas Kudirka is mentioned in this film, and it is also my intent to have my book lead people to the great work of award winning film maker  Giedrė Žickytė.

       Of course, it is also my intent to have shared a view of a remarkable and interesting person, my father, Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey, in all of his occupations, roles and incarnations throughout his lifetime.

The Process of Suggesting, Refining and Perfecting a Book Cover

This was a starting point, a mock up of the book cover, as it began.

                     I don't know how other authors feel, but I am always very excited at the prospect of the creation of a book cover for one of my books. Book covers are important. We know that most people are drawn to a book by its cover. So many books come to market each year that it's important to have an interesting cover that represents the work itself in some way.

                     Of the four books I have written, this was the most challenging book thus far, to write as well as to cover.  The first issue was that since it is a biography, that a picture of the person himself needed to appear on the cover.  Secondly, I only owned rights to a certain number of photographs.  Authors aren't permitted to use photographs taken by photographers without obtaining their permission.  This can be difficult because a number of the photographs I could access of Lawrence D. Kelsey, Jr. were taken by photographers who have long since gone out of business or died.  I am still not permitted to steal one of their photos.  Secondly, of the photos for which I did have rights, there was some damage. Work would need to be done to repair these photos digitally.  The one that we ultimately selected for the front cover, had significant damage to the original negative.  The prior books I had written had pictures taken for the covers fairly recently and so quality and clarity were not a problem.   Our cover designer is very good at what he does.  His first offering was a picture of an ice cave which included a version of the picture above.  It worked well, but my concern was that the subject of the book spent only two years in Antarctica and then a year in the Arctic, and this book is the story of many more of those years.

                    Then, the mock up you see above came.  This version showed the man, was clear as to what it was, and also tells the reader that this will tell a story from the recent past.   This week, the front cover and back cover were undergoing refinement.  I promise, it will be available to all of you soon.





                     

Coming Very Soon !

Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey, Jr.   The Explorer

                       As soon as the cover is completed, and approved, and then married to the book itself, then my fourth book: 

 Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey: The Life of the Explorer 
 will be ready for sale and for worldwide distribution, in English.

                        I am excited about this, and I can't wait until its completion.  I have said, in the past, that my favorite part of writing a book is the moment when you receive the very first bound copy that can be held in your hands.

                      I'll let you know as soon as it's available on Amazon and at other book sellers.

Available in Late November

   

 Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey: 
                The Life of the Explorer 

  as a softcover bound book, should be available in November, 2017.

     Shortly after, it should also be available in all manner of electronic fashion, if you prefer to read that way.  Within a few months, it should be available, in English, worldwide.


      This book traces the fairly unusual early life, and then the expeditions for which the title character is probably most commonly known.   Then, it looks ahead to his achievements in England, in the 1950s.   It moves on to his life on his return to the US, his family life, and his achievements and challenges as a husband and father.  When his children are teens, he returns to the sea.  This is a multi-layered story of an interesting person, coupled with the challenges of living, for him and for us all. It has wisdom for all of us who grow, and then who eventually age.   Interestingly, he did not stop achieving, as he aged.  He did not stop doing good in the world, on his own terms, and usually anonymously whenever possible.

       It promises to be an interesting read.

Cover Confusion

Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey

                    On my last three books the covers to the book were much easier.  The first had a cover picture commissioned specifically for the book. The second had a picture of the subject, taken by someone who later became a professional photographer.  I took the third cover picture with a new camera, specifically for the cover. This time, the choices were more limited. The subject of the book is the life of my father. The book starts in the 1930s and through to 2008.  The pictures most suitable for the cover and those without exceptional resolution and that have sustained some damage over the years.  This is the first time I have simply not been able to go out and photograph the subject of the project.
                  I realize now that I should have commissioned drawings of the subject long ago and should have better anticipated the challenges in cover creation, for this particular project.

In the Waiting Room

    

  This book represents the completion of my fourth book.  The first book was centered on principles of preparedness, primarily for the uninitiated. (Rational Preparedness:A Primer to Preparedness, 2012) 
 The second book was the story of the life of my youngest son, Daniel. (What I Learned from Daniel, 2012)  It is a tribute to his life.

 The third book was a first novel. (Portsoy Woods, 2016)   This is the story of a family who relocate from suburban Northern Virginia to a large acre tract in very rural Virginia, just before a significant financial collapse.

  The fourth book, and latest effort is a biography of a man who goes to sea in the Merchant Marines at sixteen, but crafts a life as an explorer as he accepts one challenging job after another. The book does discuss his family of origin and his friends as their attitudes and ideas help to clarify his motivations and his decisions.   (Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey: The Life of the Explorer, 2017, most likely available in November)
          This can be both a joyous and an uncomfortable time for an author.  First, most authors are pleased to have a project finally completed, and yet we hope that we have completed the project to the best of our abilities. I also sit on the uncomfortable bench of waiting for the book cover to be completed. This is a lot like waiting for a friend who is in surgery.  A book cover is so important, and yet, I must wait.
           I am hoping for a November, 2017 release for this work. I will keep you all informed.  Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey, the explorer is my father.

Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey:The Life of the Explorer, is Complete

Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey, in Quetta, Pakistan, in 1951

 

Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey, Jr. died nine years ago, tomorrow.

 It has taken quite a time to complete a book on his life, called Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey: The Life of the Explorer.

   Any time that someone is writing about historical matters and about genuine people, there is a great deal of fact checking and interviewing that must be done, prior to writing those chapters.
In this work, there were additional issues. Since I was in possession of five hundred letters from him, I had an embarrassment of  riches, in some regards. However, determining context and a timeline could be difficult also.  I anticipate that this book will finally be available for sale in the early part of November, 2017.  It should be an interesting read as it tells of the interesting and complex life of an explorer, world traveler, and all of the things he chose to do, and to be.  It will also be a heartfelt tribute to my own father.