The best
Christmas gift ever Merry Christmas to you…and to me! Christmas came a little early to The Green Girl as I received the best present ever — my book!
That’s right, "John Deere Collectibles" is officially printed and published! I can’t fully explain the elation I felt when I first held that advance copy in my hands. I suppose it’s close to holding your firstborn child, although I can’t vouch for that personally! My pride and joy brought me a very emotional moment. I was filled with pride, giddy with excitement, and nervous about its future all at the same time. In fact, the more I think about it, the more my book’s "story" sounds an awful lot like a baby story… The moment of conception My book began innocently enough; it was an idea from my father-in-law, Jim Kruse, in Northwest Iowa. A collector himself, he wished for a book on the topic that might give him a little "green guidance" in his Deere hunting. After a few months worth of holiday discussions about its potential, I found some free time in the fall of 1998 and began researching and writing a book proposal.
The test is positive By Super Bowl Sunday in January 1999, the proposal had been sent to six publishers. Several were interested and the process of weeding out the offers began. By early April, one publisher seemed to be leading the pack and a contract was drafted. After a few months of reviewing the details, the deal was signed and the conception was confirmed…the book will be born! My first nine months From that moment on, my life would be dominated by the development of the book. It started in September 1999 with a flurry of frequent flyer miles and unlimited mileage in rental cars. I combed the Midwest in search of top collectors and had a professional photographer in tow to capture the best of several large collections. A special thanks to Dale Lenz, Dean Stump and Marvin Benson for giving generously of their time, trusting me with their treasures, and calmly answering a barrage of questions. And many thanks to Nick Cedar, the talented photographer who shot 300 groupings of green goodies. By Christmas, I knew I had a few holes yet in my photography of the memorabilia so I hired another photographer to shoot some items from my father-in-law’s collection. We took another 100 photos and I felt a little better about how the book was coming along. The Millennium New Year arrived and with it, a new sense of urgency for the growth of the book. My deadline for turning in a complete manuscript and all photos was April 1st, which as it would turn out later, would be rather ironic in itself! After sorting through the 400-some photos, I found a few more holes I needed to fill.
So I scheduled another road trip to the Midwest in mid-January. This time I went to Moline, met another photographer, pored through the Deere & Company Archives, and shot another 200-plus photos. Extra thanks to Les Stegh, who patiently cooperated during my persistent process. I also went to an auction (thanks Kurt Aumann) in central Illinois and snapped another 100 photos myself. With a total of almost 700 photographs in my possession, I was ready to start writing the actual text of the book. By now, it was February 1st and I had just two months to create a manuscript for a 128-page book! I was bursting at the seams with research, notes, photos, and phone numbers…the book was growing like a weed already! It was kicking, tossing and turning in anticipation of being born. After intense labor, I finished writing in time to meet my due date of April 1st. My second nine months As if the first nine months weren’t enough, I had to endure a second nine-month term while my manuscript and photos were turned into a real book.
I waited anxiously for my first glimpse at the book’s layout, which ironically came just after Labor Day. A few more rounds of revisions and proofing parties later, it was out of my hands. In early November, the materials were shipped to a printer overseas and the final stage of waiting was underway. The big day Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house, the author was jumping and shouting with glee, "Yipeee, Yipeee! Look at me!" For the FedEx man (my stork) had delivered a box with one precious copy of the book (my baby). My book was really a book! Not just a far-fetched idea tossed in the air…not just a proposal on paper that was going nowhere…not just a manuscript that would never be read…this book was real…it was really here! May you receive green gifts galore under the tree this year! And maybe next Christmas, you’ll be opening my John Deere Collectibles book…it’s the best present ever! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
|
