E. Christopher Clark - Author and All-Around Geek
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
EC Sees It 001 - Park Plaza Prom
Nearly 15 years later, E. Christopher Clark revisits the scene of his senior prom on an almost daily basis as part of his morning walk to work. Click here to watch the video on Viddler if it doesn’t appear above.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Update on Kickstarter, the Book, and My Podcast
Here is an update on how I did with the Kickstarter project I launched (“Help Me Finish My Book and Share It With the World”), how my book is coming, and what’s next with the podcast I proposed doing.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
E. Christopher Clark and Jason Prokowiew Read From Their Books
In lieu of a story this week, we proudly present this video/article originally posted on Geek Force Five
You’ll have to pardon the three year old who has trouble keeping quiet during this reading that Jason Prokowiew and I did last Thursday night because, well, she’s three. But, my daughter’s interruptions aside, I think this video of Jason reading from his biography of his father (One Little Bolshevik) and me reading from my novel in progress (Down the Cape) came out rather well. Let me know what you think in the comments below. And if you like what you hear (especially if you like what you hear from me), please consider backing my Kickstarter project so that I can finish the book and share it with the world. The opportunity to fund the Kickstarter project ends on Friday afternoon at 5, so please act now if you wish to act.
But, most of all, just enjoy the readings!
Monday, July 13, 2009
On Your Own…
Over the weekend, several friends sent me news that an independent author selling his book through the Amazon Kindle store had landed a book deal. The message there seemed to be, “Yes, Chris, you can do it on your own if you have a good product and if you’re sufficiently motivated.” And, therefore, I was encouraged when I read the article. Because, hey, I do have a good product. And I am getting very, very motivated by the success stories I am seeing in other industries.
I also read today an excellent post by my friend Andy Hicks on how Fritz Wetherbee and public television were doing the Nine Inch Nails model of media distribution years before Mr. Reznor himself figured it out: quality stuff for free that, if you like it, will prompt you to support the content producers with your donations.
And, last but not least, I read this article by Chris Brogan on distribution as a key to personal branding. “Distribution’s where it’s at,” Chris writes. “Who gives a crap if you pour all kinds of great intent and messaging into your product if no one knows who you are? Who cares if someone knows who you are, but they can’t reach you?”
All of this has me thinking about if and how making books on your own—specifically books of fiction—can be done. And of course I’m still wondering if it should be done, given the bad rap that self-publishing has always received and seems likely to continue receiving for a good, long while (as long as the gatekeepers remain the same, at the very least).
What do you think?
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
THE WAY THEY WERE INSIDE - NH 48HFP 2009
This week, we feature someone else’s story here on the blog. My friend John Herman wrote and directed the Purple Finch Moving Picture Society’s 2009 submission to the New Hampshire 48 Hour Film Project. The film is titled The Way They Were Inside, and aside from featuring great performances by Emily Briand, Chuck Galle, Brian Paul, and too many others to mention, it features a cameo by my daughter, Kaylee Clark.
As I sat in a darkened theater in Londonderry, New Hampshire last night, surrounded by the cast and crew, to watch our film and the handful of others that were screening alongside it, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I keep trying to write a sentence here that would describe what I felt without spoiling it for you, but words are failing me. So, I’ll just close with this: John and company crafted a touching, funny film, and Kaylee, Stephanie, and I were proud to be a small part of it.
Enjoy! And when you’re done, leave a comment (either here, or over on YouTube).