Back from Gettysburg

I just returned from book signings and giving a presentation at Gettysburg and the 10^th annual History Meets the Arts Festival. My wife and I had a great time and I had the privilege of meeting a number of other Civil War authors including:

• Brian R. Dirck who is Assistant Professor of History and Political Science at Anderson University and is the author of several books about Abraham Lincoln.

• Joan E. Cashin who is Associate Professor of History at Ohio State University and the author of a biography of Varina Davis.

• Fellow blogger Scott Mingus who is the author of two books about Gettysburg.

Scott and I had an interesting conversation about the publishing industry and the explosive growth of print on demand publishers. While there has been a lot of criticism of these publishers, there are quite a few bright spots in that niche. First, it has allowed otherwise unknown authors to get a foothold (The first edition of my first book of quotes from the writings of Robert E. Lee was published by a POD publisher) and it also allows those authors who have the know-how to do their own marketing and keep much more of the financial reward. It is certainly an option worth considering and works well with the right book and author.

I had not been to Gettysburg for several years, but I truly love the area. In my opinion, they have an excellent mix of historic preservation and commercialization—something for everyone. We stayed at a hotel right across from the American Civil War Museum and there were several South Carolina Confederate reenactment units camped on the lawn right in front of our room. They were really into it, staying up late around the camp fire, etc., but I could have done without revelry at 6:30 this morning!

I was inspired to see the flag display in front of the museum—one large American flag flanked by another smaller American flag and a Confederate battle flag as well. Lincoln Square at town center was buzzing with activity all weekend including music, demonstrations, and the school children pictured here performing a patriotic program. All in all, a great weekend!

Now, I've got fast approaching deadlines on 3 articles that all HAVE to be completed by the end of April and then, I dive into my next book.