Thank you, hamb longroofers!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Mikey! There's some talk of book signings (that would be SO weird!), but so far, no airline tickets. This may call for another cross country hitch hiking adventure (since I can't afford gas for my wagon)...

 

Thanks Lance. This wouldn't be happening without your help and encouragement. Time will tell if it's my true calling, but it feels that way now and I'm REALLY enjoying the ride! Writing comes much more naturally to me than fabricating did, but I miss that...
And I would walk to New Jersey to sign your copy of the book! But it might be easier if you and Diane drove out here in the new Model A to get your autograph. Do it!

 

Wow! Back-to-back replies from my heroes! I'm blushing...

Both Eric and Lance did some killer work for an art chapter that was cut from the book! I'm still reeling from that. Although two of Eric's customer renderings survived in one of the features. What an honor to work with these guys! And even after being cut, they're still speaking to me - shows you what they're made of... Thanks guys!

 

Always loved the longroofs, goin' to order one up right now.
'64 426 Plymouth was a racecar in '70/'72
The Woodie is current.

 

This is just what I was talking about - where were you last year?! Amazing what all I missed, when I thought I was doing such a thorough search...

 

Well, I know there's plenty more HAMBers involved that haven't spoken up. If you see this later, know that I'm giving you a virtual handshake, right now. You're all heroes!
Scotty

 

A victory lap for the stragglers...

 

Can't wait to get my copy! Only wish mine was ready for consideration. Timing, timing, timing!

 

S.G., very cool, gotta have it. Atta Boy!! ~sololobo~

 

Very very cool Scotty! Pre-ordered my copy today. Wish I could have accepted your offer to be involved, I just didn't feel mine was worthy. Maybe some day.



I'm looking forward to seeing your hard work completed!

 

Loppy - Timing indeed! The '55 looks killer man... Maybe if there's a sequel.......

 

Thanks Solo! Be sure to pick up an extra copy for Mother's Day. And Father's Day. And don't forget Nephew's Day. And, and, and... you guys should just buy 'em by the case - that's where the smart money is!

 

Sweeney: You're killing me man! That Chevy's perfect - even perfecter, with the eye candy in that photo! Sure would've liked to have it in the book. Do I have to write a book on Sprint cars to get this shot?!

 

You can not really party until you have 5 doors:

 

Going to pre-order mine as soon as I get home, maybe my buick will be worthy when there is the next instalment of delicious wagons!

 

63 Safari and Nailhead Brent: These both appear to be book worthy! Would've been cool. But I think you'll both find some cool surprises waiting in there for you...

 

woodienut holy crap that woodie rocks! I need more info on the book where do I get it. I may have missed it already, I'm tired

 

Gunswanted: I know. I'm tired, too. We're all tired. We try to cram as much as possible into every day and there's not much gas in the tank by bedtime. So who can afford to waste precious time shopping for a book, even online? The smart move would be to walk into your local book store with your weapon loaded, cocked and aimed at the checkout counter. Demand a copy of America's Coolest Station Wagons. Once it's in your hands, you're free to blast your way out of the store and into history. Enjoy.

 

I can't wait to get a copy of the book Scotty ......

 

UPDATE!!!

Glenn - You won't have to wait much longer: The time is at hand. I finally recieved my advance copy this week and it exceeds my expectations. Scott Parkhurst (fellow HAMB wagoneer) edited it with a deft touch and Monica Seiberlich really brought it to life with tastey lay-out and design work. It looks great! The visuals and text both flow naturally with the same upbeat energy as the cover - that vibe continues all the way to the back cover. I couldn't be happier. It isn't perfect (I found a typo!), but in my biased opinion, it's a pretty solid first time effort from a street racer punk who wrote it at night after working all day in a wrecking yard.

Today, I'm half way through the second CarTech book and a third is standing by. I also have three other books finished that were deemed 'too out there' for CarTech and will have to be independently published.

Meanwhile, I'm having some fun with my blog: http://scottygossonexposed.blogspot.com/
Believe it or not, this promotion stuff makes me really uncomfortable, so I've resorted to blowing off steam on the blog, by interviewing some of the people I cross paths with. Current interviews include Scott Parkhurst, Holly Felsen Welch, Adam Sorokin and Cole Coonce. More are in the works.

That's all the spam I can stomach for today. Thanks again to all who helped make this book happen - you know who you are. And to those who buy the book, thank you! I hope it entertains and maybe even inspires you. You've all helped me become the luckiest guy in town.
Scotty

 

Scotty...... always pursue your dreams brother, I'm proud of you.

 

I pre-ordered mine, can't wait, should be here soon.

 

UPDATE!

First, THANK YOU to all who pre-ordered a copy of the book! The response has really surprised me! I had no idea what to expect, but the publisher is happy and they seem to know what they're looking for in sales numbers, so that's big!

Unfortunately, the ship hauling the books here from China, where they're printed (I know, don't get me started) was delayed in Seattle for some inspection, which threw the whole transport schedule off. Long story short, the shipment is now rolling by truck to distribution centers and should be headed to your local stores "sometime in the next two weeks", where store employees will put it on the shelves as soon as they have time.
Personally, I was a little alarmed by this, but apparently it's something that happens sometimes and I gotta roll with it. I hope you guys can, too. I just hope you find the book to be worth the wait...

During this delay, I've taken some time to go over my advance copy of the book and have discovered two typos and two photo captions I'd like to change, but I'll live with 'em (since I have no choice now). You can bet the next book won't have the same mistakes in 'em... I've learned a lot of valueable lessons on this project, the latest concerning distribution and speaking in absolutes about shipping dates! Live and learn, I guess.

Thanks again, you guys. I gave you all props in the book, but I'll say it again: The HAMB is the best car club on planet Earth! You guys walk the walk...
Scotty

 

Scotty, that means that the Amazon posted delivery dates of "20-22 Apr" are also a little optomistic?

 

Pwschuh: I talked with someone yesterday who ordered pre-sale from Amazon. He told me Amazon sent them an e-mail announcing May 1st as the new date. So yeah, 'a little optomistic'.

I wish I had a more solid statement on this, but I'm just not privvy to the inside poop. There are a couple of people on here who do know the score, but I think they would've posted something by now, if they could. The company probably doesn't want their laundry aired and I may have already said too much myself (still learning about protocol, too!)...

Hey, if you need a hit to get you through, there's fresh meat on my blog... Lots of interviews with people you may have wondered about. In fact, this week's talk is with the HAMB's very own Rocky! Sniff out some posts about the wagon book (and other books) while you're there. See my signature for blogodress.

 

Thanks Glenn! That means a lot, coming from you. I'm working on it... I'm really enjoying all of it, except for this promotional stuff - afraid I'll scare people away, coming across like an infomercial pitch man.

In fact, the blog thing was CarTech's idea. It was supposed to be a promotional tool, but I freaked out and began interviewing people, instead. So far, there's interviews with

Scott Parkhurst (former PHR Tech Editor, current CarTech Editor and basic hot rod crazy)

Adam Sorokin (Surfer Mike Sorokin's son and current Nostalgia Top Fuel Champ)

Holly Felsen Welch (daughter of Henry Gregor Felsen)

Cole Coonce (basically, the Hunter S. Thompson of hot rodding)

Chad Reynolds (HRM fixture, BangShift loonie and general hot rod poster child)

And this week's deal with Rocky and my other brother, Mark. More interviews in the works.

Plus behind-the-scenes stuff on my books (in the 'Archives').

There. That oughta be enough spam to get me banned for life! Now I have to go take a shower...

 

Thanks for the update Scotty.

This is the reason I self-published my books I wrote them, did the edits, the marketing and I keep most of the profits instead of a paltry sum. I had offers from traditional publishers and turned them because once I knew their ego was standing in the way of my success I did it my way instead. I've sold over 20,000 copies of my crude little books.

Amazon has not contacted me on my pre-order. I can wait.

 

Thanks Mikey! Right now, I'm in a pretty sweet spot, as I'm learning the nuts and bolts of mainstream semi-traditional publishing through CarTech and enjoying their promotion and distribution machine, but am about to self-publish some smaller books myself, which will be a whole nother education. I'll be contacting you soon, regarding your experience, if you don't mind.

But yeah, this is a whole different animal than the magazine biz. The pros and cons pretty much balance out, so I still have one foot in magazines, too. And yes, it's my throttle foot.

 

Uh oh. Just realized I already spammed the blog on the previous page. Sorry about the redundancy.

 

Just ordered my copy.
Cheers
Tim