Picking the stories..

As I mentioned in some of the previous posts, that you can read below if you keep scrolling,
the organizing of what I was going to actually put in my book was a pretty big chore.

My publisher, Book Stand Publishing of California had never printed a book quite like
mine before, and they had a couple of concerns. First was the cover.

I had envisioned something dark, maybe of a cemetery at dusk or later at night, with
some crows flying overhead. They told me that there were a lot of books out there
with that same 'dark' look, and that I should consider something more striking, out of
the ordinary if you will.

So with that in mind, I took three old embalming bottles I had in my garage... these are
old bottles I'd collected from like 60 or more years ago. Arranging them on a board with
my garage in the background, I snapped the pic. Soon after I sent it to the publisher, he
called me said, "Stan...that's your book cover."
And with a little arranging of text with the picture...the book cover was born. And I must
admit when you see it in a bookstore, on a rack, anywhere...it beckons you to pick it up.
When in studio with Brother Wease on radio 95.1 in Rochester, his first remarks were
on the excellence of the cover. (I still have that interview and you can hear it by going to
Soundcloud.com, search Stanley Swan, you'll find it.)

So we had the cover...then we worked on the back cover...how the book came about,
background about myself and our funeral home.

So now... arranging the stories. We started out chronologically...it just made sense for the
book. How I became interested as a kid, being torn between it and actually becoming
a broadcaster for a number of years... then being 'called' back to do funeral service.

We tried to mix some light hearted stories within the book, a short break from some of the
more serious stories. Again, the publisher said the mix needed to be there in order to be
entertaining, and not gloomy. They helped me make good decisions there.

There were a couple of stories that did not make the book. I've held them back. One
particular one about a child' death, a tragic one, it was a story that I felt just wasn't
needed to be remembered...by anyone. Another chapter called the Most Asked Questions
just didn't make it to the publisher on time for inclusion, and I'll share that one with you
in the future.

We had it pretty much set...now we just sat back and waited for it to be produced.
In 6 to 8 weeks.. the book was out, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble...I had ordered
a slew of books myself to fill orders that I knew I'd be getting. And for over three years
now, the book continues to do extremely well, even 'across the pond".

Coming up in a few days....how we marketed, advertised and hit the pavement to make
Undertakings of an Undertaker a success...from Boston to L.A. and on radio stations
in medium to small markets, podcasts and more.

Come back in a few days, and happy holiday! SS