Ken Foster's Blog, page 7

Just three days left to get one of these terrific shirts

This "official" tour shirt, featuring Doug and I, is so ridiculous, I love it. Even Doug gets a kick out of them. And they make the perfect reward for people who have been sponsoring my tour with donations via Kickstarter, where my "North American Tour" fundraiser has just three days to go. I've been really stunned at the support people have offered. And I've also been adding more dates and cities to the tour, so while my original goal has been surpassed, I'm really hoping to end this campaig...

Book tour financing 101

One of my old professors said that publishing a new book was like running for office; you have to go out and shake every hand. While the publishing industry relies more on online presence these days, I still believe that the best way to let people know about a new project is to go on the road. But, no one pays for tours any more, and certainly not large ones. Book sales certainly don't cover it. Add to that all the additional costs: lost income from taking off from work, kenneling dogs, renti...

Author photo? How about this?

If you hate being photographed as much as I do, then you know that photo-anxiety is the number one cause of bad photos. My shoulders rise, my jaw tightens, my mouth fights its way between a frown and a smile. UGH. So for far too long, I've been relying on old photos,including one by the wonderful Marion Ettlinger. But ten years later seems to be an awfully long time to still be using it. In anticipation of my next book, I'm a Good Dog: Pit Bulls, America's Most Beautiful (and Misunderstood) P...

Somebody stole my...website??

This is one of the more absurd things that has happened to me, and barely worth mentioning except a) to explain what happened to my domain name, and b) to warn others to avoid my fate.

A few months ago I missed the renewal date on my two domain names: www.ken-foster.com and www.dogswhofoundme.com. Big deal, I thought, upon discovering my error. I'll just renew them late. But I can't, because within days of their expiring, both were purchased by two different companies. www.ken-foster.com is n...

Praise for "I'm a Good Dog"

Well, it finally happened. After rushing to finish the manuscript, I've spent the past few months helping to find the right photos and refine the text of my new book "I'm a Good Dog." And now it is done. It won't be out until the end of October (at which point I'll likely be coming to a town hear you), but the feedback so far is incredibly exciting. Here are a few quotes:

A beautiful book about some of the most beautiful and big hearted dogs in the world -- dogs who've been misunderstood and d...

Thoughts on "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

So last night I finally saw "Beasts of the Southern Wild," the strange new film by director Benh Zeitlin and Court 13. I was a huge fan of his short film, "Glory at Sea," which came out a few years ago (check it out at the link!). And I was vaguely aware of this new project as they were working on it over the past three years. But the short film was so striking and original and wonderfully compact, I was also somewhat skeptical about how they would approach a longer film with very similar ele...

Saying goodbye slowly

It's no surprise that I haven't blogged about this until now; it isn't a pleasant subject to dwell on. For the past year, Zephyr, my rottie/shepherd mix, has been battling degenerative myelopathy, for which there is no cure. DM, as it is referred to by the owners of dogs who suffer from it, is the dog version of multiple sclerosis. It often affects shepherds, but I guess any dog can get it. It is genetic, and once we had narrowed the diagnosis, I sent her blood off to confirm that she carries...

I've got a new book coming out (and still have a spare Rottweiler)

I've been so busy getting the manuscript ready for a new book that my blogging has slowed to nothing--and even my Tweeting and Facebooking have become scarce. Hopefully that will all change as I begin to shift gears to work on something entirely new and different.

My new book, coming out on October 16th, is called I'm a Good Dog: Pit Bulls, America's Most Beautiful (and Misunderstood) Pet And yes, it is about pit bulls. Penguin Books is putting it out, and it is remarkably close to the book I...

The Spare Rottweilers

A few months ago, the writer Julie Klam was in town for a booksigning and potential material for her new book, "Love at First Bark: How Saving a Dog Can Sometimes Help You Save Yourself." As I drove her and her husband Paul around town, we turned a corner onto Chartres Street in Bywater and there, several blocks away, was a rottweiler roaming the middle of the street. It seemed too ridiculous to be true, but I drove closer and we hopped out of the car to pursue him. Of course, he wanted absol...

Pitty FAIRness in Louisville this Saturday

If you are in the Louisville area this Saturday, be sure to come by the first annual Pitty FAIRness artand music fair, sponsored by Saving Sunny. Shorty and Hercules will be there, and I will be speaking and signing books at a booth I'm sharing with Carmichael's books. The event runs from 10am-5pm at Central Park, 1340 S. Fourth Street. And it is FREE!Visit the archive at www.ken-foster.com