Writer George Taylor

Writer and Poet George Taylor

Let’s start getting your shine on. Who are you?

University of Detroit High ’66. Irish American third generation native Detroiter. Had one job my whole adult life: poet laureate of nowhere. Michigan Wolverine ’70;

When did you realize you had a passion for writing?

When I walked into my principal’s office in high school and told him that I needed to take the classics curriculum. Something embedded in languages and ancient stories had a hold of me and wouldn’t let go.

All writers adore words. Describe your love affair with writing.

I write every day. To do so, I give up paid employment, concerts, trips to museums and art galleries, seeing my family and friends, and travel. I don’t regret a moment of the huge swatches of unpaid time I spend to do the thing I most love.

Name two authors with whom you share similar writing styles.

Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouac.

What makes them similar?

A free uninhibited search for a language and rhythm that is truly American, which hints at the depths of love and suffering inherent in the American soul.

Name and thank one author that has been instrumental in inspiring you to write.

I thank Pablo Neruda for his artistic genius and his enormous dedication to the people of Chile. He was an artist who cared for more than himself and his publishing track record.

What does your audience look like?

Proposed Market for book:

(Magnitude of Audience Gets bigger as we go down the list.)

1. Detroiters who are fascinated by stories of their own era and of the historical changes they have seen.

2. Midwestern Rust Belt Residents who want a fresh look at the history of Detroit and other manufacturing centers.

3.‘Green’, ecology loving readers who want to redeem their own vision of American industry and see a new breath of creativity and hope

4 Anyone looking for a new inspiring vision of America

5. Poetry lovers in the US and other countries.

What genre does your story fall under?

Poetic Memoir

What distinguishes you from others seeking to be published authors?

I know how the business of publishing works, and I am methodically pursing a marketing program for my manuscript. Also, Detroiters and other Americans need to read my story.

New authors usually lack the business knowledge of writing. What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned about things beyond the page?

(I think your question is about the business side of writing.) Having self-published two books and started an on-line bookstore, I know that the main thing I have learned is ‘don’t undercapitalize.’

You need a lot of money to make a business work here in America. Whatever you think you need to publish a book, ou need to double or triple that figure. particularly for marketing costs.

What are your thoughts on rejection letters?

I wallpaper my office with them, to remind me of what bad taste most people have.

And I keep a list of people I intend to write to after I get published.

If you approached an author with questions about writing, how would you expect them to respond?

I’d expect them to be too busy writing to bother with me. Or to generously remind me of the one thing that writers need to hear: Strap yourself to your desk and keep writing.

Are you ready to really shine? In 100 words or less, tell the Wednesdays & Fridays Blog readers why your manuscript should be published.

Detroiters hunger for an updated new vision of our hometown, as the seedbed of the new America: community based, appreciate of art, and supportive and protective of its citizens. My manuscript inspires confidence that the American vision, when it is compassionate and inclusive, is still great. It carries the message that Art is the healer for a confused, hurting culture. Plus my stories are funny, heartbreaking, scary, and above all, the ‘troof’.