Well hello there readers and good and fine folks! I wanted to give you a little update. Some good, some less than good. The less than good is that COVID-19 has, maybe unsurprisingly, found a way to wreck even more havoc, by putting a hurt on the book market. While fiction sales are up, and notable authors are doing fine, bookstores aren’t seeing the summer traffic they normally do and us independent authors aren’t getting the same exposure. Inventories aren’t being ordered with the same gusto. So it is with a heavy heart that I say that Training to be Myself won’t hit bookshelves in 2020. We’re looking at an early 2021 release so whatever you can do to help the world from imploding until then, I’d appreciate it. On the scale of bummers for the year, this one isn’t so bad, but it still stings a bit. The good news however is that my book is in the best shape of it’s life with huge thanks to my editor Sarah, and its now on its way to the copy edit stage, so we’re closer than ever despite the release date being pushed. I can’t thank you enough for helping me get here, even if here still feels like just a nudge further than the middle of nowhere. I am that much closer to claiming author as my vocation without the guilt that follows so I gotta say, that’s pretty neat because I manufacture guilt like an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Thank you for helping to lift that burden! A real team effort there. I’m working on some ways to release some of the book while at the same time not embarrassing myself with a lack of readability and/or an eyesore of grammatical errors and also not to keep bothering you. So for starters, here’s a prescient brief excerpt I rediscovered. In the meantime, if I can help you out during these times, I’m an excellent grocery getter, a generous app login giver, and a decent script consultant so hit me up. Thank you everyone. I hope you’re carrying on and carrying for yourselves. 

Despite their best efforts, they hoist their pathetic bodies on their own petards. It’s effortful failing, my personal darling, and It’s comforting to know those ahead of us haven’t unlocked eternal elation. L.A. can often make me feel quarantined. It’s as if everyone around me is doing well, and I’m rolling around in this bubble of self-doubt and incompleteness that is successfully preserving me from any professional success or interpersonal growth.

***At least this year has given everyone a chance to slow down and let me catch up, or let them catch up with me depending on how you look at it.***

Hi friends, family and loved ones!

 I truly hope you are all in good health both physically and emotionally. These are unprecedented times and I don’t even know how to write this without sounding like the CEO of a company. “We here at Jake’s apartment just want you know we are taking every precaution and the safety and well-being being of our readers is of the utmost importance.” I mean that’s all true and I actually enjoy reading those weird emails, but they just feel impersonal and the last thing I want is to come off impersonal right now. Because this book, the campaign and your support is as personal as it gets for me. I’m thankful I have the opportunity to write and the investment of others to fuel my writing and persistence to complete this project. So here’s the update.

After working and revising based on the last round of notes, I just sent off my fourth draft to my wonderful, talented, and endlessly patient editor,  Sarah. Fingers crossed this will be the last round of big edits and we’ll enter the next stage of design and HOLY SHIT CAN YOU BELIEVE IT, PUBLI-FUCKIN-CATION!

And while I would love to say that the book will arrive in time to keep you company in quarantine, let’s hope we all get out of our houses first and the book can sit on your shelf, or be deposited in one of those free library boxes affluent neighborhoods have. 

If you’re antsy and think you can’t possibly wait another day, let me know.  Maybe I can send you a little sampler of an unapproved selection.

THANK YOU ALL for your kindness and support. I am indebted to you and if you want to get a face time coffee, please hit me up. Wishing you the very best during these difficult times,

Jake

Hi! I’m writing to give you the last update of 2019. What a year! So about two weeks ago, I sent in the newest draft of my book with all the revisions suggested by my editor. It was quite the process. More conceptual than procedural. It’s quite easy to hit the delete key or to locate all the uses of the word "well" and replace them, but it’s a whole other kettle of fish to answer questions of purpose and intent. Nevertheless, I made it to the other end, and once again I have YOU to thank. You believed in me so I’m getting it done. If it were just for me, I’d have probably just printed it out at FedEx and placed it on my shelf. 

Today I  got a reply from my manager and editor who said to expect an update on the draft within the next two weeks. So, what does that mean? Well it means that you should have a copy of the book in your hands within the next couple months barring any unforeseen obstacles. So clear a space in your bookclub queue!

Thank you again for your interest, support and patience! I am ever grateful for your generosity. Happy New Year!

Hi Friends, family and heroes!

I’ve got a big update for you. First let me thank you for being patient, taking an interest in the updates, and above all else, supporting me! I wouldn’t be here today writing to tell you that my editor has sent me her editorial letter without, well, you! 

That’s right. I now have the notes and feedback from my editor and I’m on the road to revision. Let me just say it is both extremely exciting and psychologically taxing. For someone who makes their living coaching, instructing, and providing feedback to help people become better at their craft and passions, you would think I would be better at receiving feedback on my own work, but that has not been the case. It’s taken me almost a week just to read and digest the information. All the notes are excellent and will absolutely make my book better, but it is difficult not to take them personal. Even though it is not personal. It’s constructive. The aim of the notes is to help me. And I know they will help to make this very personal story more accessible,  entertaining and hopefully worthwhile. I share all this with you because, well I guess I just want to say that feedback is not always easy, but it’s how we get better and I’m good at saying it, and trying to be better at exuding it.

I’ve started revising my book and putting the notes into practice and I can already feel the difference. I am so fucking excited to finish this draft and get this book on the shelves! I’m also fucking terrified. This must be like what skydiving is like. I will never jump out of a plane, but I will do this. 

I plan to have this next draft done in a month. I’m sharing this with you, so if you see me out or talk to me, you can hold me accountable. It’s not your job, but if you feel like sending me to my room without dinner until I’m done, you’d be doing the difficult work we all will benefit from.

And lastly, I’m making some cuts to a rather large section of the book. I wrote 20,000 words on action movies, and it turns out that’s too many. Which is funny because I had thought 20,000 was a nice trim from the original 30,000. But in retrospect, losing another ten Gs on Tombstone and Robin Hood is a very good idea. I really leaned into talking very specifically about very niche action movies, and it sounds like a transcript of audio lifted from an old cult video store in the Kevin Smith universe. That being said, if you are interested in those pieces, I’ll be posting them as deleted scenes, both in an audio format and likely the whole piece in print. So check the link below for the first one. It’s mildly personal, but mostly just a small essay on the brilliance of Desperado. 

https://soundcloud.com/jake-jabbour/grow-n-up-movies-desperado-deleted-scene-from-training-to-be-myself

Ok, thanks again for being great people who believe in me! Know that the feeling is mutual and I am excited to be there for you in the future!