Nearing the finish line

Here's a story about one of the joys of writing a book that you don't hear much about.

After months of rewriting, updating, etc., I recently was all set with the manuscript of a story about Buffalo sports history. I had given it to the publisher, who had bunches of good questions and found a few errors. Then I went back and edited those changes into the manuscript - finding a couple of new mistakes along the way (what the heck is a defense coordinator, and how did I miss it so many times?).

But then, I considered things finished by Wednesday. The computer disk containing everything would be delivered Thursday morning. Ahhh. If there was a cold one in the house, I would have had it.

At 12:45 in the morning, I was reading a book on the Milwaukee Braves. There was a section on the signing of Henry Aaron. I knew that Aaron had been scouted by the Braves while playing in the Negro Leagues while playing in Buffalo. However, I didn't know where that double-header took place. I had checked the microfilm of the Buffalo News, but there was no game story. Aaron played for the Indianapolis Clowns, which didn't play home games in Indianapolis but rather had a business address in Buffalo. The News indicated the Bisons played a twin-bill at Offermann Stadium that day, so two more games by another pair of teams seemed unlikely.

"Bushville Wins!" had the answer. The Clowns played at Riverside Park. I had heard that some Negro League games had been played there, but this book showed that Aaron's big moment came there.

The couch was comfortable, and I was a bit sleepy. But the more information in the book, the better. I got up, went up the stairs to the office, and typed in the new fact. Then I copied the new corrected page over to my computer-file copy of the manuscript,  and resealed the envelope with all of the information for the publisher.

Then, I went to bed. Yawn.

For those who are curious, the book does not have a title yet. Since I don't have a contract signed, I won't give any details about the business side for now. But it's essentially a done deal, and with luck it should be out for sale around Labor Day.

I'll keep you posted here and on Twitter about developments (including the ever-popular book signings) in the weeks to come. So start saving now.

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