Yes, I Quit My Day Job to Write

My final Editor's Note for Down East is up today. For years I was the living embodiment of Yogi Berra's famous maxim: "When you come to a fork in a road, take it." It worked for a while, but recently I decided it was time for a change.

As I write in my column:

Most people are lucky in life to find their dream job. I have been fortunate to find two.

I dreamt about becoming editor of Down East since I was in college. When I was a bellman at the Black Point Inn in Scarborough, I used to sneak the most recent issue out of the gift shop to read between calls. The first essay I ever published — an account of being struck by lightning — was in this magazine.

For the past fourteen years I have been fortunate to work at Down East, and for the past eight years I have been even more fortunate to be its editor. Over that time I collaborated with and learned from many talented professionals: editors, writers, designers, photographers, and illustrators who are among the best in the country at what they do. I owe a debt to them and to the Fernald family for entrusting me with this iconic Maine institution. Mostly, though, I am indebted to you: the most loyal readers a magazine editor could ever wish for. Thank you for your time and attention; thank you for your compliments and criticisms. Thank you, most of all, for giving me this life.

But as I said at the outset, I have always had two aspirations. Since I was a boy, I have wanted to write novels, and four years ago, with the publication of my first book, The Poacher’s Son, I took the first step on the path that is now leading to my second dream job: that of working author. And so I must step aside from one position to accept the other.

There's a good reason why agents discourage authors (even published ones) from quitting their day jobs. In a publishing industry that is going through daily convulsions, there are no guarantees. Still I'm encouraged by the enthusiastic response Mike Bowditch has gotten from readers, some from as far away as Japan and Australia. So I'm proceeding with confidence—but also with caution.

As Yogi Berra also supposedly said: "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there."

Good News for Mike Bowditch Fans

Today is my last day as Editor in Chief of Down East Magazine. I am stepping aside to focus on my novels. The November issue, out in a few weeks, is officially my last.

For years people have asked me how I have managed to balance both careers (the answer is "by sacrificing everything else"), but the time finally came for me to choose. Fans of Mike Bowditch will be seeing a lot more of him as a result. Happily, I'm staying on at the magazine in the newly created position of Editor Emeritus which mostly means I will be an on-call editorial consultant and troubleshooter. 

But this is a day of departure for me, made more sweet than bittersweet by good news from the International Regional Magazine Association. Down East dominated this year's awards, winning more than any other magazine.

 

Adam and Eve of the Maine Woods

Over at the day job I have a new Editor's Note up about Maine's history as a haven for hermits. Long before Christopher Knight, the so-called North Pond Hermit, was grabbing headlines, there was "Naked Joe" Knowles and Walley and Olive Estes, the "Adam and Eve of the Maine Woods."

Those early turn-of-the-20th century hermits were publicity hounds of the first order, utterly unlike Christopher Knight who seems to have stumbled backward into fame (or infamy). As I write in my column:

For someone who wanted to disappear completely, Knight has now found himself inside a multimedia maelstrom that didn’t exist when he began his self-imposed exile. His story has been broadcast from Bangor to Buenos Aires to Brisbane. Meanwhile, the hermit sits behind bars in the Kennebec County Jail, awaiting trial on a handful of theft charges. He is said to be a model prisoner. So far, he has refused all media interviews.

How different from Walter and Olive Estes, who parlayed their two-month camping trip into fifteen minutes of fame. The photogenic couple made money selling pictures of themselves dressed in furs and appeared in vaudeville shows; Olive even wrote a book titled True Experiences, including Adam and Eve in the Maine Woods. It remains to be seen whether Knight will succumb to the inevitable pressure to cash in by selling the rights to his life. What seems clear is that Adam and Eve were far better adapted to this era of reality TV stars and celebrity wannabes than the most famous hermit of the new century. 

My 12 Favorite Maine Stories of 2012

Happy New Year! At Maine Crime Writers today I look back at the last year at Down East Magazine and pick my twelve favorite articles. It's a real grab bag of stories covering everything from famous paintings to gutter politics to spicy hot sauces.

One of the great things about being Editor in Chief is that it gives me the freedom to pursue some offbeat interests. As perks go, it's a pretty cool one.