I have published a book and would appreciate if you would consider ordering a copy

For years I thought about writing a book, but I figured I didn't have the time, didn't know how, wasn't sure what I would write about, etc. There was always a good reason not to do it.

Then I figured out two things:

(1) I had been blogging for nearly 12 years and probably had some quality material ready to go.

(2) While there's undoubtedly time and effort involved, the people at Amazon (and more accurately Kindle Direct Publishing) have made the whole thing a lot easier than it used to be.

I chose 51 of my favorite blog posts, found a way to organize them into four sections, consulted with the wonderful Brian Sooy on how one goes about self-publishing, and voila (French for "I don't know how well this turned out, but here it is.")

This is a link to the Amazon page where you can purchase a copy of the book, which I have uncreatively titled "5 Kids, 1 Wife." You can also just go to Amazon and search for "5 Kids, 1 Wife." Searching for "Scott Tennant" is another possibility, though I should mention you're more likely to come across a series of classical guitar instruction books by a very talented musician with whom I share a name than you are to find my book.

However you get there, I appreciate your consideration.

The book costs $16. My original goal was a price of $10, but I opted for Amazon's Expanded Distribution program, which makes your book available to booksellers and libraries so they might purchase copies.

As a first-time author, I have no idea whether this program will be helpful for me. But then I remember something my son Jack recently said, which was, "Did you ever think you would write a book that someone could check out of a library?"

No, no, I didn't, but it sounds awfully cool.

Opting for Expanded Distribution raised the book's minimum price to $15.50. I rounded up to an even $16 and called it a day. The Kindle edition, should you be interested, is $8.

I make $3.42 on every paperback sold, so I am clearly not in this for the money. Heck, at the outset, I was trying to find a way to publish and distribute it for free to a select group of family and friends. Now I figure it won't hurt if I recoup at least some of the cash I sank into this project.

There is a detailed Acknowledgments page in the book, and I want to mention a few of those individuals here. In addition to thanking Terry, the kids, my extended family and the aforementioned Mr. Sooy, I also acknowledge:

• Callie Bumba, who was marvelous in designing the book's front and back covers
• Catherine Williams, a UK-based professional who expertly designed the book's interior
• Ron Kotar, a talented photographer who gave me permission to use a photo he took of Jack in the epilogue
• Everyone who has read this blog over the years and stuck with me through multiple stops and starts

If you decide to part with 16 bucks (or 8 bucks for the Kindle format) and purchase a copy for yourself, I thank you, too. Truly, thank you. You didn't have to do that, and my gratitude is immense.