We had some excitement last night when “Listening To Dogs: How To Be Your Own Training Guru,” went up on Amazon by mistake. I announced this on Facebook and some of my faithful readers scrambled to download the book on their Kindles during the half-hour or so that it popped up on Amazon’s Kindle Page. As mysteriously as the book appeared, it disappeared. This is an important step for me. My first e-book original “The Story Of Rose,” was published by Random House last summer and made the New York Times Bestseller. Like “Listening To Dogs,” it sold for $2.99.

“Listening to Dogs,” which will be officially published next Tuesday, the 28th, is a different kind of book. I am publishing it with my agent, Christopher Schelling of Selectric Artists in New York. My next paper book, “The Second Chance Dog: A Love Story,” will be published by Random House this November. It is not clear where writing and publishing are going, but it is clear where I am going: forward. Sunday I’ll record a podcast about “Listening To Dogs,” and all next week I will talk about it on blog, on Facebook and other social media. I think this is a big part of the writer’s future, of my future. I don’t think paper books will disappear, but writers like me will have to create new platforms for our work – like this blog.

Creatively, “Listening To Dogs” is an important book for me, especially as it relates to dogs. It is an empowerment book urging those of use who love dogs to turn to ourselves – as I have done – rather than magical gurus for all of our training ideas philosophies. Just a few decades ago, people trained their own dogs and did well. Training can be simple, powerful, spiritual. Gurus do not know you, your dog, your family, your home and environment. You are the best trainer of your dogs, and you are free and you know your dog better than anyone. I talk in the book about some of the things I have done and others have done, and I review some of the most popular training books – like Cesar Milan’s.

I have had great luck with dogs, and many of you have followed that journey in words and photos. I’ve had great failures too, and failure is one of the best teachers if you learn from it, I have. So this weekend I hope to get some feedback from the people who got the book on Amazon and read it and next week I hope to help pave the way for my own writing future and that of others. This summer I’ll be publishing another e-book with Christopher, “Love And Light From Bedlam Farm,” some of the most colorful and hopefully inspiring photos I’ve published on the blog. Next will should be a fun ride. Come along.