Hi folks,

I snapped this candid image of my last publisher (in his company's men's room) with my cell phone camera as I was on my way out of there for the last time. An extreme example of the HUYA! (Head Up Your Ass) Syndrome.

As many of you know: Through telling the truth and through outing HUYA Syndrome sufferers I’m a persona non grata in mainstream publishing (including the magazine end of it, due to the Men’s Journal fiasco); ditto the movie biz (in spades, due to the Sean Penn fiasco).

I then inflicted my own coup de grace by publishing Can’t You Get Along With Anyone?

This is all okay, however. I don’t want to work for any of those guys anyway. I’d rather work for you.

Meaning I want to work full time on this newsletter.

Problem is, the need to make a living rears. My books have settled down to mid list, i.e., not much income, while expenses (like my recent medical catastrophe) have risen; plus I have this documentary film I’m driven to finish. What to do?

An obvious possibility is I could charge for the DSP newsletter (plus access to new site additions).

Please hang in with me for a bit; I’ve put a lot of thought into this; what works for me and what might work for you.

I’ve settled on $15 a month.

For the first payment you’d get a copy of Can’t You Get Along With Anyone? A Writer’s Memoir and a Tale of a Lost Surfer’s Paradise. And hey, I’ll pay the shipping and handling. Right. Fifteen bucks total.

The $15 is way below any price you can get anywhere (click here to check the Amazon price and maybe peek at those reader reviews) -- paperback price for a big beauty of a hardcover.

Already read the book? Christmas is coming; we all have readers in our lives.

I’ll also send you a DVD of Zen & Zero, the multi award-winning surf adventure flick featuring yours truly (Amazon price $25).

You would have a month to decide whether you want to hang in with the $15 monthly payments. If you opt out during this time, that’s it, we’re cool, you spend no more and I have no complaints. So aside from getting $50 worth of stuff for $15, you’d have a month to decide if this would be worth it. (And you can opt out any time after that.)

I’ll now list some factors and offerings that I think make the deal worthwhile.

1. Frequency. Rather than (about) once a month, you’ll see me in your Inbox twice a week; Wednesdays and Sundays sound good.

2. I’d move back down south (where I belong) – Mexico, since CR is a no-no -- and base myself there. (In case you don’t know, I’ve been in goddamn New York for six months.)

Aside from making my ‘Down South Perspective’ live up to its name, this would mean that I’d get seriously back into the subjects of surfing and the expat life, which many of you have… demanded is the word that comes to mind. (I haven’t been writing about The Life because I haven’t been living it.)

Maybe it’ll turn out better this time…

What I’m proposing, I think, is a continuing memoir of my life in Para… hold on… whoa… remember how it went the last time I started a memoir about my life in Paradise? A hint: It made my forehead bleed.

3. I will also have stuff to say about world affairs and will not ease up in fear of losing subscribers; I’ll call it as I see it (and back up my observations, as I have been); I’ll continue to blurt any doubts I may have regarding our new president. (One of my worries about Obama is that the mainstream media is so ga-ga in love with the guy; a bad sign.)

I’ll be the balance that is in order. I’ll play devil’s advocate, be your media watchdog. In fact, here's an example:

Hey, I wanna like the guy too

In his first press conference as president elect, Obama was asked a straightforward question: Can the wealthy expect to pay higher taxes in ’09? The questioner was in effect asking if Obama intends to make good on one of his campaign promises.

Obama’s answer: “My tax plan represents a net tax cut for lower income… etc.” He went on about his tax plan but did not mention the wealthy nor how they’d be taxed. Click here and slide the button over to 17:38.

He’s a good speaker, isn’t he? Be nice if he answered the question though, wouldn’t it?

Possible subtext: He does not plan to fulfill his promise to raise taxes on the wealthy. (I’ve tried to think of another reason he would evade the question, but came up empty. Keep in mind that he’s already been elected. No need to try to please rich voters, or any voters.)

More possible subtext: His evasion of a simple question means Obama is a typical politician, unlikely to affect real change. That many people perceive him as special, as some sort of politico messiahmakes for a dangerous situation in these dangerous times.

Most people do not have the time to properly keep abreast of what’s really going on in world affairs (the bastids count on this), and the mainstream media has no intention of informing you. I’ll do my best to be your watchdog in these dangerous times.

Remember my review of The Vagina Monologues? There’d be more stuff like that too.

4. Some of you will be pleased to know that I’d get back into photography (at a cost of about $5k for new equipment). I’d share my selects with you.

In fact, my proposed continuing real time memoir would be multi-media in execution:

Prose   If you’ve read In Search of Captain Zero or Can’t You Get Along With Anyone?, the voice/style would be more of that sort than my typical DSP.

Photography   I’ve always wanted to actively combine writing and photography. This is my shot.

Filmmaking   As I’ve mentioned, I’m working on a documentary film – a ‘visual memoir’ is how I think of it. You’d get to see it in the making, along with some mini-films I have in mind. (Your financial backing would be a huge help in getting it done properly.)

Podcasts    I’m not sure how this will work, but when I figure I can best make my point through the spoken word, I’ll do it that way; I may even subject you to my mug as I ramble on.

My goal will continue to be to entertain and to inspire.

5. Although I don’t much care for rules, I do approve of a thoughtful structure in storytelling. Most DSPs will be structured as follows:

A bit of memoiring. If I can’t come up with something that passes muster, I’ll stick something else worthwhile up front. Maybe something from my archives. I’ve looked it over; a lot of it is surfy and a lot of it is pretty damn good if I do say so.

Something on world affairs. ‘Orwell as Optimist’ kind of stuff. The above on our prez-elect is a minor example.

‘Four Good Links’ will follow, with a short description of each so you can skip anything that sounds iffy or annoying. I will try for variety here; something for everyone. When in doubt, humor will get the nod.

(I have a handful of people I’ve never met yet I cherish: they send me great links. I’d hope more of you will surface. But the point being: No matter how much I knock you out with my stuff, the ‘Four Good Links’ offering may turn out to be worth the bucks on its own.)

6. I want to start a ‘community’ with this project; I want your participation. There will be a venue for comments, gripes, whatever.  As those of you who have emailed me know, I try to answer all personal messages, even the insults. I’ll take even more time with that.

If I’m getting paid, I’ll try harder

7. There will be guest writers/photographers/artists.

8. We’ll have a Member’s Site that will organize the DSP archives.

Internet attention spans being what they are, I’ll try to keep the length down; my twice weekly posts will average a bit shorter than this message. However, when I’m so moved, I’ll pull out the stops and offer a full blown essay -- my ‘Near Death’ piece and it’s follow up, my Black Plague flight of fancy, being examples. (Regarding near death stuff, I would try to contact you no matter where I am, if you get my drift. I mean, for 15 bucks you might end up with some pretty important information.)

I’m thinking you can’t really lose here, what with the book price, the free DVD, and the opt-out clause.

If you figure you’ll go for this, what I need right now is for you to send me an email with ‘Count me in’ in the subject box. We’d start a couple of weeks down the road, after I’ve decided that interest is great enough to allow me to work full time on entertaining and enlightening you. (Your email is not a formal commitment.)

Whaddya say?

Allan