News of my book, Look Me in the Eye

I have not been posting in the Land Rover forums as much because I'm still spending a lot of time writing. Those of you who read my magazine articles and the Rovers North News know I decided to write a book last year. I've finished the editing of Look Me In The Eye - and I'm hard at work on the second book.

Look Me In The Eye tells the story of my growing up with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism. Those of you who've met me and thought I was eccentric - that's partly the reason. I wrote the book last year, and sent it to publishers this January. I was shocked to find every major publishing house wanted to do the book, and I ended up giving it to Crown, one of the divisions of Random House, the world's largest publisher.

You can read about my early fascination with machines, my work in music (KISS, Pink Floyd, and others), my time as an engineer designing electronic games, and then, finally, starting Robison Service. I've got a web site with author information (it's new and incomplete so far) and a blog. You can find them at www.johnrobison.com

Look Me In The Eye is for sale on Amazon right now. If you pre-order you get 34% off on the hardcover 1st edition. The book will ship the last week of Septmeber. It will be on sale in stores everywhere in the US and Canada September 25th.

http://www.amazon.com/Look-Me-Eye-Life-Aspergers/dp/0307395987 [amazon.com]

For those of you in the British Isles, my book is being published by Ebury Press. I don't have a release date for you, but it should be this fall, and I plan to tour the British Isles late in 2007.

I am also being published Down Under, by Random House Australia. I will have news of translation editions for other countries later this summer.

So my book will be available over most of the English-speaking world this Christmas. The plan is for the book to be released in the USA September 25, then be released in England a few weeks later, and Australia a few weeks after that.

I will be doing a tour of the northern USA in October, followed by a UK tour. Then, during the winter, I'll be reading in bookstores in the southern USA.

I don't know how much the press will make of my Land Rover connection in the USA. I expect it'll be a bigger deal when I tour in England and Scotland later this winter.

I hope to see many of you on my tour. It's the first time I've left the shop for an extended period in 20 years. I've already gotten quite a few messages asking if I'll be here or there. I'm going to post dates on the web site as soon as I can set them, and I'll do my best to read wherever there's an audience.

My first book is not really about the car business or Land Rovers but it talks at length about my struggles to find my own way, and I did of course end up with Robison Service - a Land Rover shop.

The second book will talk at greater length about starting the car bisiness, and how I made it successful.

And for all of you within driving distance of Columbia County, New York. . . I will be at the car show for the Celebration of Celts ( www.celebrationofcelts.com ) next Saturday (1st Saturday in May) and I'll be reading from my book in the author's tent that afternoon.

Thanks for all of your support over the years.
_________________
John Robison
www.robisonservice.com