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  I have had no reports as yet from Appleton on the sales of the book.  Perhaps they don't know too much about it themselves until they hear from the bookstores.  So I shall await the year's end statement and hope for the best - for on that statement hangs the question of whether or not I can proceed immediately to the next book.
   Henceforth, I am going to advise all young aspiring writers to learn a trade the first thing they do - even before they buy a typewriter or look for an agent;  and I shall add that a good AFL building trade in some area where there is bad weather six months of the year would be a good bet.  I learned a trade - after a fashion at least - railroading.  But it turns out