It's not just about podcasting... it's not just about blogging... its not just about getting into print... It's about Publishing.

In all the excitement over new and different modes of publishing, it's really easy to get caught up in the thrill of discovering new technology, exploring new mechanisms and gadgets, and finding out how far you can push a machine to do what you want.

But in the thrill of it all, I think we tend to lose sight of why we're doing all this mechanizing -- to make it easier to do our jobs and to make it quicker, more efficient, and produce a more attractive product.

That's why I use computers -- not for the sake of computing, but for the sake of publishing. Of getting things done.

And as the world around me shifts and moves toward ever-increasingly levels of complexity and complication (much of it unwarranted, I believe), I find myself increasingly drawn back to the act of creating, rather than wrangling with the tools of creation.

Some days, I'd rather pick up a pen and write on paper, than type into a PDA or a humming box. Some days, I'd rather not actively create anything at all, but just BE. Just be.

There's something to be said for that.

But for today, that's not where I am. Today, I'm in creating mode, and I'm in the mood to put stuff out there, in all forms. I've gotten past the idea of having to be DONE with Fuel, in order to create the virtual book tour -- my plan now, is to not rush the print edits, but focus on the virtual book tour and writing the documentation for how others can create their own book tours, and give folks the option of pre-ordering a signed copy of Fuel. This will give me more time to just focus in on the text edits, when the rush-rush aspects of the technical documentation are over. Doing the documentation and creating the podcasts infuses the process with a certain kinetic energy, which is a bit disruptive to my print edit process.

What's more, getting the VBT documentation out there will enable me to flesh out my technical writing resume, and it will give me something recent, something tangible, to take with me out in to the tech writing contract world. I need a current technical book I've written, to demonstrate my abilities. It's all very well and good for me to say, "Oh, I'm wonderful! I do great work! Take my word for it!" But if I were hiring me, I'd want recent proof that it's all true.

Nothing like having a tangible item in your hot little hands, to make your case.

And of course, let's not forget Podtopia.net, the podcasting platform I've created. I need concrete examples of what podcasting is good for, and the VBT is just the thing to demonstrate. Again, it's all very well and good, if I tell folks, "Podcasting is great! It's the wave of the future!" But if I can give them a concrete demonstration of podcasting (and virtual book tours) in action, all the better. A podcast is worth a thousand words.

So, the main priority at this point, is to get the VBT documentation nailed down -- as much for propelling Podtopia.net and my tech writing endeavors forward, as for putting "Fuel" out there. That's the beauty of this PEAPOD Mix -- it's all connected, and each aspect plays off the others.

After all, it's not just about creating and deploying audio. It's not just about creating a printed product. It's not just about creating buzz. It's about publishing. It's about just getting out there -- in as many different ways as possible.