Everything in the world exists to end up in a book.
Hosea Ballou
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Hello Stuart
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Now don't get me wrong. I like books. No, I love books. I own a lot of books on many subjects and I read from some of them everyday. I want to read them all and buy some more. I'm currently into authors such as Nietzsche, Dickens, Durrell, George Washington, Plato, Shakespeare and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
What makes me wonder is how some books get published and how some don't. Dickens and Dostoyevski had trouble publishing their novels at first, but simple romance novels with no particular message will roll off the presses in surprising numbers.
And the world of non fiction is even stranger. People not only write but publish books that say things like "The Deployment of Mules During the Crimean War" or "How To Use the Torque Converter in Manufacturing Wheel Chairs" or "The Most Effective Use of Amber Gels in Footlights" and, Wham!, the book hits the shelves.
Here I've written two novels and a bunch of short stories, but none of them are in print. I'm thinking of writing a cook book called "Recipes From The Ghetto." It will probably sell like hot cakes (or cold cakes, in that case).
I recently donated a book to the local library on human and animal anatomy for the artist. I was almost embarrassed to give it to them, it's such a third rate book. However did it get published? I have other books on the same subject which are 10 times better than that one. And to think I actually paid money for it.
So if you want to be published write a book on the history of street lights in your town, or how to build a spinning wheel, or the evolution of the buggy whip, and you're sure to be published. Some agent will pick it up and sell it to a publisher and you'll all get rich.
A band leader once said that no matter what tune you play someone will come out to dance. I guess it's a question of where I play my tunes.
DB - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
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4 comments:
I think one must cater to current trends, D.B.. Adding "...For Vampires" to any title --even The Boy Scout Handbook or The State Penal Code-- will increase sales right now.
"Recipes From the Ghetto" sounds intriguing and I'll buy the first copy.
I've worked with many editors in my time and unfortunately some of them are idiots. That's why I have been published........
There are self-publishing websites. You should investigate and I am sure we could find some "investors" to make it a reality. I think an e-book coming out in chapters like your blog, at a cost of $0.99 per episode would be doable.
Paperback romance novels are huge money makers for publishers and money is a very motivating factor for them. A mention on Oprah's Book List turned some unknown authors into the millionaire stratosphere. Many books are written as reference books and they do not hold all that much interest to the general public. Just never know what topic could catch a reader's attention. I think publishers take chances on books that they feel could make their company a lot of money. It costs them money to publish a book and they need to recoup their investment. I think you need to find a publisher that feels that way about your books and I don't think you have met the right person yet. However, as your handle says "never give up".
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