So, the chapter I'm writing for the Uses of Blogs book is at the red pen stage. First draft finished this evening, and I've started scrawling all over it in, crossing bits, out, adding bits in, wondering what meds I must have been taking when I wrote that particular sentence. It needs a major rewrite before it's even close to being ready. Still, I have about 12 days before the deadline, so I'm not too worried at this point.
I should be doing ORG stuff now, though, but too tired. Instead, I'm sitting here listening to the omnipresent rumble of distant jets coming into Heathrow. They sound like the far away thunder of waves breaking on rocks. They have just the right sort of tone and frequency… ruuuuuUUUUUMMMMBBlllllleeeeeee … … … ruuuuuuUUUMMMMMBBBBllllllleeeeeeee … … …
If it weren't for the hum of the fridge, I could close my eyes and be there on the beach in Hawaii, hobbit at my feet, monster in jungle, skin cancer on the way. Wouldn't it be bliss to be lost for a while?
First draft of chapter complete
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Suw, some questions and some ideas: 1) How are you going to generate advance sales … would not your publisher be impressed if before the red pen is done they have already received x,xxx orders … presumably from blog readers, but verifying and justifying a larger than usual print run. 2) Are you looking for something as an unusual twist in the production of the book … like the first time a book was published at warp speed by putting it up on a wiki and opening up to the comments of the blogging community on each section? 3) What will be the pricepoint of the book when finished … say, 10 pounds? Why not open the wiki-commenting process only to those who pre-purchase a copy of the finished book, say at 8 or 9 pounds? The comments that come will be more valuable and the people who pay will send a surer message to the publisher of the interest of the audience. 4) The biggest problem that published authors have is that publishers don't get the books out where the buying public is. You will be going on the radio talk show circuit. This will cause hundreds of people in each city to come to book talks and signings held at bookstores. Yet when you appear for the booktalk and signing, the bookstore won't have copies of the book. Because the publisher won't have sent them. It is extremely frustrating. Take thought of how to assure that the publisher will be incented to have a ready supply of books available for purchase at each place you appear or visit or at the bookstores of the cities where you appear on talk shows. Don't be the typical author that doesn't work out a way to assure this and then has the frustrating experience over and over of showing up and finding there are buyers but no books. 5) Work out a deal with the publisher that you will act not only as author, but also as reseller. Get a commission for all the orders for copies that come through you. Then run a small promotion on chocnvodka from time to time. Try to keep order fulfillment elsewhere though, so you can use your time in the middle of the night working on ORG or writing the next book, rather than typing address labels and putting postage on book shipping sleeves. If needed, do it through Amazon and have them responsible for the pick, pack, and ship, and you be responsible only for sending the click-throughs from your site to theirs. 6) Have fun. On other things, as well as this. Being a successful published author is nice, but is only an activity in your polymath life. Like a bather wading out to sea, remember to enjoy it without getting swept away by it. Cheers.
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