Personal Development;Life Enhancement;Achievement
Posts tagged Books
Is Self-Publishing a Wise Choice?
Feb 5th
“Patience is also a form of action”. ~Auguste Rodin
Last time I talked about some of the things that I would not be getting by self-publishing my first book. Now let’s start talking about the rewards of self-publishing.
Rewards of Self-Publishing
- I have much more control of the entire process. My choice of proofreaders, editors, cover design and designers, who gets contacted for peer reviews and many other choices; I get to make these decisions. (There is opportunity and peril here. If I make poor choices here, I am not going to get good results.)
- I learn the book business. I intend to be a successful published author and publish many books. I certainly have the material for many books. I believe that the sooner I learn the process of publishing, the better off I will ultimately be.
- I intend to be a successful published author. (Yes, I said it again…I know.) My research indicates that more than 90% of the first time non-fiction authors, published traditionally or self-published, never make any significant amount of money from their writing efforts. My research also indicates that something in the neighborhood of 90% of the first time non-fiction writers never get a second book published. These seem like very bad odds to me and I wanted a way to stack the deck in my favor.
Next time I will explore in more detail how self-publishing, done properly, can hopefully stack the deck wonderfully in my favor – and yours too.
Till next time faithful reader…Jack
“Patience is the companion of wisdom”. ~St. Augustine
Charles Dickens and Groundhog Day
Feb 2nd
“Groundhog Day is a lot like a rock concert but the people are better behaved and there’s a groundhog involved…” ~Tom Chapin, editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper.
… As an aside, it is Groundhog Day in the United States while I am writing this entry. Although I am not sure that “Punxsutawney Phil” is any better at weather forecasting than me, and I am not very good; I do love the concept! The cute little devil did see his shadow today and has forecast 6 more weeks of winter. Not a shocker – this winter does not seem to want to let go. …
Last time I talked about my first book and its upcoming release in November of 2010. I also mentioned that my decision to self-publish this first book was influenced by my research into the life of Charles Dickens. Here is a bit more about that story:
I recently read “The Making of Charles Dickens” by Christopher Hibbert and I really enjoyed the experience! I not only discovered a new author whose style I liked, but a prolific author as well. This means I have lots of great books waiting for me to find and read. I also got some great insights into what might have helped Charles Dickens be the incredible novelist that he was. (Did you know that he is one of the very few authors that has never gone out of print? And this, as I write this entry, some 140 years after his death? Wow!)
I am always looking for the “secrets of success” or the unique beliefs that help exceptional people be exceptional. Here are some of the secrets that I extracted from my recent study of “Boz”:
1) Being extremely focused on the task at hand – fiercely determined to get it right – is a key to success in writing (and any other aspect of living.)
2) It is okay to be afraid about the reception your writing will receive – as long as you are brave enough to get it out to the public to read.
3) Believe in the value of your writing, even if others at first do not share your enthusiasm.
4) Write about what you know intimately well and share the clarity of your vision.
5) Don’t be afraid to ask what you think your writing is worth.
6) You can do more than you think you can.
7) It is fine to use newest technology to publish your books. (Dickens commonly used magazines and serial releases of chapters – then he sold the books as completed documents. This was pretty cutting edge stuff for the day.) This final point is the one that swayed me to the side of self-publishing.
Next time I’ll be talking about the complete set of reasons why I decided to self-publish this first book and what the implications might be for you and me.
Till next time faithful reader…Jack
“I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time”. ~Charles Dickens from his novel “David Copperfield”
Libraries Are Your Friends
Jul 7th
“Nutrimentum spiritus (food for the soul).” ~Inscription at The Berlin Royal Library
When was the last time that you went to a library? If it has been awhile treat yourself and go browsing. I went to the library tonight and I had a wonderful time. I have loved libraries since I was a little boy – they have always seemed magical to me. I can remember every library I have ever been inside and I have been inside a great many over the years. One of the first places I go when I visit a new city is the public library. I get a feel for the city just from looking at the layout of the library and the books in the recently returned bins.
When I was in 3rd or perhaps 4th grade, I believed, for a short time, that I could read every book that had ever been written. My local library at that time was fairly small and I had just discovered that I had the gift of very rapid reading. I could easily read a book in those days, a book years above my age grading, in an evening. I read history, math, science; really anything except girl directed romances were of interest to me. (Romance novels still frighten me today. I believe merely being in the presence of these “Bodice Rippers” can cause a dangerous loss in my life force!) So, I made an estimation of how many shelves were in the library. Then I estimated how many books were on each shelf – multiplied to get the total number of books and divided by the number of days I estimated that I would live. This was going to be easy! I only had to read 4 books a week and I would have in my brain the sum of all human knowledge! I was so excited! I remembered that excitement tonight, that excitement of the much younger Jack, as I walked thru the stacks of books at the main Des Moines public library – and I smiled.
I never will read every book that is written. Turns out that many new books are published each and every year – more new books every year than I could read in a lifetime. It also turns out that my early library did not have all of the books that existed at that time. So, with regret, I had to give up the goal of reading every book ever written – the math just did not work out.
Still, I read and that has made all of the difference for me and it can for you as well. Read 3 books on just one subject and you will know more that virtually anyone that you are likely to meet about that topic. Read a dozen books on a subject and you are a multi-state master. Read 30 or more and there will be just a few people in the world that know more about a subject than you. Now I do not believe that knowledge is power – but combine knowledge with focused action – now things get really exciting. And I want you to experience that excitement!
Till next time…Jack
“Libraries: The medicine chest of the soul.” ~Inscription over the door at The Library at Thebes, Greece
The List of Books Begins
Jan 28th
“A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man’s mind can get both provocation and privacy.” ~Edward P. Morgan
I was reading last night, online, about the musical group Simon and Garfunkel. This is one of my favorite groups from the 1960s and I wanted to find out what had been going on with Art Garfunkel. I was interested to read that he keeps track on his public website of all of the books that he has read in the last 30 or so years. What a hoot! Since I am also an avid reader, I decided to do the same thing. Since topic space is at a premium on my blog and website, I decided to post this running log of what I read at the bottom of my “About Jack” page. I think this will be fun! I may be a bit embarrassed to publicly reveal how much fiction I read, but perhaps that is good as well! Go check it out.
Till next time…Jack
“Many persons read and like fiction. It does not tax the intelligence and the intelligence of most of us can so ill afford taxation that we rightly welcome any reading matter which avoids this.” ~Rose Macaulay