So here we are. Over two years in the making of the first of a trilogy of books detailing the adventures on the open road. There's no doubt that this is a very personal book for me. Publishers seldom care about how personal a book is. Money is the bottom line. I can respect that. The hassle to get a book published is more of an endeavor. The writing was hard enough. Working through the publishing is worse.
Here is the scenario. Spend a few hundred dollars and two months to find the magic formula for pitching the book. Then spend another six months four hours a day to find an agent that will take me on. Take out the checkbook and spend a few grand (at least) to convince the agent that the book is worth the effort of publishing. Then wait out the six months to nine months for the agent to find a publisher to take on the project. Now if this all goes well the book will be on book shelves in about a year and a half to two years. With me so far?
Now here comes the real rub. Any money collected as an advance is expected to be spent to promote the book. That's right....promote the book on my own nickle. This is the part where I would actually loose money. Now the book comes out. For each copy sold the average compensation is for the size of book I have written is around....ready for this? A whopping dollar.
Call me silly and slap me unconscious yet this seems way out of whack. But wait....here's the best part. I would give up all rights to publishing. So any future printings would be at the discretion of the publisher. In plain English....I just lost my book. How do I say nicely? There is no way.
Now we fast forward. I will undertake this little project on my own nickle. That way I retain rights and have much more control. The book will still be in the stores. And in an average of 3-4 months. That being said I will need to lay out some serious cash. Know this.....if the book was average, crap or not that good. I would stop now. It is not. For me to say this about the book is not easy. I am my own worst critic. Just ask my muse J.M. I have sent the book and samples to people that I know to read. They all laugh and sometimes cry from laughing so hard. This book is not like anything I have seen. Why? It is filled with true encounters. Encounters with locals like Three Knuckle Harry, Two Pistol Hank, Mad Dog, Betsy Sue and Hilda Hae but to mention a few. And let us not forget Brutus and the Silver Dollar Cafe'.
Having spanned over two decades on the road I have hit some unusual people places and encounters. Handcuffed to the floorboard of the Marshall's cruiser in North Dakota, standing down a 6' 3" hillbilly with a .10 gauge along the banks of the Ohio River near a town named Round Bottom. A pack of mean, nasty and despicable patched bikers with a man named Izzy ready to rip me into pieces. Saloons like the Ice House, Slaughter House Saloon, the Rusty Dog Saloon and my all time favorite....the Sledgehammer Saloon.
This story must be told. For it is a tale of stupidity vs. common logic. Not so much a conflict of right and wrong......more of a battle of wits.
Far all of those in my corner hang in there. The book will be out soon. And it will be available both in some bookstores and on my web site. Look forward to more updates.
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