Jon has been visiting the floating bookshop since it became a daily occurrence at the end of 2007. He has been kind enough to purchase
Close to the Edge and
Killing. He is a retired English teacher who self-published two novels years ago through a printer. It was a disappointing and costly experience. He has picked my brain about doing books digitally. I suggested he try Kindle, which does not entail a fee. He wasn't satisfied with it, so he took his latest manuscript to Book Locker. He paid a considerable fee to have it put into print. I did not ask how much, but I would guess, including copies he purchased, it's in the range of $2000. That may seem like a lot, but spread out over time it's really a paltry sum, as it provides a sense of adventure - as long as the endeavor is kept in proper perspective. The chances of it, or any self-published book, breaking out are slim. There are eight million books available at Amazon. I hope he realizes this and doesn't let a lack of sales embitter him. The novel is off to a good start, as its ranking is 375,000th. It will be even higher, as I just ordered a copy, using gift certificate money I've amassed through survey sites. Best of luck, Jon, or should I say Ole Romer? Can't wait to read it.
Here's the cover, done by his niece:
More info here:
http://tinyurl.com/7rdlwxm
The floating bookshop went to Plan B today. The forecast said showers. The sky was threatening. The car and three crates full of books was parked halfway down the block. It would have been too much of a hassle if it started raining, so I went all Russian, bringing a box out from the closet, in which a lucky 13 books were left. I sold six of them, including two translations of Robert Heinlein, one of the most successful sci-fi writers of all-time, purchased by Mr. Almost, whose name I finally remembered to ask - Michael or
Mikhail.
Spasibo, folks.
Read Vic's stories, free:
http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
No comments:
Post a Comment