NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is catching a lot of flack for his premature disbanding of the Moreland Commission, which was created to investigate corruption. Pundits speculate that it was hitting too close to home. Silent for several days, Cuomo addressed the issue in a brief press conference, dubbing the endeavor “a phenomenal success.” He should have used “Mission Accomplished.” This may damage the liberal a bit, but it will not derail his re-election. Most New Yorkers prefer Socialism. Republican Rob Astorino is well-qualified, but I expect him to suffer the same fate as the equally qualified Joe Lhota, who was swamped in the NYC mayoral race by ardent leftist Bill DeBlasio.
The other day a customer recommended a self-publishing service, 48 Hours Press. Although I’ve never regretted self-publishing Close to the Edge, I vowed to never go that way again. Curious, and disappointed that I haven’t been able to arouse interest in my rock n roll epic, Rising Star, I visited the website. I’m impressed. Getting a quote was easy, and I was able to do it without submitting any personal information. I’ve always imagined RS as a mass market paperback. The cost of getting it into print in the 4.25 x 7 format is surprisingly low, $797, which includes the purchase of copies and shipping. I selected 75 copies, since 25 are free. I would need a cover, which is an additional $100, plus an ISBN number, which would be another $20. A proof copy is $40. So for $957, 100 copies would be available at the floating book shop. At ten bucks apiece, a small profit would be realized -- if people would be willing to pay ten for a standard paperback. The book would also be available at the website, but not at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and such. I’m tempted, but I remind myself that it can be made available at no cost on Kindle. Until I’ve exhausted all possibilities, Rising Star will remain unavailable to the public.
According to an article in the NY Post, since 2008 European governments have paid al Qaeda 125 million in ransoms, 66 million alone the past year. Kidnapping covers half the operating revenue of the terrorist organization.
Here’s a positive note on Muslims. An article at Yahoo Sports profiles Ameer Abdullah, the ninth sibling in his family scheduled to graduate college. He gained more than 1000 yards in each of the last two seasons at Nebraska. He was selected to address the annual Big Ten luncheon. Asked about the current controversy about the alleged exploitation of athletes by colleges, he said getting a degree is like “hitting the educational lottery.” Kudos, young man.
My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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