[Leica] Have you all read peter miller's book? NOW: SELF PUBLISHING

[arthur.peterson at navy.mil (Peterson, Arthur G CIV SEA 02)]

Great post, Ted!  Entertainingly written, but what's more, for anyone 
seriously considering self-publishing, your words of wisdom should be 
absolutely invaluable!

Art Peterson
Alexandria, Virginia


-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+arthur.peterson=navy.mil@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+arthur.peterson=navy.mil@leica-users.org]On Behalf
Of Ted Grant
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2005 20:10
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: [Leica] Have you all read peter miller's book? NOW: SELF PUBLISHING

ernie nitka said:
Subject: Re:

> Speaking about books - those of us ( me ) with no talent are planning on 
> 'doing' a book for 2006.<<<<<<<<<

Hi Ernie,
Some thoughts before you start. :-)

"Doing a book and selling a book"  is a major difference, actually it's 
beyond scary when you consider publishing it yourself. Worse? Taking them to 
book stores to be sold. And if you should complete it, as I'm sure you will, 
you'll have many sleepless nights and horrible nightmares when a book 
reviewer sans any photographic skills, takes it apart page by page making it 
sound like it's truly a work of misplaced crap images. Then asks if you've 
ever taken any real pictures? :-(

At that point you'll want to find out how long it takes him to stop kicking 
while you hold him head down in the North Sea which of course maybe quite 
satisfying to you. :-) But it sort of gets the "police officers a tad 
upset!" :-)

However, your next book may have bars across the window as the cover. :-)

>>>Anyway I'm hoping to use
> Lulu.com to self publish.  I've done calendars with them but now it's time 
> to step up to the big league ( both in terms of
> product and ego I guess).  Anyone on the list use Lulu for book 
> publishing?<<<<

Your biggest problem is marketing and distribution, trust me, you do not 
want to get into that, period! As it takes 99.9999999% of your time, great 
piles of money, media connections beyond your wildest thoughts and "do you 
really want to drive around the country to every little and big book store 
trying to sell a few copies here and there?" Certainly on the normal book 
sellers rules of...... "if they don't sell within a certain time the store 
can ship them back to you for full refund  for what they paid you for them 
in the first place!"

 Now does any of that warm the cockles of yer heart about publishing your 
own book?? :-(

Maybe you've been published and know all this, but if you haven't, then make 
sure you know all the horror stories and pit falls of economic disaster 
before you load the cameras.

Whatever your subject, it maybe of huge interest to you and a few followers, 
but to the rest of the world it means giddily squat and of no interest, 
ERGO: No sales beyond the few friends who feel sorry for you and all the 
work you put into it.

These are just a few heads-up before you get burnt.

By the same token many have had tremendous success on their own, but usually 
the subject is sex, money and politics! ;-) Which in any form sells 
extremely well. With pictures? Mon ami they deliver money in very big bags! 
;-)

ted 



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