Thursday, December 13, 2012

Seeing a First Copy of One of Your Books

The actual copy of my second book which I myself purchased this week.


                People have asked me what the most exciting part of seeing something you have written take shape and arrive in book form. For me, the most exciting part was perhaps not what you might think.  I was excited when I found "Rational Preparedness:A Primer to Preparedness" on Amazon.com  and then on Ebay, after its release in late October, 2012.   I was very excited when I found that it was for sale in a bookshop I shopped in when I was in England.
                The book "What I Learned from Daniel" was released a month later, at the end of November, 2012, and that has also been very exciting.  The Rational Preparedness book was sent to me as soon as it was available, but this has not been true with the "What I Learned from Daniel" book.   Friends of mine and people who read my blogs had ordered one, and they were reading it, but I had not yet held one in my hands !   I suspect that some of the printing had been delayed by the terrible storm "Sandy" which ravaged the East Coast.  I finally broke down and paid for a copy of the book myself, in advance of any promotional copies I might get later.


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               One of the greatest delights was opening the package from Amazon. I was buying my own book exactly the way others who will read my book are doing.  I held it and was surprised to see that it was as heavy as it is. The binding is solid. As I looked at it and read it, I was taken by the thought that this book is uniquely my own and my daughter's.  No other two people could have created this book, and without my writing and her pictures, it would not be the books that it is.  I think the greatest excitement in writing a book is seeing your own unique work take shape, become a genuine book, and then know that it can be found all over the world. Yes, I think it's a high even better than chocolate !




      

4 comments:

  1. All over the world and in a book shop in another country? WOW. How'd that happen? I thought we had to truck our books in to stores ourselves and beg them to place one on their shelves!

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    1. This depends entirely on the Contract you signed with your publisher. In tough economic times publishers may or may not broadly distribute books. In cooperative publishing, you largely arrange what is your hearts desire. I fell in to a particular publisher and their plans for distribution. I knew nothing about distribution and so I agreed to their plans. It turned out well because people from Poland to New Zealand, Russia to Argentina have all contacted me about one or both of the books. I have really enjoyed that part of it, and thinking that my mother would have been overjoyed with our British friends finding the books in their little bookshops.

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  2. I know mine will available with Amazon UK but not sure about other distribution. I do have to tell you I wasn't this anxious when I was carrying my daughter for the "big day" to arrive.

    I can say I'm very happy to have a copy of your book on my table.

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    1. Thank you Brigid, I plan to buy one of your also !
      I am still surprised as to distribution of the books even now. Lately, mine have been selling in Syria !
      This is indeed an exciting time. The best part of the process for me, is simply holding the final book. Oddly, the rest of the process was just work to me, including the paying tax on any income ! LOL
      I will need to call the attention of readers to your book when it's out.
      Best wishes,

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