First Novel: New, scary for me....

[Evan Kubota]

"Reading paperbacks is an experience of texture as well as text, I have found."

Definitely, but IMO the demographic that sees this book advertised online, not in traditional print media, is going to be skewed towards e-book consumers. Of course, I personally don't like them, and there are all kinds of security issues. You can pretty much guarantee that if it's popular it will become available for free.

[MovieStuff]

IMO the demographic that sees this book advertised online, not in traditional print media, is going to be skewed towards e-book consumers. Of course, I personally don't like them...

I've pretty much come the conclusion that hardly anybody likes them, actually. I certainly don't. They do work for some books, particularly ones with lots of color photos, which might be too expensive to print otherwise. But paperbacks are portable and cheap and I think that people prefer them that way. Thanks for the suggestion, though. As I say, I'll probably offer an ebook of some kind.

Roger

[Actor]

Why not sell an etext for $10 or so? That would be much easier than actually printing it, and cheaper and better for the environment... I think your main webpage gets quite a few hits.

Some people like e-books and some don't but I'll probably have an e-book for about half that price. Reading paperbacks is an experience of texture as well as text, I have found.

Roger

I'd worry about unauthorized copies of e-books. It's just too easy to make a copy. Even with OCR, copying a paper book is a real pain. You have to scan each page and then make corrections since the OCR never gets it right. Not that the required effort would stop a determined thief of intellectual property buy why make it easy for the casual thief?

[Scotness]

Hey well done Roger - I'll buy a copy too - it's a great way round the funding issue and I've often thought of writing my stories as novels instead (may still happen one day!).

I self published a poetry book about 7 years ago - I did 70 copies - don't know how many I sold - maybe 10 or 15 - the rest were gifts and giveaways to family and friends. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, but being a poetry book the actual printing was not expected to be nearly as stringent or standardised as a novel. Basically I did it myself - laser copied the pages - printed the covers on my printer - then glued and bound the book myself and got the edges guillotined. I've got about 2 copies left - there's a few in legal deposit (National Library etc) and once when I went overseas I strategically left a few in interesting places - Dubai, Brunei, London - who knows what was made of it by whoever found them!

Just by coincidence a friend emailed me yesterday to tell me his first book isbeing ePublished - don't know too many of the details yet but I think it's through this organisation: http://www.aetherbooks.com/

best of luck with it

Scot

[Scotness]

I figure I have more of a chance getting someone in Hollywood to notice the success of my book as an indepent than my screenplay in a stack of a thousand just like it. We'll see if that's a good strategy or not.

Roger

If it doesn't pay off - promise us you'll shoot it yourself in Super 8 8O :lol:


Scot

[MovieStuff]

Hey well done Roger - I'll buy a copy too

Okay. That's three or four copies sold!

- it's a great way round the funding issue and I've often thought of writing my stories as novels instead (may still happen one day!).

I self published a poetry book about 7 years ago...... when I went overseas I strategically left a few in interesting places - Dubai, Brunei, London - who knows what was made of it by whoever found them!

I've done the same thing. When I did a short run of about 20 paperbacks, each Christmas, I would casually leave one in the "Bargain Bin" at the local B-Dalton and Waldenbooks locations. No price on them and no way anyone could actually purchase it but thought it fun to see what the reaction would be.

Also, my book is a bit of a Trojan Horse. While it seems you need to be represented by an established entertainment lawyer with connections to get your screenplay or typed manuscript read by people like Spielberg, Howard or whoever, it's my understanding they also have employees that do nothing but read stacks of paperbacks and best sellers looking for source material for films. I figure if I anonymously send my finished paperback to them, it will make it past the door more easily. After all, it's already a book, right? Therefore I must be represented by someone? It will get added to the group and eventually read. If they like it and want to do something with it, the fact that I'm not represented by anyone with connections will be academic at that point. (Unless they read this forum, in which case I just blew my cover. Oh no!)

Because a finished, printed book is harder to produce than a typed manuscript, I just figure that they are reading far fewer books than they are scripts, so the odds are better. Also, if I can build a public following for the book, then that works in my favor better than if I just submitted an obscure screenplay. So I see the book as a kind of literary "demo reel". Even if this book doesn't get produced as a film, perhaps someone at a level of importance will talk to me about my other film ideas.

Here's hopin'! 8)

Roger

[timdrage]

films. I figure if I anonymously send my finished paperback to them, it will make it past the door more easily. After all, it's already a book, right?

Definitely sounds like a good plan!!

No offense, but I think it might be an idea for you to find a graphic designer to come up with a more professional-looking cover... The one you've done is not bad in itself but I think you could find maybe a graphics student or upcoming designer who could come up with a really slick cover fairly cheaply. This would definitely help give you the edge, make it look less self-published. After all, no-one pays any attention to that old proverb about judging books!

I hope lulu.com do some day find a way to economically print proper paperback sized-books... I love the idea of being able to print a book with no setup costs, I have various silly ideas for projects that would be ideal for this but not worth investing much money in!


Anyway, good luck with it, both as a book and a potential film!

[MovieStuff]

No offense, but I think it might be an idea for you to find a graphic designer to come up with a more professional-looking cover...

I am a professional artist and graphic designer and have been for years.

After all, no-one pays any attention to that old proverb about judging books!

I appreciate your input but, actually, I get constant compliments on the cover from most everyone that sees it so I am not inclined to change it. It has the exact look I intended. ;)

Anyway, good luck with it, both as a book and a potential film!

Thanks!

Roger

[clivetobin]

.... I'd be interested in reading anything else you've done....

Well, if you're a glutton for punishment, about all that is available online is my collection of essays and instruction manuals for the stuff we make, on the website.

I did edit (AKA write) 47 issues of the Alpha Viewfinder for Alpha Cine Lab between 1970 and 1983, composed of tutorials, announcements, product reviews and general propaganda. I doubt if it is posted on their website; their website doesn't even have prices on it the last I looked.

I did have a paper published in the SMPTE Journal on improving optical tracks. I presented another joint paper on "Improvisation in the Smaller Motion Picture Laboratory" which was not printed.

My 15 minutes of fame was a segment on the old Sightings series, where I was taped demonstrating the pattern of the edge number light in a B&H 16mm C Printer, relative to the Santilli debacle. One of the more esoteric things ever shown on national TV I think.

[MovieStuff]

My 15 minutes of fame was a segment on the old Sightings series, where I was taped demonstrating the pattern of the edge number light in a B&H 16mm C Printer, relative to the Santilli debacle. One of the more esoteric things ever shown on national TV I think.

Are you still with MUFON?

Roger

[Alex_W]

it's amazing that you've been able to pull this of, although the story's not for me. I hope it gets you on Oprah so you'll be able to film it big time

[timdrage]

I am a professional artist and graphic designer and have been for years.

Ha, OK, sorry! :oops:

It has the exact look I intended. ;)

Fair enough!

[npcoombs]

Hmm... The plot seems to embody all the most absurd, paranoid tendencies (scary terrorists from the South!) in US popular culture. I presume this is a spoof or at least a self-conscious piece of pulp fiction. If so the cover make sense, if not....

[MovieStuff]

I am a professional artist and graphic designer and have been for years.

Ha, OK, sorry! :oops:

Oh, I'm much too thick skinned to be offended, Tim. You can't work as a professional artist for 30+ years and be gun-shy.

It has the exact look I intended. ;)

Fair enough!

There has never been a piece of commercial art that everyone likes universally so I just go with what pleases me, which is why I am bypassing the typical publisher route. The cover represents the tone of the book and that's all that matters to me. When you see the final cover actually wrapping the book, it has a different feel to it than just seeing it as a stand-alone JPEG.

The plot seems to embody all the most absurd, paranoid tendencies (scary terrorists from the South!) in US popular culture.

Then it has "best seller" written all over it. ;)

I presume this is a spoof or at least a self-conscious piece of pulp fiction. If so the cover make sense, if not....

I think the cover is representative of the content. I'm a big fan of Clive Cussler (did I spell that right?) This isn't a spoof but certainly hi-tech adventure and the characters have a good time, when their lives aren't in danger. It's a fun book, I've been told.

Roger

[mathis]

I am a professional artist and graphic designer and have been for years.

Ha, OK, sorry! :oops:

It has the exact look I intended. ;)

Fair enough!

Reading that you´re from the UK I assume you are not that familiar to American bookcover designs. Rogers design is definitely not my taste either but imagining in an American bookstore I guess it fits just right.