The Writer's Life 4/23

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.

Thanks, folks.

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