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New Ways of Distribution
From what I'm reading in here and at other sites, Distribution is the key to this new way of doing things. We've been in DC for a visit to my daughter & her fiancé and we've been visiting bookstores, talking with sellers and some buyers. The impact is intense and leads me to believe that this wave of POD publication is the wave of the future.
So, the question is, how do we find a way to let the readers know where we are and what we do? I certainly see how we can do all the intellectual work - thinking about where we may post links to our books, sending out notices to Bloggers, posting to blogs about our work.
But my mind keeps going back to getting the physical books to the buyer. Even postal rates are rising in cost, entire communities where I come from are seeing paper mills close down, and the cost of paper rising.
I don't have the answers - but do know that all writers and readers have an alliance that engirdles the earth - and that, somehow, our natural connection is the key to this. We may all act as agents for one another.
My mind returns to earlier times, and how halls would be packed for lectures in Newfoundland in the 1800s & early 1900s. People were poor and the lure of free entertainment or very inexpensive talks drew overflow crowds. The lectures dealt, for the main part, with emerging scientific discoveries, and this was the only way that people had easy access to information. But it was also a way of having community - the people who gathered for the talks, stayed on to talk themselves; to converse about life and what was happening in their world. I sense that approaches usually seen in community activities may be the key to what we've done. The myth of the lonely writer, off to the margins, suffering greatly, and seeking mega-fame or fortune is just that - a myth.
Usually writers' groups get taken over by the ‘professional’ writer - by the Arts business. But I wonder about an alliance forming naturally, in evolutionary fashion. As one practical example I see a site such as this one & muse about the way that it already is a community; we simply are unable to see it because of empire-issued eyeglasses. We've been trained to think of ourselves as individuals first, as people who enter the realm of 'communication' only in order to ‘do’ or ‘get’ something.
I now see that way of thought as an acculturated overlay - a sort of exoskeleton of thought. It serves the commerce of Empires. After all, if we are, indeed, only little individuals lost in a vast world and attempting to survive no matter what and sell our own books so we may then achieve our own continued survival - well, it makes sense to 'use' the internet only for our personal gains.
However, viewed another way we seem, in this structure, to be in closer vibration with what we're learning each day of science - and being reminded of what ancient scientists already knew - we are all connected. No matter what we do to avoid seeing this we are beings made from the original material of the universe, we are already connected – and flow best when connected. Much like a river, the individual droplets, by being part of a river, get to flow to and blend with the ocean. I am quite content to be a droplet – I trust the river.
Our 'strange attractors' are here in everyday life, & are so powerful that we may lose sight of them. This place, it seems to me, is a strange attractor - bringing us all together from around the world.
If we run our thought experiments in here through dialogue rather than discussion - we will find that not only have we something in common, but that we are also not alone. Each of us is a writer - period. However, as part of a group, we are a writing community, and as a community we have an ideal situation. If we were to locate where we are on a grid, we would quickly see that we all have agents in... well, fill in all the different locations around the world. When we enter a bookstore we may tell the operators (also part of our community) about the books of others as well as our own books. Acting as a community, we discover other communities.
Well, enough of my own preamble. It feels to me that we may co-evolve ways of doing this together, and so I suggest we begin a dialogue - no leaders, no agenda - but through chat with each other and postings we may assist what's happening to happen faster.
Just a few suggestions to start things going:
When I enter a bookstore - I talk with people in the bookstore about future modes of distribution - about the way for those who buy and those who sell to act together.
Treating each 'employee' of a bookstore as part of our natural community, we may discuss the overall situation and what ideas we may generate. After all, it benefits all. Through those discussions we emerge both refreshed and informed. As well, those who work in bookstores generally love books and are there for the same reason we are - chances are they're writers as well.
Idea # 1:
I will from now on also represent my favorite books as I enter. I'll select those POD books that I cherish and will suggest them to the bookseller. As well, I will buy one book by another author. I will bring that book with me, carry it as if it were my own, wrapping it with care in my backpack. When I do so I'll present it at the bookstore as well - or will show the book and discuss it with those I meet as I walk about. I do this knowing, but not relying on, the fact that another author is doing this for me in the world.
That means we all, no matter how poor we are, will always have an agent working for us - and we will always be working for each other. Setting up ideologies is an out-moded way of assisting change, talking with each other and entering dialogue about what we do as story-tellers is the way to link all communities.
I believe we're heading to a world without money; that it was an idea invented for purposes of control. There will be a transition as we leave that hard-edged warrior way of control as we move towards cooperation, towards acting as a leaderless community - simply being in the world as we are with our stories.
Idea # 2:
As well, we may encourage the elders in our communities to tell their stories. We know how to read and write and that is a previous gift – so, in addition to assisting ourselves, we assist each other by helping one elder bring her or his book into the world. If all of us were to begin assisting the elders in bringing their stories to the globe, we would transform the world.
In particular we need to assist those who are illiterate, and those who are uncomfortable setting down their stories. All each one of us needs to do is to assist one person to tell their story, help them typeset it, set this down and deliver it to a POD publisher. Very soon we would enrich the globe.
As well, we are moving into a time where we will all of us feel even more the pressure of these economic times. Many people will, for the first time in their lives, face what they’ll think of as hardship. A large percentage of the world’s people now know nothing about planting seeds, repairing worn clothing, digging an outdoor biff, cooking food – about the most necessary knowledge. They know nothing of what the moon tells us of planting, of the delights of theatre outdoors; theatre lit by lamplight, or an open fire. People have been rendered helpless and it is the aging population of the world who are the transition generation – for they hold the last vestiges of an always-natural approach to the world. When we assist those elders to find their way to print, we assist the world. Each one of us needs to have the delight-filled activity of being a midwife to the ideas of others.
Enough for this posting – I would love to hear your ideas, and feel sure that the more ideas are posted, the more fun our community will be.
I could go over this, revise and amend – but this was what I wanted to write when I woke up this morning, and I know why – it’s because I do not feel alone in my story-telling and because I know that this is true for everyone in here.
Thanks for your time – I look forward to responses, as we may all of us achieve what we seek. We are the light for each other.
Cheers,
Bill
So, the question is, how do we find a way to let the readers know where we are and what we do? I certainly see how we can do all the intellectual work - thinking about where we may post links to our books, sending out notices to Bloggers, posting to blogs about our work.
But my mind keeps going back to getting the physical books to the buyer. Even postal rates are rising in cost, entire communities where I come from are seeing paper mills close down, and the cost of paper rising.
I don't have the answers - but do know that all writers and readers have an alliance that engirdles the earth - and that, somehow, our natural connection is the key to this. We may all act as agents for one another.
My mind returns to earlier times, and how halls would be packed for lectures in Newfoundland in the 1800s & early 1900s. People were poor and the lure of free entertainment or very inexpensive talks drew overflow crowds. The lectures dealt, for the main part, with emerging scientific discoveries, and this was the only way that people had easy access to information. But it was also a way of having community - the people who gathered for the talks, stayed on to talk themselves; to converse about life and what was happening in their world. I sense that approaches usually seen in community activities may be the key to what we've done. The myth of the lonely writer, off to the margins, suffering greatly, and seeking mega-fame or fortune is just that - a myth.
Usually writers' groups get taken over by the ‘professional’ writer - by the Arts business. But I wonder about an alliance forming naturally, in evolutionary fashion. As one practical example I see a site such as this one & muse about the way that it already is a community; we simply are unable to see it because of empire-issued eyeglasses. We've been trained to think of ourselves as individuals first, as people who enter the realm of 'communication' only in order to ‘do’ or ‘get’ something.
I now see that way of thought as an acculturated overlay - a sort of exoskeleton of thought. It serves the commerce of Empires. After all, if we are, indeed, only little individuals lost in a vast world and attempting to survive no matter what and sell our own books so we may then achieve our own continued survival - well, it makes sense to 'use' the internet only for our personal gains.
However, viewed another way we seem, in this structure, to be in closer vibration with what we're learning each day of science - and being reminded of what ancient scientists already knew - we are all connected. No matter what we do to avoid seeing this we are beings made from the original material of the universe, we are already connected – and flow best when connected. Much like a river, the individual droplets, by being part of a river, get to flow to and blend with the ocean. I am quite content to be a droplet – I trust the river.
Our 'strange attractors' are here in everyday life, & are so powerful that we may lose sight of them. This place, it seems to me, is a strange attractor - bringing us all together from around the world.
If we run our thought experiments in here through dialogue rather than discussion - we will find that not only have we something in common, but that we are also not alone. Each of us is a writer - period. However, as part of a group, we are a writing community, and as a community we have an ideal situation. If we were to locate where we are on a grid, we would quickly see that we all have agents in... well, fill in all the different locations around the world. When we enter a bookstore we may tell the operators (also part of our community) about the books of others as well as our own books. Acting as a community, we discover other communities.
Well, enough of my own preamble. It feels to me that we may co-evolve ways of doing this together, and so I suggest we begin a dialogue - no leaders, no agenda - but through chat with each other and postings we may assist what's happening to happen faster.
Just a few suggestions to start things going:
When I enter a bookstore - I talk with people in the bookstore about future modes of distribution - about the way for those who buy and those who sell to act together.
Treating each 'employee' of a bookstore as part of our natural community, we may discuss the overall situation and what ideas we may generate. After all, it benefits all. Through those discussions we emerge both refreshed and informed. As well, those who work in bookstores generally love books and are there for the same reason we are - chances are they're writers as well.
Idea # 1:
I will from now on also represent my favorite books as I enter. I'll select those POD books that I cherish and will suggest them to the bookseller. As well, I will buy one book by another author. I will bring that book with me, carry it as if it were my own, wrapping it with care in my backpack. When I do so I'll present it at the bookstore as well - or will show the book and discuss it with those I meet as I walk about. I do this knowing, but not relying on, the fact that another author is doing this for me in the world.
That means we all, no matter how poor we are, will always have an agent working for us - and we will always be working for each other. Setting up ideologies is an out-moded way of assisting change, talking with each other and entering dialogue about what we do as story-tellers is the way to link all communities.
I believe we're heading to a world without money; that it was an idea invented for purposes of control. There will be a transition as we leave that hard-edged warrior way of control as we move towards cooperation, towards acting as a leaderless community - simply being in the world as we are with our stories.
Idea # 2:
As well, we may encourage the elders in our communities to tell their stories. We know how to read and write and that is a previous gift – so, in addition to assisting ourselves, we assist each other by helping one elder bring her or his book into the world. If all of us were to begin assisting the elders in bringing their stories to the globe, we would transform the world.
In particular we need to assist those who are illiterate, and those who are uncomfortable setting down their stories. All each one of us needs to do is to assist one person to tell their story, help them typeset it, set this down and deliver it to a POD publisher. Very soon we would enrich the globe.
As well, we are moving into a time where we will all of us feel even more the pressure of these economic times. Many people will, for the first time in their lives, face what they’ll think of as hardship. A large percentage of the world’s people now know nothing about planting seeds, repairing worn clothing, digging an outdoor biff, cooking food – about the most necessary knowledge. They know nothing of what the moon tells us of planting, of the delights of theatre outdoors; theatre lit by lamplight, or an open fire. People have been rendered helpless and it is the aging population of the world who are the transition generation – for they hold the last vestiges of an always-natural approach to the world. When we assist those elders to find their way to print, we assist the world. Each one of us needs to have the delight-filled activity of being a midwife to the ideas of others.
Enough for this posting – I would love to hear your ideas, and feel sure that the more ideas are posted, the more fun our community will be.
I could go over this, revise and amend – but this was what I wanted to write when I woke up this morning, and I know why – it’s because I do not feel alone in my story-telling and because I know that this is true for everyone in here.
Thanks for your time – I look forward to responses, as we may all of us achieve what we seek. We are the light for each other.
Cheers,
Bill
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Amitabh Mitra on -
I do it the same way, Bill
I carry my books to book shops but most of all I do book launches at cities close to me
We dont sell much but then publishing is a passion
Amitabh
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Permalink Reply by Bill Gough on -
Yes - passion is the correct word :) An old joke-riddle here is: "How do you make a small fortune in publishing?" Answer: "Invest a large fortune!"
I've avoided this by doing everything for nothing! Have started the walking around to bookstores, and am considering getting a booth and attending Arts Fair.
I'm also a film-maker & painter & am checking out your interesting projects & postings as well.
There's lots to talk about.
Good fortune with your projects.
Best Wishes
Bill
Amitabh Mitra said:I do it the same way, Bill
I carry my books to book shops but most of all I do book launches at cities close to me
We dont sell much but then publishing is a passion
Amitabh
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Permalink Reply by Manohar Bhatia on -
Hello Bill,
Well written piece, just for the sake of the poor author,who is still struggling to make a living out of writing.Bill, can you distribute my latest published book....."Creative Maditation...A Step By Step Approach" published by St.Pauls' Publication(India)The cost is just US$ 2.00 and freight extra.Hoping for your response.Cheers!
With warm regards/Manohar Bhatia(Author)
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Permalink Reply by Manohar Bhatia on
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Manohar Bhatia said:
I also liked your idea of acting agent for one another;this is going to work.You sell for me about 100 books and I do sell for you 100 books.How do you take this forward?Hello Bill,
Well written piece, just for the sake of the poor author,who is still struggling to make a living out of writing.Bill, can you distribute my latest published book....."Creative Maditation...A Step By Step Approach" published by St.Pauls' Publication(India)The cost is just US$ 2.00 and freight extra.Hoping for your response.Cheers!
With warm regards/Manohar Bhatia(Author)
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Permalink Reply by Bill Gough on
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Hello Amitabh,
I haven't' managed the print-run of 100 books yet in my own work, just using the POD route one at a time, because of the lack of cash flow - little to none - lol. But if you send your books I could bring them around. I'd eventually print my books where you are ,to have this happen, but no need to wait until both have books. The fall would be the time to start this, I believe - as it will most likely take that long for us to work out how we do this.
I posted an off-the-top-of-my-head suggestions, and some questions elsewhere in the forum about ways this can happens, and that may be useful.
This one we're discussing is straightforward as there are only two people involved - you do my books right where you are, I do your books here. The profit where my books are sold goes to me, the profit where your books are sold goes to you. If this turns out to start to be lop-sided, that is, if author A sells few books,and author B sells many books, then there should be a mechanism in place to ensure that a portion of Author B's Profits would go to Author A.
If we do the funds through Pay Pal we can have the profit appear in our own currency - with conversion for each done through the same place (Pay Pal) For books already printed, I suggest the fall to obtain the rock-bottom postage charge to move books such distances. If the cost of that becomes too much, even at the lowest rates, I'd be glad to add to my web-pages a link to your POD printer and help in that way.
Each time out could be a test run - we could experiment with how to do this instead of coming up with all the approaches a priori.
Perhaps we could chat sometime in 'real-time' about this?
I see the Fall as being best for me, how about you. In the meantime I can send you some copies of my books to make sure the books themselves connect with you and your approaches, and your book with me. That's the most important part of the distribution. As well I have 'proto-books' in virtual print at bookRix & here are three samples [http://bookrix.com/_title-en-william-gough-moon-light] and [http://bookrix.com/_title-en-william-gough-dogs-of-a-strange-town] and [http://bookrix.com/_title-en-william-gough-celestial-guardian-the-s...] so you can see if the books match your approaches and you feel comfortable with them. I'm a great believer in the concept of 'reality tunnels' and so, don't mind if they're not your cup of tea, and am quite happy if they do match what you'd like to distribute. Bussiness is, for me, a by-product and so the connection is the most important part of the assistance we may each offer the other.
I have e-books at the BookRix site where I'm working out the first approach to each book. I will leave books in place there for readers who can not afford to buy books. I want no one to miss a book of mine because they haven't money. Currently, I then move print-versions over to Lulu.com so I can 'see' the book in the print form, and get them ready for wherever I wish to have them printed, and so they'll be available for those who can afford books and would be willing to order one so they can have my book in traditional paper or paper-equivalent form. And now I'm going to move some of those books over to this press for sales in India. I plan to do this in Australia (Australian printer for books in Australia) for sales there, and so on and so on.
I see postage becoming the big issue as what's going on in the world continues, and feel it's best to print the book in the country/region where it's to appear. Most likely, I'd print copies of the book in Canada for books to sell in Canada, and copies of the book in India for books that will sell in India.
These are recent insights and I hope they'll prove to be useful.
Best Wishes,
Bill
Best Wishes,
Bill
As well, I was thinking that if I found a printer here that would print 10 books they could print your books here & that would save postage. If You found a printer there (Cinnamon Teal?) who would do the 10 book run - I could print my book there. That's if the cost for you was less than it would be to print where you are
Manohar Bhatia said:Manohar Bhatia said:
I also liked your idea of acting agent for one another;this is going to work.You sell for me about 100 books and I do sell for you 100 books.How do you take this forward?Hello Bill,
Well written piece, just for the sake of the poor author,who is still struggling to make a living out of writing.Bill, can you distribute my latest published book....."Creative Maditation...A Step By Step Approach" published by St.Pauls' Publication(India)The cost is just US$ 2.00 and freight extra.Hoping for your response.Cheers!
With warm regards/Manohar Bhatia(Author)
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