Monday, August 16, 2010

What Do You Guys/Gals Think?

Good evening, everybody. Hope you're having a great meal or great time or great something. Here at the Gormans, Madeleina has been feeding animals, including the four hens and the two goats, goatguy and little goatguy, a new brown goat with a sprinkling of white powder on his nose, which I said looks like sloppy cocaine and Madeleina said, "Well, then why don't we call him Snorts?" and that's a name that might stick.
Marco is out running laps on the grass and he'll be in for the chicken dinner with boiled potatoes (parboiled in water, then finished in a bit of good chicken stock, some chicken juice from the chicken I'm making, some onion and garlic and a bit of basil. Relly good potatoes). Plus a cucumber/red onion sliver salad in garlic oil and good white vinegar, broccoli and cauliflower florets (have not figured how I should finish them) because the kids said they would not eat any more zuccini/yellow squash in olive oil with a touch of garlic and diced tomatoes with good parmesan cheese. And then spinach in garlic and balsamic, a staple for me.
Plus the roast chicken, simply cut in half, roasted on top of celery stalks, brushed with fresh garlic in olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper and salt on both sides, and then given a light touch of fresh achiote that I brought back from the jungle for a nice yellow color/flavor/crispness to the skin. So that's that.
What I really want is a freaking half gallon of good rocky road ice cream but I'll make do with spinach and broccoli. Damnit! Who the hell let God be in charge of people's diets? I mean, I really just want chocolate and ice cream all day. I love veggies and I love chicken and fish and I love majas, the big fatty rodent from the amazon, but if I could love weight with ice cream I probably wouldn't object to that kind of diet. So god, if you're listening, how bout rearranging a few cells in the human body for all of us, okay? I mean, we apparently love fries, onion rings, soda, ice cream, cake and chips. So can't you adjust a bit and make those weight loss items instead of killing foods????? Not a big deal for anyone who made the whole universe now, is it?
I'm having a glass of pretty cheap but pretty good champagne, Cooks.
Today I got a letter from a guy who expressed interest in publishing my book. He hadn't read it but he has now. He thinks it's powerful, fantastic, great, etc. Yes, I hope so, but thank you.
Now he publishes books on how to make movies. He's just starting a new label on spiritual books. He wants my book to be one of his first. I'm flattered.
BUTTTTT......the bottom line is that I would have to take my book out of circulation on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com and Powellsbooks.com and Lulu.com and not let the several bookstores who just started carrying it have any more until he published it next Fall. And then I'd get a decent cut--10% of sales revenues, about $1.00 a book, and 20% of foreign rights.
So I'm flattered to bits, but I'm thinking: I've paid for editors, I've paid my illustrator. I've paid for the Escher print on the cover and I'm about $5,000 in the hole after selling $5000 worth of books. But I am selling. Little by little. I've sold 45 books in August after selling 31 in July and 17 in June. I've got reviews coming out in the next few months, including in Shaman's Drum and MAPS. I've got a bunch of radio interviews coming out. And I think that everybody who reads the book tells their friends to buy it. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm thinking the circles are slowly getting larger and larger.
Am I kidding myself? Should I just take the $1,000 he's offering up front and hope for residual sales starting a year from now? Or do I believe in you and the universe that those who found the book a help in some sort of way, or those who found the book a good adventure, or a good whatever, will make the next month's sales double from 45 to 90 in half a month, and then up to 300 in October?
Maybe I'm deluded. I'm thinking it's a good book, a sort of astounding book. I know I write well. But I think this is something important for people. But I don't know. Maybe it's just my freaking ego. I'm thinking that if I keep selling it to you guys and your friends, that something good will happen. Like sell 5000 copies in a few months. And I'm thinking that if I let this guy, who would like the book, have it, I'll sell 5000 copies but only make 15% of what I currently take as the publisher. (And I'm giving away a lot of copies to book stores and reviewers so that number is misleading).
So what do I do? I'm being offered $1,000 and the promise of future sales against what I think is a small but growing audience. Am I nuts? Maybe there is no audience.
That's what I'm asking feedback on.
Thanks for your help on this.

14 comments:

Kuchinta said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kuchinta said...

Sorry, published my comment before it was ready :)

As I was saying:

==================

I understand your dilemma but am not entirely clear about the economics of the 2 options. And next Fall (2011?) seems like a long time to wait before book sales can resume...

Besides your current readers recommending your book to their friends, what else are you doing to promote it?

Are you interested in giving a talk/ book reading/ signing in NYC? If yes, let's talk and I'll help to organize it for you :)

octopus.sun said...

No. Do not do it!
You will do better as you are.
You should be getting $10 profit per book right now. even with such a huge invest, $1.00 is wrong.

phoenix said...

i think you're right on track. $1000 buck would be nice in your pocket now but you're already doing the right thing. If they are willing to cover your costs to date then maybe a deal otherwise I'd keep doing what you're doing. Do make a kindle version and a pdf for instant download. do make a facebook page for the book and do invite all your friends to like it. do put up a few excerpts on your website with a link to buy.

Piers Alder said...

I agree with the others. If you went with this guy you'd lose all the momentum and have to put everything on hold. All the reviews and interviews would have to stop.

It might be worth it if this was an established publisher, but it's a start-up, which means it's a risk. Who knows if the label will get off the ground. So many great projects come to nothing. You might even be left in some legal limbo and be unable to republish it yourself.

And there is a market for it, I'm sure there is. There's worldwide interest in ayahuasca, and people are just interested in weird stuff anyway.

Hang in there, I'd say. In 9 months' time you can always make a concerted campaign to find a publisher if you're not selling many. In the meantime, I agree - do a bit more promotion (if you can find the time - I know what it's like). Do book signings, get a Facebook page, maybe consider trying a pay per click ad to get in front of people's faces who are searching for something to do with ayahuasca (I might be able to help with this) and just pay, say, 50 cents a click.

That's what I think, anyway. You've got this far, might as well keep going for a while and see where things get to.

I bet there are bookshops in the UK that would want to take the book too.

SeanHags said...

Have you tried submitting the book for review to magazines like The Fortean Times and other similar mags? Might be worth it. FT has a huge readership across Europe and the US, who are generally avid readers. They always have book reviews along fortean themes. They've reviewed similar books like Ross Heaven's 'Hummingbird's Journey to God' about San Pedro. So I think 'Ayahuasca In My Blood' would fit right in. Plus they offer all the books they review for sale online. I can get you the info and details if you want.

And then I'd just spend some time googling for every other magazine and periodical along a fringe or spiritual theme and send them a copy!

Let me know if you want those details and good luck!

SeanHags said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Peter Gorman said...

Sean: If ou would do that legwork, that would be fantastic. I'll take all the input I can get. Thanks,
Peter G

Jenni said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gritter said...

DON'T DO IT!!!!

Your book is lovely and powerful and inspirational and soon will have its' own driving force.

Just believe in it.....and in yourself. We do.

Gritter said...

DON'T DO IT!!!!

Your book is lovely and powerful and inspirational and soon will have its' own driving force.

Just believe in it.....and in yourself. We do.

Gritter said...

DON'T DO IT!!!!

Your book is lovely and powerful and inspirational and soon will have its' own driving force.

Just believe in it.....and in yourself. We do.

Gritter said...

DON'T DO IT!!!!

Your book is lovely and powerful and inspirational and soon will have its' own driving force.

Just believe in it.....and in yourself. We do.

Gritter said...

DON'T DO IT!!!!

Your book is lovely and powerful and inspirational and soon will have its' own driving force.

Just believe in it.....and in yourself. We do.