Uh, not *quite* like that

[dianeduane]

Today's favorite comment about the book sale:

"(For us Trek novel fans, this is of course like Moses offering some autographed copies of the Torah. Because I say so.)"

Don't know if I'd go quite that far....

But this reminds me obliquely of Will Shetterly's great story "The People who Owned the Bible", which everyone should read.

Then Jimmy Joe Jenkins's DNA proved he was the primary descendent of the translators of the King James Version of the Bible. At first, Jimmy was satisfied with ten percent of the price of every KJV sold and 10 percent of every collection plate passed by any church that used the KJV. But when some churches switched to newer translations, Jimmy sicced his lawyers on all translations based on the KJV. That got him a cut of every Bible and every Christian service in English. Some translators claimed their work was based on older versions and should therefore be exempt, but none of them could afford to fight Jimmy in court.

So the churches grumbled and paid Jimmy his tithe, except for the Mormons, Christian Scientists, Seventh Day Adventists, Quakers, and Unitarian Universalists. Jimmy said their teachings hurt the commercial value of his property and refused to let them use the Bible. All of those groups dissolved, except for the Unitarian Universalists, who didn't notice a change...

(snicker)

In other news: thanks to Moirla, who unwittingly handed me the title for the YW short story I'm working on at the moment: "Source Material."

(This story will be going in an anthology of wizards-in-business stories coming out next year. More data as it becomes available.)

Comments

[cjmr.livejournal.com]

And here I was deliberately not linking to in in my blog, so as to give myself a better chance of winning auctions. (wicked grin here)

Maybe a better analogy would be finding a Gutenberg Bible that had been scribbled on by some guy named Luther?

[zellion.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to come up with an analogy that involves a book signed "Love and kisses, Surak" but I'm just not getting there.

[nelka35.livejournal.com]

Considering who Surak was, it was more likely to contain something.. eh-h.. more.. contained. :)

[zellion.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* Well yes, that was kind of my point. ;o)

[nelka35.livejournal.com]

Good point. :)

[naraht.livejournal.com]

This isn't the same as Moses offering up autographed Torahs, since MOSES DIDN'T WRITE THE TORAH...we believe.

</religious rant>

[dduane.livejournal.com]

That would be my understanding too. :)

[nelka35.livejournal.com]

well said. :)

on the other hand, no one mentioned exactly Who will autograph the Book... ;)

[nelka35.livejournal.com]

When is that anthology coming out?

[dduane.livejournal.com]

I think in '07, in the fall.

[nelka35.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

And - what's the update on "Feline Wizardry 3: The Big Meow"?
I love that series (among others...).
And I really appreciate your answers.

[dduane.livejournal.com]

Hey, my pleasure.

As regards The Big Meow: (http://felinewizards3.blogspot.com) I don't have enough information yet to make a decision, as I haven't yet hit the "break-even" point in terms of responses to my initial posting about the project. (http://outofambit.blogspot.com/archives/2005_12_01_outofambit_archive.html#113446948274092674) So far I've only heard from a few hundred people, and even if every one of them bought a book at the stated price, I'd still be losing money on the deal. As the project stands at present, I would need to hear positively from at least a couple/few hundred more people before I could commit.

-- And so that no one reading this misunderstands me: for costing purposes on this project -- without getting into actual figures -- I'm "paying myself" the lowest amount my agent would have allowed me to take for a work-for-hire/licensed-property book between three and five years ago, when I was still doing such things. This amount -- again, without getting into actual figures -- would be about one-fifth to one-sixth of what I normally get for a writing a novel these days. To do this very on-spec piece of work, I would be taking a considerable drop in pay while I spent a significant portion of my work year on the project -- so you can see where my concern lies, as I have cats to feed, and they don't understand explanations about wanting to write just for the joy of it: they want to know where their dinners are.

(An additional and slightly related issue: one of the ways I've been testing the water as regards self-publishing is with online sale of a book already written but never published elsewhere, though it was bought by mainline publishers twice -- details here at the website for Raetian Tales 1: A Wind from the South (http://raetiantales.blogspot.com). The sales so far of the book's e-version have been only modest...and this for a novel already written. Looking at this situation, I have to ask myself whether The Big Meow is really likely to do any better, and whether I may be about to start wasting a lot of precious time on something that's just "a nice idea".)

...So if you know somebody who's interested in seeing this book written, or (looking over the heads of whose who've already mailed me) if you're yourself interested, now's the time to drop me a note and let me know. The original post laying out the situation with this book is here. (http://outofambit.blogspot.com/archives/2005_12_01_outofambit_archive.html#113446948274092674) The blurb for the prospective novel (and the project's homepage) are here. (http://felinewizards3.blogspot.com) The address to mail support or inquiries to is
thebigmeow@youngwizards.com (mailto:thebigmeow@youngwizards.com)

If you haven't done so already, please let me know what you think.

Or you could, if you liked, convince me more concretely by putting money-where-mouth-is and buying a copy of A Wind from the South. (http://raetiantales.blogspot.com) (There are sample chapters (http://outofambit.blogspot.com/A_Wind_from_the_South_Chapters_1_and_2.pdf) and links to reader comments (http://windfromthesouthreadercomments.blogspot.com/2006/01/heres-where-to-comment.html) at its website.)

...Anyway, thanks for asking!