WJC
Well-known member
Bill and others....
I'm down at the Gulf Coast doing a little birding and relaxing.... I've glanced thru Bill's book before now...but TODAY....I READ it.. LOVED IT! It is such a wonderful blend of humor, wisdom, binocular facts, and my favorite...life lessons. VERY well written in a great style of writing.
Bill, I wish I could write like that. Such an art. How do you put all those elements of the book...TOGETHER? It was great to read your book and thanks for letting all of us into your world a little bit...
Chuck Hill
Ah, Chuck, you’re just saying that onacounta ... it’s true.
(That’s code for: “Your kind—thank you very much.”)
As far as “putting all those elements TOGETHER,” I had to; everything you see is ME because I didn’t have the money to hire a professional. Springer was to be the big dog. However, after working with a very kind editor in London (a fellow who liked the book and said he would have published it) for several weeks, New York (Damn Yanks) said they wanted a book of a minimum of 10 chapters with a minimum of 10 pages per chapter. Well, as you saw, one vignette takes 38 pages, one takes HALF OF ONE page, and the rest fall somewhere in between. Another well-known firm wanted to tell me how I should present my content in the traditional, sub-rudimentary 1960s format. Getting tired of trying to fit my book into their “crap for hire” format, I HAD to do everything myself: format, layout, content, photography, graphics manipulation, both covers, etc. It was a matter of have to. Considering what the readers are saying—you being one—I would say I knew more about how to present my book than they did—foolish novice 1: professional publishers 0. Although being a college puke who is very comfortable writing in eggheadease, I wanted it to be of value for the everyday bino packer.
Now that the sucker (the 80-pound rucksack as Andy put it) is off my plate, I’m going back through it (at the leisure I didn’t have before) with my SUPERFLUOUS COMMA COMB and making ready for the next edition ... if there is one. If that comes to pass, it will be down the road and address a number of repair issues. You and many others have praised my style. Thank you. But, you should speak to my wife about ... proofreading. It’s hard to catch your own mistakes. That’s where I really needed professional help—even more so than when I pick my nose with my elbow. For example, you might change a word or two to make some point more accurate or fluid without realizing two words in the sentence before or three words in the next must also be changed. That can be hard on the stroke-challenged mind.
Yes, Andy, I had a 7 states book signing tour planned. But, the alarm went off and I had to get a shower. I was honored to sign one for Richard Berry and Steve Tonkin, but that’s about all. Big ego or not, that’s really over the top for this screw turner. Hey, but I went to school with John Grisham for a while and there was a chance we even spoke a couple of times. John could write about the noise that comes from peeing on a flat rock and it would make the NY Best Seller List.
I’m certain the book will have staying power but I had no delusions of making any real money from it. ‘Blue jeans, cell phones, rap music, pizzas, or fidget spinners—perhaps. Consumer optics ... never.
The book has sold about 200 and is, for what it is, is doing well. Amazon doesn’t have it in all the appropriate categories, so I’m trying, as time will allow, to reach out to Birding and Amateur Astronomy groups.
And Chuck: get your hairy legs off my book. :cat:
Blessings,
Bill
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