“There is a communion of more than our bodies when bread is broken and wine drunk,” writes M.F.K. Fisher, one of America’s most beloved food writers. My own belief in this communion didn’t so much evolve as simply hatch, breaking open like a crusty baguette, the year I worked in my first restaurant. When a friend loaned me Elizabeth David’s An Omelet and A Glass of Wine, I was inspired to articulate how good food is an essential part of life.
In the past two weeks, my laptop’s hard drive had a meltdown, our main drive here at the home office died and our refrigerator broke.
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After publishing last week’s article, I received a flood of email from authors. One mentioned that she’d heard bookstore returns were instituted during the depression to help bookstores stay in business. Interestingly, however, the practice never died, despite the end of the depression. I researched this interesting tidbit and this is what I found.
People like to read about places they know. I discovered this to be true when I recently published my first mystery novel, Murder on the Prairie: A North Florida Mystery. The book is being received with an unexpected degree of enthusiasm for the setting, Gainesville, Florida – home of the University of Florida – the nearby Paynes Prairie State Park Preserve, and its Visitors Center in Micanopy. Reader comments and book sales have reflected this enthusiasm.
I thought my book title was really unique but I’ve just discovered another book with the same title. What can I do?
I remember the night I took the call from my future writing partner, Catherine Tully. What she told me was the first step on a long journey of failure, frustration and eventually, freelance writing success. Catherine had called to share her excitement in having an article accepted for publication in Boys’ Life. It was her first query and she had made four hundred dollars. From that moment on I saw dollar signs.
We’ll be hitting the road again next weekend, right after Zach’s birthday. We feel the oil companies may have hyped the gas shortage and I really don’t think it’s fair that I miss my reunion when there seems to be plenty of gas…
This article may be reprinted/redistibuted freely, as long as the entire article and bio are included.
Bookstores have a long history of ordering too many books and then returning them for a credit, often damaged and at the expense of the publisher or self-published author. At other times, the books are simply destroyed (or sold to a big salvage bookstore), again, at the expense of the publisher or self-published author. It is my strong opinion that bookstores, like other retailers, should be financially responsible for their own sales forecasts…
Angela:
Your article, Writing For Others – What to Charge?, is a godsend. I’m just quoting my first big professional job, and he wants a scope of work. Now I can be sure that I don’t get ripped off!
Thank you,
W.A.
