Sure my books are expensive

Well, ok, Bar Dreams isn't that expensive - but it still isn't cheap. But yes, overall, my books are, so far, expensive. Diary of a Plate Addict especially so.

Here are some thoughts as to why:

1) I am doing this all by myself - I don't have a publishing company behind me that is paying for advertising, doing all the design work, finding me places to do signings, promoting me, etc. It is, sadly, all me.

2) I know, it might sound like a conundrum, but when I am selling thousands of books a month, the prices will be lower, for sure! Right now, each book costs me a lot to produce and that doesn't even begin to account for the time, effort and money that went into getting the book ready to be produced. I mean, look at all the money I had to spend on beer, just to be able to write the book! (19 plates at $1000 a plate, give or take...) So, when that is paid back...

3) Diary of a Plate Addict (DPA) is less of a book than it is a souvenir and an art-ish book. Souvenirs always are more costly. And art books, oh my goodness. Mine has the additional benefit of being fun (at least I hope it is fun) to read and look through. Almost a coffee table book - and we all know how expensive those are! It is a niche book, even.

4) DPA is supposed to be a book that one can look at over and over again - not like a novel that you read once and put on a shelf. And it can be taken around to various Saucers and autographed by people hither and yon. I mean, why the heck not?

5) One of the major target demographics for this book is someone who is working, assiduously, towards their plate or plates at the Flying Saucer. Anyone who can consciously choose to spend upwards of $1000 towards a plate can certainly afford the cost of one day's drinking to buy a copy of this book!

6) This is my only source of income just now and I sincerely appreciate on anyone who wants to support a starving artist. 

I am sure there are more reasons, but this will suffice for the time being. Read on!

Maybe it is just google...

This writing blog has 200 views already - and only two posts! Weird.

A few quick things - anyone anywhere know how to program an e-book? Not just a PDF - but an e-book that can be read by the iBook reader or the Kindle or the Nook...I haven't even googled it yet - but plan to. And I am going to need a designer again for the self-help book. At least that is the current intention. I think I am going to go for someone local, if I can find someone I can work with (tall order there) and who won't be too expensive.

Does anyone know where to get an inexpensive copy of InDesign? I think that is the app that Heather used to design Diary of a Plate Addict. I am planning on doing the revisions and the update on my own. A few errors have already been noticed - and I am going to want to add a few pages - maybe 6 or 8 - after I finish going to all of the Saucers. And since it is mostly designed now - I think I can manage to add a couple of pages that look to be part of the package.

Lastly, this isn't really writing related, but I am looking forward to actually catching up on the picture a day albums on Facebook. Hopefully, by the time this is posted, I will have accomplished at least one of the 6 remaining months!

I just don't get it...

I am feeling sad and frustrated at the dearth of sales of Diary of a Plate Addict. I really did believe that I could sell 300 copies here in Raleigh. Two days in, and I have sold less than 1/10th of that total. Yup, 28 copies sold in Raleigh. Mostly to my best friends and long time beerknurd acquaintances. Which is understandable. Sure, some of them haven't ponied up the cash and probably won't. Thence begins my confusion. Diary of a Plate Addict is a souvenir book - it is full of pictures and little things that will sneak up on people - like all of the plates in the background, like the flip book, like all of the different glasses that are used as page numbers. Yes, it is expensive. But it is not a cheap book to have printed. It is, almost, a coffee table book. I had even contemplated making it into a coffee table book - hard cover, or at least heavily laminated, with a metal o ring type binding, but I am, now, glad I didn't. People balk at $25 for the book - what would they do if it were $45!

But is it truly price that is keeping people away in droves? I don't think so. Last night there were probably 300 people in the bar in the 4 hours I was there. How many people came up and asked about the book? Not one. Not a single person came up and asked me about it or took a look at it. So they didn't even know how much it cost.

What confuses me most, though, is the servers. Not one server has bought a copy. The ones I have harangued, only a little I hope, have all claimed poverty! Really? Most of the servers take home between $200 and $400 dollars in a night. Many of them have waited on me many many times and I have consistently tipped them decently. I am tempted to say to them (though I haven't) "Hey, sorry, I can't afford to tip you." One server told me about their $1000 debt or something - I basically stopped listening when she said she couldn't afford it. Really? A whole whopping $1000 debt? I laugh in retrospect. Another said she was poor - both of them I saw out drinking the night before. How much did they spend on their night out? $20? $50? $100? More?

Maybe people just don't buy books anymore. Well, that isn't the case according to Amazon! And this isn't a typical book - this is more of a souvenir than a book. True, it is interesting to read if one takes the time to do so. And the pictures are pretty good - even though taken by a bad photographer with an old point and click digital camera. But still...

I hate selling. I really do. It is part of the reason I never went into professional theatre or film - the idea of selling myself over and over and over again just didn't appeal at all. Sadly, selling books is very much like selling myself. And I hate it. 

The reason this is in the writing blog is because, as a writer, I really enjoy the process of creating the work. But selling it is just frustrating as all get out! And they are both parts of the package. Glarp.