Writer Respect Dave Bankes Nov 2010 Judging a book by it's cover is like buying a car without ever seeing the interior or engine. So many people are duped by the great cover design that houses an Edsel story and a Pacer plot. While many Lamborghini stories and Maserati plots packed inside a Gremlin cover go virtually untouched. The best way to tell a good book is to read the sticker (prologue). This is how you find out what a story is all about. It's true, when people see you reading a book, they see the cover. But, if it's a good book, you won't mind saying , "Hey, hop in, take it for a spin!" After all, a dent on the hood of a Rolls Royce doesn't change the luxury or comfort you feel inside, much like an ugly cover doesn't change the quality of the story inside a book. Too Critical? Dave Bankes Nov 2010 Are Publishers too critical, when they reject material for misspelled words or improper punctuation? When you look at a letter written by the average college student, there are on average at least 6 words per paragraph misspelled. So, the greatest minds in the country, or so their thought to be, average 6 mistakes in roughly 50 words. But isn't the message more important than the presentation? In some situations, absolutely! For example, in the case of a fire, would you want to be in a burning building where a person wants to be polite, so they wait until the person speaking is finished to announce that the building is on fire? Certainly not. But in the case of a book, I think that the preservation of the English language demands at least some critiquing, however, if the message is clearly understood, lighten up. What's in a Degree? Dave Bankes Oct 2010 A simple piece of paper, adorned with a seal. What does it mean? Does it prove anything? Sure, it proves that someone did something, but what? On-line schools offer a degree for work performed over the internet, but who's to say who actually performed the work? Some actually just sell a degree, without any academic requirements. Can I get an "Amen"? Dave Bankes Sep 2010 Is it just me or is every Publisher just looking to make money without actually doing anything? You write the book, the synopsis, the back cover, the autobiography. Then they want you to adapt it into their format adjust it to their size requirements and virtually any other conceivable thing that needs to be done, and then to add insult to injury, they want you to pay them to promote the book. While some clearly state that if you pay xxx amount we'll do this or that, others take the more devious approach. Some want you to purchase your books, in order to get them to promote your book. They lead you to believe that you are entering into a contract wherein they will promote your book for you, however, they are only trying to tie your hands, so they can bilk hundreds of dollars out of you, simply to put your book on a list with thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of other books. My question to them is, "What's in this for me?" If I were to buy a hundred books from them, I could only expect get exposure to possibly one hundred more people. When a company promises to promote your book, it should be unconditional, with the premise that they don't make money unless you make money. A simple deal. Many quality writers are trapped in dead-end contracts with these crooked Publishers that are Self-serving leeches. The Dreaded "Have you sold any books yet?" question- Dave Bankes Aug 2010 I get this question a lot. My normal answer used to be, a rant about how I think that somewhere they are selling, but I'm just not getting paid. Now, after answering that way for about three months, I've decided that this isn't a question about my sales skills, this is about my writing skills. People aren't asking me if I've sold any books, they're asking, "Are they worth buying?" And what makes this question so clear is that the people asking have generally said, at one point or another, that they were going to purchase one. Family, friends and strangers all use the same techniques to make purchases. So I've customized my answer to to put the pressure back on them. Instead of a rant about what I think is going on, I simply say, "All the people that have promised to purchase my book have done so, with the exception of a few. Didn't you say you were going to purchase one?" I feel it restores the power to it's appropriate place. It is not necessary for me to prove myself worthy of your purchase again, you already agreed to purchase a book. It is your job to prove yourself worthy of trust, make the purchase. |
Artwork Gallery  Dave's Daughter-in-law  Dave's Granddaughter  Just a horse |
