http://andreaskluth.org/2008/07/25/the-end-of-book-publishing-part-i/ What History’s Greatest Military Strategist Can Teach Us About Success And Failure Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:01:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://andreaskluth.org/2008/07/25/the-end-of-book-publishing-part-i/#comment-343 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:24:08 +0000 http://andreaskluth.wordpress.com/?p=59#comment-343 Sobering but sound advice, Mike. I’ve been hearing this (“the publicists, who come in various shades of useless,” etc) from all my colleagues who’ve written books. (We all seem to write a book at The Economist at one point or another). I confess that I dread the next steps.
I try to be Zen about it. But check back in in a few months, and you may find me scratching the paint off my walls….
I’ll check out your books now. This and this, right?

]]> http://andreaskluth.org/2008/07/25/the-end-of-book-publishing-part-i/#comment-342 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:31:09 +0000 http://andreaskluth.wordpress.com/?p=59#comment-342 Hi Andreas
As a journalist who writes books, let me tell you, enjoy the process…the conceptualisation, the selling of it, the interaction with the publishing company and the publicists (who come in various shades of useless) because to imagine that the book will achieve anything like “success” (never mind fair remuneration for time spent) is to invite disaster. Go into any bookstore and imagine that one of the titles on the shelf is yours. No matter how good it is, and I imagine yours will be very good, it faces as much competition for attention as your average youtube clip. Hits happen, yes, but as Duncan Watts would have it, they’re random. like the lottery. Still, gotta be in it to win it!

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