If you see a notice on the Internet that my book, Turkey: Bright Sun, Strong Tea is “not available,” don’t believe it!Same thing if you hear that from your local bookstore.
It is available! I know. I’m the publisher!
Here’s the story: for nearly 40 years I wrote guidebooks for major publishers—Frommer’s, Berlitz, Lonely Planet. It was a wonderful way to make a living. (Read Turkey: Bright Sun, Strong Tea to find out how great it is to be a travel writer.) I loved working for these publishing companies.
But now, the first place that travelers go for travel information is the Internet, not a guidebook.
I wrote Turkey: Bright Sun, Strong Tea to be published as a traditional paper book (rather than just as an e-book), but I chose to publish it myself (except in Turkey, where it is published by Homer Books).
Why publish it myself?
Because the traditional world of book publishing is immensely profitable for everyone…except the author!
Oh sure, authors of blockbuster best sellers make lots of money, but—believe me when I tell you this—authors of most books cannot make a living writing books! Most book authors have “day jobs” to support their writing. Here’s why it pays so poorly:
If you buy a US$20 guidebook, the bookstore gets about $8, the distributor $3 or $4, the publisher about $6. The author used to get about $2, but now it’s far less than that, maybe as little as 50¢ or even 25¢ per book. What???
Scandalous? I certainly think so!
I decided that the traditional publishing business was brokenand unfixable (at least from the author’s point of view). I decided that I would publish my own book (it’s not all that difficult in these days of desktop publishing), and sell itexclusively in the new worldwide marketplace: the Internet.
So you won’t find Turkey: Bright Sun, Strong Tea in bookstores. Oh sure, they may special-order it for you, but that means they contact me, ask for a book, and I send it to them. I’d rather send an autographed and inscribed copy directly to you, saving all of us trouble and expense. (Bookstores don’t really make a profit on special orders. They do it as a favor to you, their customer.)
Don’t get me wrong. I love bookstores. I spend a lot of time in them. But I spend much more time online, and I buy most of my books online, too. As I said, it’s the new worldwide 24/7/365 marketplace, with good prices, customer reviews, and lots of useful services.
One of the great advantages of publishing my book is that I can keep it in print forever. That’s why I know it is available right now: although it is selling fairly quickly, I have copies right here to send to you. And I do not intend to let my book go out of print. Unlike traditionally-published books (which may go out of print in six months or less), Turkey: Bright Sun, Strong Tea will always be in print…and available.
Thanks for reading this l-o-n-g explanation. If you’d like to read Turkey: Bright Sun, Strong Tea, I suggest you start here with these free excerpts (plenty of them!) If you like what you’re reading, and you’d like to continue reading on your flight or trip to Turkey, you can order my book online right here.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!
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