turnings :: daniel berlinger

Secrets of book publishing I wish I had known: Following up on these overviews of the book industry, I thought I’d share some lessons I learned from publishing Bit Literacy. I originally tried to go through mainstream publishers but eventually self-published it, because of what I learned in the process. I wish I had known everything below before I wrote my book. [I find similarities everywhere here... finding work or a job, finding gigs as a musician, working with local retail outlets, etc., etc. When it comes to people doing stuff, no one is interested in you but you. And if someone is interested (read, seemingly willing to help you), it is a sure sign that they see some way you can make them money, or help them, or generally for them to get something out of whatever they intend to do (see Frank Zappa). I don't mean to sound so cynical, there's a lot of cases where this isn't true, and in fact I see nothing wrong with it. Understanding people's motives means dealing honestly and openly. Pretending, misleading, or outright lying is far worse. Be up front about what you're going to get and it'll work out.]
Source: Good Experience Blog