Dear cj,
As you may recall, I was visiting friends & family the past two months in
California and Kauai... you've probably noticed that the postings have been
sparse. When something crossed my In Box that seemed outstanding, I posted it,
but otherwise my attention was focused on taking care of business and
socializing with those who are much valued but seldom seen
Just before leaving, I announced the book proposal ("Achieving a Livable World")
was on the website and that 30 copies were being sent to publishers. After that
I got a book about literary agents and came to the conclusion (with advice from
some of you) that it works better to work through an agent. I wasn't that
surprised when the various publishers responded with either "not appropriate
for our list", or "we don't accept un-agented proposals".
I want to thank again all of you who have generously reviewed book drafts. Some
of you advised me to find reviewers from "other camps" and fortunately I was
able to recruit three such reviewers during the holidays. Based on their (and
some other) feedback, there are some changes I am considering for the project.
Some of these I need to think about before discussing them, but for one proposed
change I'd like your comments: to limit the scope of the book to Part I --
"Corporate rule and global ruin: understanding the dynamics of today's world".
Several people suggested the book's scope was too broad and that greater focus
was needed. Some said there are people who would be interested in the analysis
of the world-as-it-is who might then dismiss it because they don't go along with
the other parts about world-as-it-could-be or how-to-get-there. The argument
that appealed to me went like this... more people might buy a book about `how
the world works' than the broader book, and those would then define an audience
who might be receptive to follow-up book(s). Also, the reduced book could be
gotten into final form much more quickly.
Before appoaching an agent, I need to decide on changes, and re-write the
proposal.
Your thoughts are invited.
---
In a January posting I said:
>So I'm seeking help to brainstorm possible funding sources. Anyone out
>there got any ideas? There _must be some kind of grants available, or
>people with money who want to support worthwhile projects.
Anxiety about funds clouded much of the holiday. I finally decided to get
practical, and went to a web-expert friend (our own server guru, Chris Thorman)
and asked: "What's a skill I can acquire where I can do contract work remotely
that pays well?". His answer was "CGI/Perl" programming, which is the stuff
that makes website servers work. So the next couple months will be spent
learning Perl, Linux, et al, and installing a local server to suport development
and testing. Chris has generously offered to help during the learning curve.
This path was made possible by significant gifts from two dear friends...one who
gave me a new G3 laptop Mac (necessary for development work), and another who
handed over a check for $3,000 (necessary to fund learning period). Both came
as a complete surprise... what can one say but thanks?
It's nice to be back in Wexford, where I best like living, with a sense of
confidence about being able to remain. At the end of this year, I can even
apply for citizenship.
all the best,
rkm
http://cyberjournal.org
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