After several years of writing, editing, and revising, LUNCH is finally ready to meet the public. The book is 121 pages (32,500 words) long, and since it is fast paced and straightforward, it can be read in an evening. Even though the print copy and ebook may seem like a simple and straightforward project, there are at least 100 hidden tasks that need to be completed over a period of many months before it is finally ready. I can barely fathom how much time and effort authors must undertake to complete self published books of normal length.
I am trying to avail myself of all the reasonably available marketing opportunities for a self published book including a Goodreads giveaway program and a Facebook page. Hundreds of books come out every week, and a small book, even if its available on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, and its own website can easily get lost in the crowd. Even an unusual and really good book, which I believe mine to be, doesn’t easily make its way into the hands of readers who might enjoy it. My primary goal is to have as many people read it as possible, and accordingly I have priced the print copy at $9.99 and the ebook at $1.99 (except for Amazon which has a $2.99 minimum) to eliminate cost as a limiting factor for those who might want to read it.
With respect to the rather short length of the book, the goal is to present and describe in a straightforward way, conventional beliefs, political, religious, and moral philosophies, as well as some everyday issues we all face in a short enjoyable read. Readers can then do their own thinking about what the book says about them at their own leisure, and possibly rethink some of their own firmly held opinions. I have tried to write about and develop the discussions about these issues as clearly and succinctly as possible, once again trying to give the reader a rich and rewarding reading experience, without unduly taking up too much of his or her valuable reading time.
By way of full disclosure, there are many bold statements about religious, political, and moral beliefs commonly held by many people and which are challenged in the book in straightforward ways which may offend more than a few readers. One of the purposes of the book, given the divisiveness in the world today, is to have people revisit and rethink their firmly held beliefs and see if their opinions can be modified in an effort to reach an accommodation with those whom they disagree. One of the main themes of the book is to strongly suggest that we are all in this world together; realize that with so many people on the planet, there are bound to be conflicting ideas and opinions, and to encourage extending to others the same right to their own ideas and opinions as they expect for themselves. Hopefully then, peaceful solutions to disagreements can be worked out and the vicious polarization we now see can be diminished.
I will update the blog from time to time to keep those interested in the book’s progress or lack thereof informed. Comments are welcome either on the website or Facebook page, and I will try to incorporate them onto the blog. I tried to eliminate the identification requirements for the comment section to allow people to be more candid, but the website doesn’t allow for it. Hopefully everyone enjoys the book. Let me know what you think.
WS
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