Gibson's Notebook

[DeanWinchester]

I find it interesting that he has yet to respond to this thread. I highly doubt it's escaped his notice. It may be indicative of his willingness to commit to such a project??

[Jack Stanley]

Just remember , if you guys are going to trick him into this just make sure he gets the royalty fee for each copy huh?

I'm with the rest of you though I'd like a hard cover edition .... might I recommend Wolfe publishing .

And Larry , thanks for your knowledge

Jack

[W.R.Buchanan]

Guys,,, What you are not considering is exactly what it takes to publish a book of any kind.

I have been pestering Brian Pearce to do a book of complied articles he has written for Rifle and Handloader magazines, similar to what Mike Venturino does with his articles on old guns etc.

Since he has all the articles in hand all that has to happen is putting them into some kind of order and then getting Wolfe Publishing to print the thing.

It is a much bigger job than any of you can imagine, and it hasn't happened yet.

In Larry's case he has the data but it is not all compiled in a useable format, so the job is much bigger. Also in his case he'd have to pay for the printing of that book up front which would be a significant out of pocket expense.

Another way might be for people to use the search function to find posts that Larry has written on various subjects.

I have actually had people PM me to tell me they have done this to find posts I have written, but my expertise is more centered around Machine Shop Experiences, as opposed to Larry's extensive ballistics experience.

I know everybody is well intentioned here, but you are asking him to build the Queen Mary,,, by himself, and pay for it too.

It is no small task to write a book and that's why they get the big $ for doing it.

O'Reilly makes more on his book sales than he gets paid from Fox. And he donates all of the net proceeds from those books to charity,,,, Which helps offset the taxes on his salary.

Randy

[rjathon]

Actually self publishing is easy to do. One does not need a publisher like Wolfe or Petersons. Websites like Blurb have templates where you type in text and insert pictures. Upload it and you are done. People who want copies can click on a link and buy a book. No investment, no publisher needed.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I will look at that myself. Blurb? Blurb.com? are these free services?....

Time passes,,,,,

OK: I looked at it at Blurb.com and this is cool.

I have been wanting to do a book on setting up and running a Bridgeport Mill that I am some what knowledgeable about.

Also a book on My Jeep Project which is on another website.

Thanks for the heads up on the website. Very cool!!!!

Randy

[square butte]

Who's gonna twist his arm??

[bnelson06]

We have to get him to reply first

[waksupi]

Y'all are standing back, willing to hold Larry's coat. Someone go through his posts, put them together, and ask questions to fill in the holes.

[DeanWinchester]

^^^^
...and the gauntlet has been thrown down!

[bbqncigars]

Don't forget Kickstarter. I've funded a few of those.

[leeggen]

I think Larry is being very smart in not surfaceing to answer us! Between Larry's threads and Felix's threads most all questions about cast boolits would be answered. Also one would use up a couple cases of copy paper.
CD

[Pinsnscrews]

I will look at that myself. Blurb? Blurb.com? are these free services?....

Time passes,,,,,

OK: I looked at it at Blurb.com and this is cool.

I have been wanting to do a book on setting up and running a Bridgeport Mill that I am some what knowledgeable about.

Also a book on My Jeep Project which is on another website.

Thanks for the heads up on the website. Very cool!!!!

Randy

There are a number of Online Publishing houses that allow you to "Plug and Play" your book. Some of those Publishers are also connected to Amazon/Barnes & Noble etc to get your written product into more hands.
There is also Software (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php) specially designed for the Writer/Author. This software allows you to work in sections and put together the final product.

But NONE of this means anything if you do not have the time to commit to such an endeavor. It is all fine and dandy for those of us who Crave the knowledge, and we want it as soon as possible. I have come to know a number of authors who make their living writing various forms of Fiction. These are people who STRIVE to write 5-10K words every night after their day jobs. About 1/4 of them are also their own publishers using the online publishing houses. A couple actually work day jobs as Technical Writers for manuals on Industrial or Medical hardware/software. (YES, those couple are INSANE) There are even a couple of them who make their living as FULL TIME authors under multiple pen names, for multiple different genre. They spend half their day writing on one project, and editing the next book to go out.

My point? Writing with the intent to provide a Solid, Complete, Coherent, Flowing book to have to market within a reasonable time frame is a Serious Challenge. Even as prolific a writer as Larry is, unless he already has a plan laid out, subject matter already written out for reference to work from. As a "No Pressure, Hobby Book" I would honestly think it would be a good 5 year project.

Yes, it can be done in less. Yes there are hobbyists who have published books with good information for what they covered in less time. I have a few of those books. The information is good, but the Scope of the subject matter is limited. What you are asking from Larry is a Large Scope project.

If You REALLY want to show him how serious you are, Set up a Kickstarter.org fund for him. With his permission of course. That would give him the basic funds to get the software to help him get this project organized properly, pay for a GOOD editor when he is done and make it possible to help offset time he will lose from what ever projects he has going that he will need to set aside.

Not playing De...well, yes, I am. I just want to give you some idea of what I know from my experience dealing with authors the last several years.

[Larry Gibson]

Sorry guys but I've been out of the net with family for this past week and will be through Saturday. Just been able to barely take a peek at the forum on the smart phone when the Boss isn't looking.......I really appreciate the support here in this thread and all the kind comments here and in other threads regarding me writing a book. I have been considering doing that but having never written a book or had any experience with that it seems like a daunting project. However, with the help here I will begin the project. I will also write/rewrite some posts/articles for posting here in CASTPICs. Again, thanks for all the comment, support and suggestions.

Larry Gibson

[nagantguy]

And the man has spoken; that is great news. Thank you from all of us!¡

[dsbock]

Larry,

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I would be happy to do the document layout part. All you need to do is get me the text and graphic content. I would email you a PDF for review.

Once the content was finalized, the book could be distributed for print or electronic viewing as people see fit.

Let me know if I can help.

David

[BruceB]

First, I'm fully in support of publishing Larry's works.

Second....

There have been many successful books published, which are simply the collected writings of the author from various other places.

For example, Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton come to mind. Pretty decent company, I'd say.

[ubetcha]

Ed Harris has also been ask to write a book on his findings . If I recall, his has given his consent if some one is willing to do the leg work per se ( spelling?). He also stated that any proceeds from the book will go to the CBA. Many knowlegable people have contribute their years of testing for us to research. I truly thank them all.

[jonp]

Larry,

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I would be happy to do the document layout part. All you need to do is get me the text and graphic content. I would email you a PDF for review.

Once the content was finalized, the book could be distributed for print or electronic viewing as people see fit.

Let me know if I can help.

David

My sweetie worked for a magazine publisher for quite a while. I may be able to twist her arm into helping out.

[smoked turkey]

This is great news. This place has so many knowledgeable people that it is mind boggling. When compared to digital format, I much prefer the printed page for technical information.

[Digger]

Outstanding Mr. Gibson !!!! ... from one who has benefited from your input ..