Mr. Hudson, Did you write a book on buying an selling cars long distance in the later 1980s?
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Ha! You win the most obscure car book trivia of the night. Yes, I did, my first.
Now if we discuss it very much, George is going to kick both of us off of his site!
Now if we discuss it very much, George is going to kick both of us off of his site!
Not at all my friends (you and John).
I know "who" you are in the world of automotive literature.
But I don't think everyone here does. You are more than welcome to elucidate the subject.
I know "who" you are in the world of automotive literature.
But I don't think everyone here does. You are more than welcome to elucidate the subject.
Adams, it is great to connect the dots. I bought your book "How to buy or sell a car by long Distance" back in the eighties. I noticed it while organizing my automotive literature this weekend and recognized the name on the cover. Much of its content still relevant today. My perception was that Motorbooks International promoted the book quite a bit at the time. Can you share how you persuaded them to do that?
quote:Originally posted by JTpantera:
Adams, it is great to connect the dots. I bought your book "How to buy or sell a car by long Distance" back in the eighties. I noticed it while organizing my automotive literature this weekend and recognized the name on the cover. Much of its content still relevant today. My perception was that Motorbooks International promoted the book quite a bit at the time. Can you share how you persuaded them to do that?
Persuaded?!? They took one look at it and recognized sheer literary genius!
We were living on air back then, other than having bought and sold a few dozen cars at the time. Wrote from experience - good and bad. People used to ask me all the time, 'How do you do this?' so the book came from that.
When submitted, there was nothing like it (that I knew, or I'd have bought it!) and I sent it to Motorbooks International basically 'done'. I'd even designed the cover, the 'bounce backs' (thing that send you elsewhere, other resources in the book to engage). I think they thought it was a) Cheap and quick to turn into money b) Done enough c) Fresh enough.
So they bought it. Gave me a 5 grand advance, which I over confidently asked for and which my wife and I couldn't have bee n more thrilled about. It represented a month's (or probably two) worth of money at the time. One of us might've cried. Or probably two.
Anyway, they sold around 20,000 or something, so we got checks for a while. Then Tim Parker sold MB and all that changed. Many years ago, and I appreciate the memories.
If you're asking, 'How' and since there've been many thousands of published pages since, first -
> Make it easy on the recipient. They have jobs. Make them easier by showing up as an aid, not a hindrance. They're not going to figure out your mission; that's your job.
> Define an audience of buyers for them. The easier and more clearly you state this group (and it is NOT 'everybody'), the better the publishers and especially their marketing department will like you.
> When they edit your stuff, pick your battles. Don't go ballistic because you like lots of literal or lateral alliteration (!) and they don't. Just figure they're doing their job and get the big stuff right. Yet leave in your personality. Always. If they take THAT out, tell them to write their own book.
Hope this helps. Have fun.
Thanks for sharing the back story, I enjoyed it and the book when I bought it.
quote:Originally posted by Rocky:
Score!
beat me to it. I was just about to log on to ebay. One source I use for old, rare, obscure books is "abebooks". I am about to click there now.
So I bought from the master?
No wonder the buying experience was exceptional.
No wonder the buying experience was exceptional.
What a great story, wish I had bought that book!