I'm writing a book

[Someone here]

 

About 4 months ago I started writing a guide book. It's a book in philosophy. I'm solely focusing on Metaphysics and Epistemology.  It deals with questions regarding the nature of consciousness, the mind-body problem, solipsism , Descartes' skepticism, And a very extensive critique to Kant's Critique of pure reason. 

I feel that I am not yet done with it but I'm getting close and in few weeks it's going to be ready to start looking for a way to publish it . I know that I could be selling more copies if the book was available in book stores.

I have sent query letters to about a dozen agents. I contacted a few publishers directly, that have books on the same general topics. I would say that 90% of the time, I don't get any response. The rest just say "thanks, but it's not what we are looking for at this moment."

My book is a guide book. Non-fiction. I know that it will never sell a million copies per year. But if it was available at some national book stores, it would easily sell 400 copies per year. Is this too small of a number to get the attention of a publisher? Am I doing anything wrong?

Honestly, I thought that if I was able to get my book as one of the top ranked in its category that maybe a publisher would approach me. So far that has not happened. In the worse case, I am still happy to know that there are several dozen people buying my guidebook every day. But part of me wishes that, after putting so much effort into the whole thing, that I would at least make it onto a book store shelf.

Any advice on how to sell it in local libraries and sell more max copies of it per year? 

 

[aurum]

@Someone here

I did some research in this area when I wrote a book.

My perspective was that chasing major publishers was not the path to success. Most of them are not going to give you a chance if you are an unknown author.

8 hours ago, Someone here said:

But part of me wishes that, after putting so much effort into the whole thing, that I would at least make it onto a book store shelf.

I’d really ask yourself: why is that?

Is this just a self-image thing because that’s what a successful author “looks like” in your mind?

What difference does it make how people find your book as long as they find it?

IMO, you’re better off self-promoting the book yourself. Treat it like a business and your book is the product. Set a budget.

You can promote it doing any of the following:

• Paid ads (Amazon ads, IG / FB ads, etc)
• Hire a PR company
• Sending copies to book review bloggers
• Creating social media content

It may be worth reaching out to the following company. They help authors promote their books in the conscious space:

https://consciousmediarelations.com/

[Someone here]

9 hours ago, aurum said:

I’d really ask yourself: why is that?

Is this just a self-image thing because that’s what a successful author “looks like” in your mind?

What difference does it make how people find your book as long as they find it?

recently I got hold of a few novels that were so good that I had no time comparing them with famous or established writers. I liked the story and that was enough for me. 

So Yes ,I care about how people think of my book . That's obvious. It's a sign of success. I'm still a university student and didn't have my first job yet . So if I could make profit out of publishing my book . Who doesn't want to be recognised as a great author? 

9 hours ago, aurum said:

IMO, you’re better off self-promoting the book yourself. Treat it like a business and your book is the product. Set a budget.

You can promote it doing any of the following:

• Paid ads (Amazon ads, IG / FB ads, etc)
• Hire a PR company
• Sending copies to book review bloggers
• Creating social media content

 Thanks

Can you please explain to me how exactly to use these to promote my book? 

I'm a little disappointed  because today, mostly all people order books from online book stores or in most cases get the book immediately from Kindle or Google Books.

People read reviews on some blogs or on Goodreads or Amazon. If all sounds convincing, they go and buy the book. Also a survey of young readers showed that books by new authors are more interesting and holds fresh or unheard stories. Thus, they pick up books that they like to read over deciding their reading preference by looking the name of author or publisher. So if that's my first book ...how am I gonna promote it via Amazon ..no one is gonna want to buy it . Especially because the author(me ) is unknown.

9 hours ago, aurum said:

It may be worth reaching out to the following company. They help authors promote their books in the conscious space:

https://consciousmediarelations.com/

Thank you .Will check it out .

[aurum]

4 hours ago, Someone here said:

So Yes ,I care about how people think of my book . That's obvious. It's a sign of success. I'm still a university student and didn't have my first job yet . So if I could make profit out of publishing my book . Who doesn't want to be recognised as a great author? 

I’m not saying you shouldn’t want success or to be recognized. I’m saying you may be defining success in a limited or even outdated way. And that this definition is actually holding you back from success, because you are unlikely to succeed by fitting into that model.

Just an idea. Play with it. I could be wrong.

4 hours ago, Someone here said:

Can you please explain to me how exactly to use these to promote my book? 

I can’t say I have exact steps for you. If you do some research you can probably find some more specifics. There’s books on self-publishing that have been written.

Ultimately you’ll have to get creative.

4 hours ago, Someone here said:

So if that's my first book ...how am I gonna promote it via Amazon ..no one is gonna want to buy it . Especially because the author(me ) is unknown.

Yes this is the whole problem. You don’t have a brand. Building a solid brand is always one of the hardest part of a solid entrepreneurial endeavor. There’s no easy solution. People do fail to accomplish this every day.

Once you build brand, you get the luxury of coasting off that brand recognition and trust.

The reality though is that it’s not an impossible situation either. Think of all the successful brands that exist today. At some point they all started with essentially nothing, perhaps just some start up capital. So you can build from scratch. But it’s challenging.

[Jannes]

On 20.1.2023 at 7:09 PM, Someone here said:

I'm solely focusing on Metaphysics and Epistemology.  It deals with questions regarding the nature of consciousness, the mind-body problem, solipsism , Descartes' skepticism, And a very extensive critique to Kant's Critique of pure reason. 

Bruh.. Are you sure you know better then all of them? ? 

[Someone here]

 

On 21/01/2023 at 9:27 PM, aurum said:

I’m not saying you shouldn’t want success or to be recognized. I’m saying you may be defining success in a limited or even outdated way. And that this definition is actually holding you back from success, because you are unlikely to succeed by fitting into that model.

Just an idea. Play with it. I could be wrong.

I can’t say I have exact steps for you. If you do some research you can probably find some more specifics. There’s books on self-publishing that have been written.

Ultimately you’ll have to get creative.

Yes this is the whole problem. You don’t have a brand. Building a solid brand is always one of the hardest part of a solid entrepreneurial endeavor. There’s no easy solution. People do fail to accomplish this every day.

Once you build brand, you get the luxury of coasting off that brand recognition and trust.

The reality though is that it’s not an impossible situation either. Think of all the successful brands that exist today. At some point they all started with essentially nothing, perhaps just some start up capital. So you can build from scratch. But it’s challenging.

How to go about Starting a brand?

I have been thinking about starting a business for a while now. I thought of many things, but this one seems the most appealing to me, even though it's nothing new or full of potential.

I want to start my own brand. Has for many others, this has always been kind of a dream to me. Create and build something from scratch, with my own hands, and my name on it.

I would focus on books .initially, and maybe expand to long novels and other kinds of literature.  maybe on Online store plus platforms like eBay or Amazon ?

I've been doing lot of research and calculations during the last week. It would take a lot of work to do things properly. But the initial investment could be affordable. 
I need to do some more research though and, eventually, come up with a nice business plan. 

What do you think of it?

[Someone here]

16 hours ago, Jannes said:

Bruh.. Are you sure you know better then all of them? ? 

You don't know me . I'm highly intelligent and creative individual. I've read probably over 200 books on deep philosophy from the greatest philosophers ever .from Aristotle to Plato to Descartes etc. And I consider myself qualified In philosophical questions. That's what I've been doing on this forum for over then 2 years now : deepening my philosophical curiosity.  Im not saying I understand better than kant. But have read his famous book"critique for pure reason " and i also read Descartes'  book "the meditations " and I do have some stuff to say about it and share my understanding with the whole world.  I'm dreaming big . Perhaps you should motivate me instead. 

[aurum]

6 hours ago, Someone here said:

 

How to go about Starting a brand?

I have been thinking about starting a business for a while now. I thought of many things, but this one seems the most appealing to me, even though it's nothing new or full of potential.

I want to start my own brand. Has for many others, this has always been kind of a dream to me. Create and build something from scratch, with my own hands, and my name on it.

I would focus on books .initially, and maybe expand to long novels and other kinds of literature.  maybe on Online store plus platforms like eBay or Amazon ?

I've been doing lot of research and calculations during the last week. It would take a lot of work to do things properly. But the initial investment could be affordable. 
I need to do some more research though and, eventually, come up with a nice business plan. 

What do you think of it?

Yes you are building your brand as an author. So when people see your name, they will automatically want to buy your books because they’ve heard good things from other people or because they know how good your previous books were.

It’s not much different than what we were already talking about.

Credentials can also help. Like if you have a PhD in a subject, publishers are more likely to pick you up. But I recognize there are limitations and problems with that route as well.

[Jannes]

8 hours ago, Someone here said:

You don't know me . I'm highly intelligent and creative individual. I've read probably over 200 books on deep philosophy from the greatest philosophers ever .from Aristotle to Plato to Descartes etc. And I consider myself qualified In philosophical questions. That's what I've been doing on this forum for over then 2 years now : deepening my philosophical curiosity.  Im not saying I understand better than kant. But have read his famous book"critique for pure reason " and i also read Descartes'  book "the meditations " and I do have some stuff to say about it and share my understanding with the whole world.  I'm dreaming big . Perhaps you should motivate me instead. 

Writing a valid critique on the philosophies/philosophers you said isn’t an easy task. You have to really understand their arguments through all their super complex language and then you need genuine new ideas to provide value. I heard most philosophers start writing in their 40s because they have to learn so much before that. You are still young so it’s just unlikely that you actually bring all that to the table. And I do motivate you where I can. When you write a thread that inspires me in some way I say that. I didn’t want to sound disrespectful. But you can just easily delude yourself into thinking that your philosophy is good when it actually isn’t because it’s so abstract. If you feel like you have a genuine message to share then don’t listen to me. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Jannes

[Someone here]

15 hours ago, aurum said:

Yes you are building your brand as an author. So when people see your name, they will automatically want to buy your books because they’ve heard good things from other people or because they know how good your previous books were.

It’s not much different than what we were already talking about.

Credentials can also help. Like if you have a PhD in a subject, publishers are more likely to pick you up. But I recognize there are limitations and problems with that route as well.

If marketing is about who knows you exist, then author brand is about what they think of you once they do. So do you suggest to publish relatively small books first that aren't the peak of my potential and then as I test out how the market responds to my books ..then I should think of publishing my main book?

I think The beauty of being a starting author is that you get to craft that author brand, to deliver your books in such a way that your readers will come to see you in a favorable light. But i understand that it can't be done easily . Maybe I shouldn't get ahead of myself since I haven't finished the book yet .

If I could give a piece of advice to myself from three years ago, it would be start thinking about my author brand before i publish. Never stop thinking about it.

I think if a reader sees the cover of a new book by me, will they know that its one of mine ? Is the author name the same font and placement?

Anyway, was just having some coffee and thinking about this stuff and figured this is the best place to ramble about it

I will try to incredibly invest in my author brand. My author name is in the same font on every cover, all my books should be a consistent length/tone, etc. I believe it's the key to creating longevity in sales. I'm trying to build a catalogue that will encourage new readers to rea everything I've written.
If I'm right with this experiment, then my author brand will become stronger if I'm able to consistently sell crazy quantities of books across multiple series. So far, things are looking very negative.
Thanks aurum for the info .

[Someone here]

13 hours ago, Jannes said:

Writing a valid critique on the philosophies/philosophers you said isn’t an easy task. You have to really understand their arguments through all their super complex language and then you need genuine new ideas to provide value. I heard most philosophers start writing in their 40s because they have to learn so much before that. You are still young so it’s just unlikely that you actually bring all that to the table. And I do motivate you where I can. When you write a thread that inspires me in some way I say that. I didn’t want to sound disrespectful. But you can just easily delude yourself into thinking that your philosophy is good when it actually isn’t because it’s so abstract. If you feel like you have a genuine message to share then don’t listen to me. 

Didn't say you were trying to be disrespectful..but you were implying that I'm nowhere near the level of these philosophers .like who am I to criticise these top their thinkers? Right? 

What I want you to understand is that Being “smart” alone isn’t a guarantee of  success in being an intellectual. There is no limit to grown men with a 130 IQ who live in their parents’ basement and spend all their time smoking weed and playing video games. So to the question of “how smart am I?”, I respond, “Who cares?” There are also plenty of people of average intelligence who live happy lives and have successful careers, because of other traits in addition to their average intelligence.
So it's not a matter of intelligence..it's a matter of dedication and hard work .

[Nilsi]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect

[Nilsi]

Im not trying to be mean, but come on dude. Your writing skills on this thread come across as subpar to me, let alone writing a philosophical treatise. 

Focus on honing your skills: take writing classes, do some copywriting gigs, start a blog etc.

Figure out what you want to investigate: you are into analytical philosophy and consciousness? Fine - you now have to deeply familiarize yourself with and comprehend the most important historical and contemporary works in that space and where the discussion is currently at. In this case it would be the intersection of psychology, cognitive science and machine learning.

You have neither anything valuable to add to the discussion nor the charisma and skills to pull it off anyways, so just accept that reality and become competent enough for people to take you serious. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Ulax
Inflammatory remarks

[Someone here]

6 minutes ago, Nilsi said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect

Underestimating, if you are constantly thinking:

1. I can't do it
2. This is not my cup of tea
3. Fearing failure

Estimating, if you are constantly thinking:

1.I can do it

2.I will give my best

3.Not thinking  whether the result is rewarding or not and just keep going consistently

Overestimating, if you are:

1.Not putting needed effort

2.Day dreaming instead of what should be done

3.Doing everything other than what needs to be done and expecting good results.

I didn't show signs of underestimating or overestimating . I know exactly my capabilities and the nuances it takes to criticise such advanced thinkers.  Perhaps you should explain why do you think I'm overestimating myself. 

[Nilsi]

49 minutes ago, Someone here said:

Underestimating, if you are constantly thinking:

1. I can't do it
2. This is not my cup of tea
3. Fearing failure

Estimating, if you are constantly thinking:

1.I can do it

2.I will give my best

3.Not thinking  whether the result is rewarding or not and just keep going consistently

Overestimating, if you are:

1.Not putting needed effort

2.Day dreaming instead of what should be done

3.Doing everything other than what needs to be done and expecting good results.

I didn't show signs of underestimating or overestimating . I know exactly my capabilities and the nuances it takes to criticise such advanced thinkers.  Perhaps you should explain why do you think I'm overestimating myself. 

I think that its a delusional idea to think you are in the position to write such a book.

Even if Leo - who has been seriously investigating reality for decades and has the charisma and style to captivate an audience - wrote such a book, no one would take him serious.

Edited January 25, 2023 by Ulax
inflammatory

[Someone here]

2 minutes ago, Nilsi said:

Im not trying to be mean, but come on dude. You cant even formulate a proper sentence, let alone write a philosophical treatise. 

Focus on honing your skills: take writing classes, do some copywriting gigs, start a blog etc.

Figure out what you want to investigate: you are into analytical philosophy and consciousness? Fine - you now have to deeply familiarize yourself with and comprehend the most important historical and contemporary works in that space and where the discussion is currently at. In this case it would be the intersection of psychology, cognitive science and machine learning.

You have neither anything valuable to add to the discussion nor the charisma and skills to pull it off anyways, so just accept that reality and become competent enough for people to take you serious. 

I’ve always held the belief that if someone truly knows a subject then they can explain it to you in simple terms that you will understand.

I can write simple watered-down sentences or highly complex jargony technical language. But people will probably don't understand. 

[Someone here]

Just now, Nilsi said:

The fact that you think you are actually in a position to write such a book shows me how delusional you are.

Even if Leo - who has been seriously investigating reality for decades and has the charisma and style to captivate an audience - wrote such a book, no one would take him serious.

Why ?what it takes in your opinion for people to" take you seriously" ? 

How to be taken seriously?

I know this isn't a rare problem, but for anyone who has made the leap from chump/chumpette to master of the realm, please send help.

I feel constantly overlooked. Aside from affecting my life financially and emotionally, it is straightup gaslighting me at this point. 

- It doesn't matter how rationally and patiently I explain my feelings and needs.

- It doesn't matter how clearly and intelligently I speak, people will always hear whatever they want to.

- It doesn't matter how much I have to repeat myself .

 

It's in every corner of my life. My life has become a living comment section on a Brietbart article..

. I feel like I spend my entire time trying to package some emotional labor with my suggestions to try to facilitate people listening to me, but as soon as I try to straighten my spine a bit and become just plain assertive (not condescending or rude), I'm perceived as being an asshole and it does more damage than just watching people ignore my contributions.

Is there a patch I can download to my personality? What does one do in this position? I 

Anyways, thanks.

Edit: Somehow I'm attracting a lot of trolls with this post. I may not receive respect, but I have self-respect. You should consider it sometime. 
2nd edit: I seriously can't even be taken seriously in this post. This is absurd. This is fucking absurd.

[Nilsi]

5 minutes ago, Someone here said:

Why ?what it takes in your opinion for people to" take you seriously" ? 

How to be taken seriously?

I know this isn't a rare problem, but for anyone who has made the leap from chump/chumpette to master of the realm, please send help.

I feel constantly overlooked. Aside from affecting my life financially and emotionally, it is straightup gaslighting me at this point. 

- It doesn't matter how rationally and patiently I explain my feelings and needs.

- It doesn't matter how clearly and intelligently I speak, people will always hear whatever they want to.

- It doesn't matter how much I have to repeat myself .

 

It's in every corner of my life. My life has become a living comment section on a Brietbart article..

. I feel like I spend my entire time trying to package some emotional labor with my suggestions to try to facilitate people listening to me, but as soon as I try to straighten my spine a bit and become just plain assertive (not condescending or rude), I'm perceived as being an asshole and it does more damage than just watching people ignore my contributions.

Is there a patch I can download to my personality? What does one do in this position? I 

Anyways, thanks.

Edit: Somehow I'm attracting a lot of trolls with this post. I may not receive respect, but I have self-respect. You should consider it sometime. 
2nd edit: I seriously can't even be taken seriously in this post. This is absurd. This is fucking absurd.

Im literally here to help you. If you cant humble yourself and accept the fact that you just havent cultivated (m)any useful skills yet, you will forever be stuck in serfdom.

I gave you some suggestions on what to do. Besides those, I would suggest you leave this forum, leave the philosophical treatises be for a while and focus on cultivating some useful skill (writing, speaking, programming etc.) - learning to fight, seduce hot chicks, make money etc. are also great to ground yourself in something tangible that will make people (and yourself) respect you.

Edited January 25, 2023 by Nilsi

[zurew]

51 minutes ago, Someone here said:

but you were implying that I'm nowhere near the level of these philosophers .like who am I to criticise these top their thinkers? Right? 

When it comes to philosophy, its really easy to bullshit yourself that you know stuff, because in most cases there is no way to test your ideas. You should have definitely asked for feedback from qualified people before you started writing your book.

How many people have you talked to (about your critcisms and ideas), who has a phd in philosophy ? 

Edited January 25, 2023 by zurew

[Someone here]

8 minutes ago, Nilsi said:

Im literally here to help you.

You aren't helping me dude . You are putting me down even though you don't know me personally or how much I know about these subjects . 

Why do people at school think I'm smart, but I don't?

Real smart people are so smart, they doubt their own intelligence.

Dumb people brag about being so smart.

You’re probably smart if you think you’re dumb.

I you expressing “Why am I not very smart”, it all distinctively relates to the “Dunning Kruger effect”. This study has evidently shown that people with less intelligence are prone to having higher interests than average people. 

Am I smart or do I just think I am?

I’m going to be kind of mean here , you sound a lot like me  when I was twelve, and this is some of the stuff I wish I could have told myself.

“As third parties, I would like to ask any of you..based on what I say above, am I intelligent? Super intelligent? Or just knowledgeable? Or just average and got lucky? Or just dumb and thinking I am?”

Now, you sound pretty intelligent. …you’ve got a good resume there. I don’t think you’re dumb, and considering the things you say about yourself, I wouldn’t call you just knowledgeable, either.

Here’s the thing, though. I’m still unsure about the word ‘smart’, but to my mind it implies problem solving (from your grades and self-teaching I assume you have that), and maturity.

You are intelligent, and you know that already. You are not smart, because you are immature.

You asked how mature you’d sound, and how old people would think you were. If you hadn’t told me your age, I would have assumed you were twelve. Maybe thirteen, but not much older. Why?