I don't get it. He was spending $40,000/month on his living expenses while being afraid that he wouldn't be able to afford diapers and food for his baby? How was this guy running his life so wrong? Did it somehow cost him that much to maintain his unsellable house in the financial district of New York? Are we supposed to feel sympathy for him?
> He called me back one time. We had known each other forever but had never had an issue where someone didn’t want one of my books. So now I saw what happened when someone didn’t want one of my books. “If you are going to tell me how to do my job,” he said, “this relationship is over.” I mumbled an apology and he hung up.<p>When I first read this, it seemed to me that the agent is at fault. If every editor rejected the proposal, <i>shouldn't he find out why?</i><p>> So I wrote an email to Hollis and explained why the book would be good for her. She agreed to meet me. She said to me, “this proposal seems like it was written by wikipedia. You need to give us a real methodology for what to do when the end of the world hits.”<p>So our author had to do the agent's work for him?
Just an observation on the first bit:<p>Wow, kind of concerning how money centric some people are. He would rather kill himself to leave his family money, than try to raise his family poor? I don't have kids so I don't know. Is this a realistic thought for any of you? Would you commit suicide in lieu of being a failure, to try and leave something for your kids? Is that making the best out of a bad situation?
Writing a book (my O'Reilly book) was the hardest thing I've ever done. It took me a year and I can't count the number of days I just sat in front of a blank screen just willing myself to write something (and usually failing).<p>All that was worth it when I first got to walk into a bookstore and see my book on the bookshelves. :)
If you're <i>losing</i> money on your books you're doing it wrong. With self-publishing companies like lulu.com and the negligible costs of selling e-books on the Nook there's no reason to have negative costs<p>... unless you're so caught up in image that you're willing pay money for the fake "prestige" of having a "real" publisher.
As James is participating on this thread, I will simply ask this question rather than speculate: How many good things have come as a result of the credibility being a "published author" has given you?
You know, I started investing heavily in the stock market around the time that "Forever Portfolio" came out in late 2008. By not being frightened about the current economic turmoil and actually investing with a long-term outlook, I'm sitting pretty damn good now 2.5 years later.
I'm not surprised noone bought his books. Trade Like a Hedge Fund is $35.08 on Kindle. People will always opt for the $9 book (even if they think the book that's $25 more expensive will make them more money)
"...I eeked out my $40,000 a month..."<p>OH NOOOOOOOOO<p>(I write insightful comments so that I may also write cathartic ones like this. Vote however you like.)<p>Edit: This comment was ill-conceived in every way possible.