Hello my fellow miscreants,
By now you all know I am in the final charge for my novel’s release date (sometime in November). Because it’s my first, I am going to end up Indie publishing it, [I do not have the name to get a publisher interested - and with out that first 'hint' I am one of a million people trying to do a book]. no big deal. I sat down and priced out some things I would need. [all these numbers are from professional sources]
Book cover – 400.00
Model (for campaign) 15.00 an hour [only restriction – no nudity]
Photographer – 50.00 an hour for 4 hour session [has done a ½ dozen covers and has a photo book out – IE he has some credibility]
Makeup Artist – [for monster on one of the covers] 150.00
Not the end of the world, well with in the budget.
The reason I have been so quite these last few days, I wanted to look at using other ‘amateurs’ like me, people who are trying to break out of the amateur status and go pro.
For me to lose my amateur status, I have been submitting articles and shorts for publication. I have already received 2 article requests <taking bow to your applause>. Granted, for both articles, I got Jack Squat for payment, and they are in small distribution E-zines, but still I am putting my writing out to show what I can do. It’s getting my name out, building my ‘brand’ that is important.
I put out feelers for people who are wanting to break out, and had 4 meetings:
The local book cover person I talked to told me they needed 800.00 to do it ‘because there is a lot of things they will need to learn how to do’
It’s after statements like that when I am happy people can’t read my mind.
The model that replied sent a head shot, but she wants 20.00 and hour, has a tattoo on her leg we will need to cover, but can’t use makeup because its ‘fresh’, doesn’t want her face on the book cover, wants her boyfriend at the shoots with a full veto power, and wants 10% of the sales because she is on the cover.
All I can think is “I want a new sports car and a naked supermodel to drive me around!”
The Photographer I know, who is still unemployed, and no longer is receiving benefits wanted 200.00 an hour. He has no work published, no professional credits, but he did spend 10K on his equipment and needs to recoup the costs.
I swear I need Botox so my facial tells are subdued, the grunt and walking out of the meeting I can’t control…
And last but not least, my makeup artist can’t make any of the 8 dates I asked about because they are going to birthday parties, the water park, the amusement park….(fill in the list as you wish, I quit reading after getting that far)
So the moral of these stories of frustration? If you are going to do something (like publish a Novel) and you’re tempted to ‘help out the locals’, use your God complex and remember that the Lord helps those that help themselves.
