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If you see a notice on
the Internet that my book, Turkey:
Bright Sun, Strong Tea is
"not available," don't
believe it! Same thing if you hear that from your
local bookstore.
It is available! I
know. I'm the publisher!
Here's the story: for nearly 40 years
I wrote guidebooks for major publishers—Frommer's,
Berlitz, Lonely Planet. It
was a wonderful way to make a living.
(Read Turkey:
Bright Sun, Strong Tea to find out how great it is
to be a travel writer.) I loved working
for these publishing companies.
But now, the first place that travelers
go for travel information is the Internet, not
a guidebook.
I wrote Turkey:
Bright Sun, Strong Tea to
be published as a traditional paper
book (rather than just as an e-book),
but I chose to publish
it myself (except in Turkey,
where it is published by Homer
Books).
Why publish it myself?
Because the traditional world of book
publishing is immensely profitable for everyone...except
the author!
Oh sure, authors of blockbuster best
sellers make
lots of money, but—believe
me when I tell you this—authors
of most books cannot make a living
writing books! Most book authors
have "day jobs" to support
their writing. Here's why it pays so
poorly:
If you buy a US$20 guidebook, the
bookstore gets about $8, the distributor
$3 or $4, the publisher about $6. The
author used to get about $2, but now
it's far less than that, maybe as little
as 50¢ or even 25¢ per book.
What???
Scandalous? I certainly
think so!
I decided that the traditional publishing
business was broken and unfixable (at
least from the author's point of view).
I decided that I would publish my own
book (it's not all that difficult in
these days of desktop publishing),
and sell
it exclusively in
the new worldwide marketplace:
the
Internet.
So you won't find Turkey:
Bright Sun, Strong Tea in
bookstores. Oh sure, they may
special-order it
for you, but that means they contact
me, ask for a book, and I send
it to them. I'd rather
send an autographed and
inscribed copy directly
to you, saving all of
us trouble and expense. (Bookstores
don't really make a profit on special
orders. They do it as a favor to
you, their customer.)
Don't get me wrong. I love bookstores. I
spend a lot of time in them. But I
spend much more time online, and
I buy most of my books online, too.
As I said, it's the new worldwide 24/7/365
marketplace, with good prices, customer
reviews, and lots of useful services.
One of the great advantages of publishing
my book is that I can keep
it in print forever. That's
why I
know it is available right now:
although it is selling fairly quickly, I
have copies right here to
send to you. And I do not intend to
let my book
go out of print. Unlike traditionally-published
books (which may go out of print in
six months or less), Turkey:
Bright Sun, Strong Tea will
always be in print...and available.
Thanks for reading this l-o-n-g explanation.
If you'd like to read Turkey:
Bright Sun, Strong Tea, I
suggest you start
here with these free
excerpts (plenty of them!)
If you like what you're reading, and
you'd like to continue reading
on your flight or trip to Turkey,
you can order
my book online right here.
Or, if you prefer, from Amazon.com (but
that won't be an inscribed copy
with a Nazar
Bonjuk....)
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!
—Tom
Brosnahan
Free
Excerpts from Turkey:
Bright Sun, Strong Tea
Order the Book Online
Photos for Turkey:
Bright Sun, Strong Tea
Recommended Itineraries in
Turkey
Travel Details
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