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     First to Last (The Tale of a Biker) is a new motorcycle enthusiasts book that I just finished writing this year.  The book may be of possible interest to you, my fellow motorcyclists, but the story behind its publication is just as interesting and is still a work in progress.

     A couple of week ago, I asked Angry Bob if it would be appropriate to put an ad on Motorcycle Bloggers plugging my book.  He gave me some much appreciated pointers on how to do so in a manner appropriate for the blog site by personalizing it as a motorcycle article.  This approach would be better than putting a “canned” ad or public relations flyer, like the one shown below, on the blog site of and by itself.

One such ad/flyer was as follows: 

Trash and Michigan Chapter Members,

In Country Vets MC International

Dear Trash and Chapter Members, Have a “look see” at website http://www.dennislid.com/. It’s about a book that answers the question - Where does your treasure lie? It’s about that quest . . . a military man . . . his motorcycle adventures — all weaved into a life’s sojourn of war and peace that culminates in the answer to his lifelong search, and, perhaps, yours as well.

 

Book title:  First to Last (The Tale of a Biker)
Publisher:  Print version (Release date 12 Dec. 06) is (Deleted) Publishing;
eBook version is Digital Pulp Publishing (already released).
Author:  Dennis W. Lid
Go to website:  http://www.dennislid.com/ and click on the book cover for instructions to get the book.
Where does your treasure lie?
Take care,
Dennis Lid LidDennis@aol.com

      All of the foregoing happened before I received word that my print book publisher had gone “belly-up” and was out of business.  This news left the print publisher’s stable of authors in a bind.  It meant that we had to seek release from our publishing contract, retrieve our materials such as manuscripts, book cover designs, photographs, maps and diagrams, captions and biographies from the defunct publisher, and search for a new and reputable, traditional print publisher.

     There were other problems that the defunct publisher had to handle such as payback for books purchased in advance of publication, copyright and ISBN corrections, cancellation of book listings, etc.  The entire process can take up to a year or more to accomplish.

     I’ve been a bit busy since I discussed the matter of putting the book ad or article on the blog site with Angry Bob.  I have revised my website, most of the ads, flyers and news releases for PR purposes and am in the process of retrieving the materials mentioned previously, especially the manuscript and photographs, which have been developed and collected through a lifetime.  The next step is to search for a new print publisher for the print version of First to Last (The Tale of a Biker), then go through the whole publishing process all over again.  Life is full of new beginnings.

     All is not lost.  I am forever thankful that my eBook publisher, Digital Pulp Publishing (DPP) of Palm Springs, California and their ByteIt Press Imprint, has already published my book as an electronic book.  It is available for download onto an eBook Reader or your computer right now.  Just go to DPP or to my website at http://www.dennislid.com/ and click on the book cover or the DPP logo on the links page.

     It is astounding to think that all of this motorcycle memoir book business started a couple of years ago when I wrote a magazine article.  I took a careful look at the article after getting it published with one time rights, and decided to expand and elaborate on it to create a book.

     I proposed the idea to a publisher in Florida who was starting up a new motorcycle book division.  He encouraged me to write the book and expressed an interest in considering it, when completed, for possible publication.  So, I wrote the book, submitted it for his perusal a year later, and after several months received a rejection letter.  It wasn’t the story or the way it was written, he noted.  It was that his editors felt that the book would appeal to only a niche market rather than a broad market of buyers.  Of course, as the author, I disagree with his editors.  My story is a good one, well told, with a broad target audience of adventurers, romanticists, sportsmen, military and motorcycle enthusiasts, hobbyists, realists and dreamers alike.  Good grief! What more could they want.

     I went to work finding a publisher to prove my point.  I found Digital Pulp Publishing (DPP) first.  They are an eBook publisher, but they do not publish printed books that you can see on the shelf of a book store or library and hold in your hand. The contract was signed and they published my eBooK.  Meanwhile, I continued my search for a print publisher and found one.  Unfortunately, after negotiations and modifications of the print publisher contract to exclude all electronic rights so as not to infringe on the DPP Contract, the printed book version contract was signed.  A release date of 12 December 2006 was set, and the print book was being prepared for publication on that date.  Then it happened.  The print book publishing company went out of business four months later - one week prior to the book’s release date. 

     As I said, a good story well written appeals to a very broad audience and market.  It appeals to a niche market, too.  Yet, this remains a mute point that is in the process of being proven.  The publication of my book is one-half realized in the form of an eBook; the other half, publication as a print book, is still a work in progress.  That’s the story of the publication of one good motorcycle book.  I’d sure like to know what my readers think.  The only way that will happen is if folks buy my book, read it and tell me what they think on my website guestbook at http://www.dennislid.com/, or by email at LidDennis@aol.com.   Only time will tell.  Meanwhile, I wish you all well.

Skid Lid