user2071 Loc: New England

[/quote]

Is that what we call a back handed compliment?[/quote]

Which side of the hand you see is determined by your perspective. I don't see the back side of his hand personally. I see generic encouragement.[/quote]

There was a time when I sold pictures. A lot of them. But hardly ever the ones I really liked. I took pictures that people wanted taken and I got to a point where I actually started to dislike taking pictures at all. And for about 10 years, I pretty much stopped entirely. I didn't even own a camera. I was "one client over the line" and I went back to writing, something I do as easily as breathing in and out. I don't have to work at writing. It's just THERE.

Photography is more of a challenge for me, but in some ways, I love it more too ... I love it like I loved playing the piano. It is part of my heart and soul. And maybe that's why I don't try to sell it. I don't mind giving it away if someone really likes it, but I can't bear the idea of marketing it.

It was bad enough spending a year writing a book and then spending another year realizing I'd never sell it. Not merely not sell it, but never even get anyone to actually read the manuscript. I can't do that again, not with photography. I'm still bleeding from the last war. Not ready to fight another.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

That's what I said in the first sentence. You were protected from it by being a B2B business.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

Why did nobody read it? Publishers wouldn't accept it for consideration? Did you know you can now self-publish at Amazon's book division and create only one copy if you like and it costs virtually nothing to do so? It's not like the old days where you had to put out $5,000+ for a first production run.

Publishers and editors are many times the reason for quality writing never getting to print and it is lost forever. Just like Producers and A&R people at record companies are many times the reason a musical artist never gets the acclaim they should have.

Bypass them and do your own thing!

stansgrl63 Loc: Pascagoula MS

I was looking for a simple answer yes or no.....not to start a debate, much less someone insulting anybody.....This is why newbies to any profession are scared to ask questions about their chosen career......either someone will guide them or some jack a** will insult them for asking a simple question!

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

So let's review... you got the answer you wanted back on Page 1 to your valid question. You were guided. You thanked everybody and left. We all chose to have some debate, agreements, disagreements, misunderstandings, etc. Our issues with each other were resolved while you were gone. You were never insulted or even mentioned again.

Newbies are never insulted here unless they come in looking for a egotistical argument. You weren't and no insults were thrown at you by anybody. So what's your problem? Did you need to just pop in and use the word jack a** for the fun of it?

user2071 Loc: New England

I did self publish. I sold a few hundred. That's how I learned to use Photoshop ... I had to make the cover for the book. I designed the entire book, inside and out and for reasons still obscure to me, decided to illustrate it, which is how I learned even MORE about Photoshop. I already knew how to design books... I'd designed hundreds of them over the years, just never a novel. I learned a lot, got a book in print (it's still, as far as I know, available from Amazon), and moved on.

Publishing, like everything else, is very changed from what it once was. I worked in publishing, long ago and far away, when Doubleday was an American company and we got 2 hour lunches because we were creative and needed space to create. It was a different world. There were editors and proof readers. Editors really read manuscripts, not software robots looking for buzz words. There were a LOT of publishers and a lot more people read books. For that matter, there were real BOOK stores. Go find one these days.

No one is interested in a first book by an older person. They want mysteries or sci fi or fantasy by young writers who will write 40 more best sellers, not an old writer who'll write one, maybe two books at most.

And if you don't have an 'in' ... if you don't know someone who knows someone to give you an entree, you may very well never get a "read". I never did. I can truly say I was never rejected because no one ever read the manuscript.

It was an experience. Not a bad one, but an enormous amount of work. For an entire year, I did nothing but write and edit. For a second year, I did nothing but design and edit the book. For the third year, I did book signings, TV shows, radio shows, more TV, radio, signings, until I never wanted to look at the book again.

A lot of water under the bridge since then.

I take pictures for the art and because it gets me out of the house and back into the world. Photography gives me creative legs to stand on, but I don't need it as a profession.

stansgrl63 Loc: Pascagoula MS

No I wasn't mentioned by name....but let's look at it this way we are all grown and we don't have to insult to get our point across, do we? I didn't refer to anyone on here as being a jacka**, I was talking in general. Stop trying to read something there that I in no way said to you Marco or anyone else for that matter!

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

You weren't mentioned by name. You weren't mentioned at all nor even alluded to after page 1. You weren't insulted any time throughout this subject matter. I had to go back a few minutes ago to the original post to even be sure it was you who posted it. Your question was not insulted.

So I'm still wondering what your beef is? The hostilities are over, some apologies and conversations were handled offline, and everyone is appeased - so what is the motivation for you kicking a dead horse?

jolly1

Oh, you mentioned "kicking a dead horse." Perhaps you should caution the gentleman to never kick a cow pie on a hot day. . .

Angel Loc: Ohio

Never thought of that. Diffently something to consider.