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Book review, anyone?
Of course, friends who read it tell me the book is good. What else could an author expect from friends? Brothers can be more critical. Long ago, when the world was young, my brother and I agreed that we would always tell each other the truth. For example, if I had an important date, I might ask my mother how I looked. "You look nice. Now, drive carefully." That's what she would say. My dad would say, "Be careful and make sure there's gas in the car when you come home." My brother, who was sworn to honesty, would lay it out: "You need a hair cut, tuck in your shirt tail, and take off those white socks." I could count on him. What about this book of fiction? I would like a review from someone who does not know me and whose only concern is to give an honest evaluation of a literary piece of work. Professionals do such things. In science and mathematics, when a new work is to be presented, a manuscript is submitted to a publisher. The publisher sends the manuscript to several experts in the field asking them to decide if the results are new, true, and interesting. This process is called "refereeing the manuscript" and may take up to a year. Even if favorable reports come back to the editor, the decision may be that the paper is not really in the special interest of the journal. For example, journals that publish papers in algebra would not accept a new, true, and interesting paper in geometry. If there is a decision to accept the manuscript for publication, then depending on the backlog, it may take another year to get the paper in circulation. Next come the reviews. I once saw a review of a paper that said the results were good, but the paper read as though it was written by a committee. It was. A similar process is carried out with fiction. Some authors talk about three to five years from completion of the manuscript until the publication of a book of fiction. Of course, this is not true for all authors. I could list several authors for which a publishing house would pay in advance for a manuscript. You can bet that the New York Times and the Mobile Press Register will write a review of this celebrity author's novel when it appears. Maybe before. What about Jim Herod? "Jim Who?" is what a publisher of fiction would say. And, after hearing an explanation of who Jim is, an editor might reply, "Who is your agent?" Without an agent, there is only a small chance that an author would hear, "Send us your manuscript and we'll consider it." After all, some publishers get thousands of manuscripts and publish 10 or 20 books a year. Folks, I stand before a mirror almost every morning to shave. I know very well that I am almost 71 years old. In part for that reason, I made the choice to by-pass some of the process. I went to a publisher who would get my manuscript in publication within three months. An important part of the process has been omitted. The manuscript did not get the critical reviews before publication. A good book should have three properties: it should contain a good story that is well crafted, and attractively bound. I believe I have a good story; else I would not have written it. Right? The publisher did an good job of putting together the cover, as well as making a good layout. But, who am I - a person who has lived a life of mathematics and science - to judge the quality of the craft? I contacted the head of an organization that does book reviews. His response was for me to have my publicist send a copy of the book and a high resolution picture of the front cover. Publicist? Surely, he jests. I have two choices. One is to remind this guy that my book was published by a Publish- On-Demand firm and let him decide whether or not he ever wants to hold the book in his hands. The other is to be satisfied with reviews of my friends. Look. If you see me at the Post Office, don't ask. Okay? Believe me, if I send the book to be reviewed and get a good review, I'll tell you.
Jim Herod is a retired college professor living on the edge of the Nethermost on the southside of Grove Hill.
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