UPDATE: ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of MY FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK on COINCIDENCES

FANTASIES and REALITY

The following are some observations concerning my expectations and realizations associated with the publication of my first published book: DEMYSTIFYING MEANINGFUL COINCIDENCES: (SYNCHRONICITIES): The Evolving Self, The Personal Unconscious, and The Creative Process.

FANTASIES:

• Although the cover price of $70.00 is high - my book will achieve notable success. In a years time I would expect to sell at least 500 copies.
• The publisher will be so impressed with sales and critical reviews that they will  make a second paper back edition after after the first year.
• I will have at least one major event a month for the first year of publication.
• Local book stores will hound me to speak at book events.
• I will achieve a high ranking in Amazon re books about synchronicities.

REALITY:

• The official sales figures to date released by the publisher are 158 copies sold.  Since the average number of books sold are 200 this is not too disappointing.
• The publisher is unimpressed by the sales figures to date ... and would need to have at least 250 hard copes sold to consider a paper edition. This seems absolutely absurd to me as a reduced price of about $17.00 for a hot issue like coincidences in my 'non business mind' would likely generate a huge market. Or so my next set of fantasies strongly suggests.
• I did have about 6 events but keeping up with planning and executing them along with a full time job is daunting.
• Local book stores want to make a profit. My book is too expensive thus too little profit, hence no speaking engagements.
• Out of 600 plus books categorized as synchronicity for most of the year I was ranked between #15 and 52. However in the last week my book for reasons which I don't understand has been ranked #2.

All in all - while I have not attained the fame and fortune of which I have dreamed - I also have not been a dismal failure. The facts of the matter have spurred me on to most likely self publish a memoir I call: MY ODYSSEY: Turbulent Beginnings Treating Drug Addicts in the Late Sixties.

Self publishing allows me to retain rights, be published in the next few months, price the book so it will likely sell to more people, and have the belief (perhaps unjustified) that I am controlling my fate as an author.

On to a New Year.....