Everything You Wanted To Know About Publishing
(And Was Not Afraid To Ask During My Book’s Q & A)
It’s never been easier to publish a book. This is a fact. And it’s never been harder to make a living from books.
Nobody has listened to more hours of writing workshops than myself (in this household). I have been attending writing conferences, hired to live draw book and writing events (and often speak at them) and then listen to all the recordings of the sessions I missed as they went on simultaneously — this week I listened to over thirty three hours of writing workshops. Additionally, I get books at these events on the subject, and if I’m not listening to the panel, I’m on the panel, or at least talking to someone who is a publishing expert. I’ve also bounced around and worked with many different publishers — my head is filled with publishing stuff. (I was once even hired to illustrate a book called something like How To Become a Bestseller. The writer tried to convince me to accept as payment, royalties. Having read the manuscript, I knew I wanted to be paid up front. The book never did find a publisher.)
So I’m going to share here everything you have to do to go publish your book (in one paragraph below). I’m doing this to avoid future Q & As where someone begins explaining about how they are now retired from accounting and want to be a bestseller, pivoting the event from adoring my new book to telling the crowd about theirs (usually about some medical hardship involving a pet or a SciFi romance where the ex is now a ghost or works in the stable.).
Here goes. Every publishing question can be answered online…Listen to Free Advice Fridays (run by Keri Barnum who can be hired to make your book happen). I have been listening to Keri for years (Even with an agent and a publisher, so much falls on the author nowadays)…Sign up for Jane Friedman’s two newsletters. They are the best for inside baseball stuff…To get to the next level? Attend the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference — it will change your writing life. If you are afraid to come in New York City for that, at least subscribe to the magazine. If you go, do Pitch Slam to land an agent…I would strongly suggest these three books; How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen, The Pocket Guide to Publishing: 100 Things Authors Should Know and The Pocket Guide to Marketing both by John L Koehler and Joe Coccar…Hang out and support your local bookshop…Meet other writers in the genre you are passionate about by joining writing groups, book clubs or meeting people at book fairs and book events…Be nice, Listen, Observe…Write something every day. Do this because you enjoy it, not because you expect it to make you rich & famous.
That’s it. You’re welcome. Now let’s talk about me, for God’s sake.
My new book is here: Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums by Chronicle Books. The hardcover book comes out on National Museum Day, May 18th, but can be pre-ordered NOWIt can be pre-ordered NOW.
Inside the book you will find 155 original pieces of artwork, illustrating 75 museums. There are stories for each museum in the book, some highlighting the museum (it’s history or a story about the place), some showcasing a particular piece of work in the museums collection. The stories come from curators, museum workers, or museum visitors as well as museum lovers and friends…and some unexpected sources like Michelle Obama, Bill Murray, Ozzy Osborne and my mom.
A special thanks to acclaimed writer Elizabeth McCracken for the Foreword — I love it.
The museums include the biggest (The MET and The Smithsonian) as well as the offbeat (Museum of Bad Art, the Spam Museum), spanning North America — the US, Canada, and Mexico. These museums span collections that specialize in art, natural history, academia and science, and more. Featured museums include:
American Museum of Natural History, New York
Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City, Mexico
The Field Museum, Chicago
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles
Museum of Motherhood, St. Petersburg, Florida
The National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC
The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City
And 56 more
I tried to think of what I could do as a sequel to my Footnotes from the World’s Greatest Bookstores book when I had heard about how much museums were struggling due to the pandemic. I decided a book on museums would not only be fun but by showing off these museums, people would want to get out to see these places.
In order to write the book, I visited many museums in a very short period (some I visited on-line). I didn’t realize there were hundreds, and on every topic imaginable (and I consider myself to be a museum-goer who lives in New York City). So I talked with people everywhere I went as I continuously drew, inspired by the artwork and conversations I had just experienced in the museums.I draw, inspired by the artwork I had just seen in the museums. I kind of wish this project never ended. That’s my wish. If this book is well-received and I would love nothing better then to have the opportunity to do a sequel, one that includes those museums that didn’t make it into this book, but also, I would like to expand the project to include museums from around the world.
But first things first. I just hope that when one reads the book it conveys some of the same exhilaration I felt when I encountered the museums (and convinces you to then visit or at least plan a visit some of them. Maybe the book can become a museum bucket list.).
If you buy a copy of my book as a Thank You I will give to you a 1-year subscription to the PAID version of this newsletter. Just email me using the button below that you bought the book — honor system.
Nowadays, any book’s success is driven by word-of-mouth and reviews. So, if you enjoy the book, I would greatly appreciate any love you can give my way. Here are some enthusiastic reviews so far…
“A beautifully written and painted love letter to the museums of North America.”
— Max Hollein, director & CEO, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
“Bob Eckstein is a national treasure.” — David Plotz, CEO of City Cast, former CEO of Atlas Obscura
“Bob knows how to make a book come alive. And the range of his artistic taste is very impressive. Where else would you find the Museum of Fine Arts Boston alongside the Spam Museum?” — Sir Michael Palin, actor, comedian, author, and member of Monty Python
“A serene collection of some of North America’s most famous museums. Suitable for all ages and great for finding new places to visit.” — Library Journal
This issue I’m giving a shout-out to four other new books from four different genres. As always, I ask you to consider purchasing from your local bookstore first.
Vegan Soups and Stews for All Seasons is by Nava Atlas, the same writer who creates the Literary Ladies Guide. The full photo book contains 120 recipes.
Cartoonist Liana Finck has come out with a new children’s picture book called You Broke It!
Writer Barbara Camp has a collection of humorous short stories called Your Soul: Fixer-Upper or Tear-Down? (The Bible Blueprint for Renovation and Rebuild!)
Asher Perlman, New Yorker cartoonist and writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, has a new collection of his cartoons called Well, This Is Me: A Cartoon Collection from the New Yorker's Asher Perlman. You can check out his book at Bookshop.org, which gives a portion of sales back to indie bookstores.
And with that, this ends another issue of The Bob. Be well.
(The next issue of The Bob will be a paid edition that is a free chapter of my upcoming book, Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums.)
Good publishing advice, Bob. Jane Friedman is especially worthwhile.
Hi just ordered a copy and excited to live near one never gone to (Bainbridge Island )