Sep 27, 2015

Who are ‘Trekonomics’ readers (II) : qualitative overview

Dear Trekonomics backers and readers,

As promised, here is the first installment of my responses to your responses. Please pardon the apparent lack of structured argument!

First, the mystery of the single backer sent from libertarian haunt Marginal Revolution has been solved. He is from a city above the Arctic Circle, famous for its iron ore, in lovely Sweden.

Second, I must say that people are nice. My cynicism and declining faith in humanity have been proven wrong. Your responses are an inspiration and a reminder that yes, some of the strange altruistic behaviors on display in Star Trek are in fact already a reality.

Next to the numerous words of encouragements, all much appreciated, one of you asked about my experience writing and publishing the book. Here’s DH:

“Curious about your experience getting this book written and to publication. I'm currently working on a fairly narrow-interest book (probably unsuitable for mainstream publishers) and am looking at distribution options.”

So far my experience has been very, very good. I was going to go the old school route, through an agent and a legacy publisher. Felix Salmon convinced me otherwise and connected me with Inkshares. While a startup, Inkshares has already several books under its belt. They know their stuff, and have been very supportive in both small and large ways. Larry Levitsky, chairman and co-founder, keeps repeating to me that the book is the “author’s business” and that Inkshares is merely the platform. It is an understatement and a humblebrag : Inkshares not only helps authors build a public following for their work, it also edits, designs and print the books (once successfully funded). Amazon, to mention the elephant in the room, does not.

So DH, narrow-interest does not necessarily mean small audience (Trekonomics is a case in point). In fact, promoting your “narrow-interest” project through inkshares and social media may help you reach all those interested in a much more efficient way. In short, I would definitely consider Inkshares.

Some of you expressed disappointment at the announced publishing schedule (right now, it says August 2016). For instance:

“I have to wait another year? I thought this things was ready to go. Doesn't matter -- I'll be excited whenever it arrives.”

Me too I thought it was ready to go! It is hard to stop writing and hand over the manuscript. But even when ready to go, it is not: once you hand over the manuscript, it must go through editing. It is a fairly involved process which adds to production time. Designing the cover and the look-and-feel are next. This requires many iterations and tweaks as it is what the public will see online and in bookstores. Finally, printing in large volume is not done overnight. 

In short, editing, publishing and distributing a book is neither easy nor quick. In fact it is long and difficult (and note that I am not even talking about writing itself). Legacy publishing houses have lead times of one to two years. Inkshares, while more nimble than others, is still an honest to goodness publishing house. It strives to cut down a lot of the usual time-to-market, but absolutely refuses to cut any corners or skimp on anything. So there you have it. The book, inside and out will be as awesome as can be. Which means time and care. As I mentioned before, we are doing our utmost to deliver the book in your hands earlier than advertised.

I will close this first round with this observation by another reader

“I think trekonomics is not just an understanding of what the world could be but also a state of mind. After just reading the first chapter my thinking on personal wealth, goals in life, and what is truly important, was changed forever.”

This is a very startling comment, and I cannot thank that reader enough for sharing it. It touches upon some of my long-time obsessions, most notably with the kind of effective altruism first proposed by Peter Singer in his famous 1972 paper: “Famine, Affluence and Morality.” For those who do not know about it, please take some time to read that article. It is arguably one of the most important philosophical thesis of the past 50 years.

Until the next update, with all my gratitude,

Live long, and prosper.

Manu