Archive for the 'Publishing' Category

Nonduality Street Interview: Connie Shaw (Sentient Publications)

May 20, 2011

Featured is an interview with Connie Shaw, founder and publisher of Sentient Publications.

We talk about her book (co-written with Ike Allen) The Tao of Walt Whitman, the poetry scene, insights and trends regarding the publishing business, how to get published, and what kind of books she’s always looking for. Connie talks about spiritual influences going back to childhood and through the Sixties.

To be honest, I edited this interview a little too tightly, that is to say, I didn’t leave enough room for a breath or two. That means the interview buzzes along, but a little too quickly. It’s still a fascinating and valuable interview. Just listen carefully. Thank you.

Download link:
http://nonduality.com/nondualitystreet_connieshaw.mp3

Walt Whitman’s radiant poetry is a source of contemporary inspiration. His ecumenical wisdom, which includes both transcendentalism and realism, is encapsulated here in short verses for each day of the year. These, along with a daily action step, become a springboard for readers to transform themselves. The sublime poetry combined with exercises for self-reflection will make this unique pocket-sized daybook a constant companion for those seeking greater balance in their lives.

Find out more and order from Sentient Publications.

Order from Amazon.com.

Visit “The Tao of Walt Whitman” Facebook page.

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A Tip for Publishing Your Nonduality Book

February 22, 2010

A prospective publisher or literary agent will usually ask whether your book is original. Here’s a way to approach that question:

To a vast audience, yes, your book is probably original. To a specific nonduality audience it’s probably less original.

The audience for nonduality books is layered like an onion. There is the “very hard core nonduality” layer , the “hard core,” the medium core, the soft core layer, etc.

I’m not going to give examples of each layer, but if you’re writing a book on nonduality I’m sure you have your own impressions. You can define each layer by the kinds of books, media, personalities, and lifestyles with which it is identified.

Your book will sell throughout all those layers, but the huge audience is outside the onion altogether, drawing its fumes.

Envision your audience and determine the degree of originality of your book for each layer and within the atmosphere of the fumes. (I hope you don’t hate onions.) Then communicate to the publisher a picture of the originality of your book. Show where and how your book fills a niche.

As part of a marketing plan, also show how you will enter each layer and hustle your book.

-Jerry Katz

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Why Ken Wilber Was Not Included In My Book

September 13, 2008

Jerry,

I like your “Essential Writings on Nonduality”…excellent representation! One question. Where is Ken Wilber? Is he at odds with some nondual writers? I realize Integral Theory can be perceived as rather elitist. Could you give me the inside scoop as to why there is no mention of Wilber’s valuable work in your book? Wilber is a great admirer of Ramana Maharshi. Does Integral Theory conflict with the views of many nondualist writers? Please respond, as this whole area intrigues me. I await your kind reply.

peace, (name withheld)

Hi ____.

Thanks for reading Essential Writings on Nonduality. I couldn’t include everyone I wanted to in the book, for various reasons. Ken has written some the best descriptions of nonduality there are. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to get permission from Shambhala Publications to reprint writings. I killed myself to get permission and they ignored me at every turn. Publishers such as Random House and Doubleday, however, were quick to respond and easy to do business with.

The business of “getting permissions” is a big part of composing an anthology, and Shambhala fails miserably in the permissions department. That’s the reason Ken wasn’t in my book. The same was true for the founder of Aikido, since his work was also published by Shambhala and I could not get permission to reprint his stuff either.

Shambhala did not refuse to give permissions. They simply ignore your requests to receive permission.

Also I couldn’t get permission to reprint anything by Nisargadatta Maharaj, from Acorn Press.

The worst of the worst, though, was an outfit called Blue Dove Press. I won’t say anything more than that. I see now that their website no longer exists, so perhaps they were having serious problems. I hope they’re okay.

Besides the permissions problem, there were space limitations, which accounts for other authors not being included. I’ll have to do a second volume!

On the left hand side of this page click on the category “publishing” and you’ll find out more than you want to know about editing anthologies.

Thanks for writing.

Jerry Katz

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The Nonduality Game and How To Situate Yourself Within It

April 13, 2008

The non-duality game is all about knowing, developing, and promoting your niche within nondual spirituality. What I want to talk about is situating yourself within the game. I’m going to use the board game analogy, where you have a plain board and glued on top of it a printed sheet containing spaces within which the mechanics of the game play out.

Nondual spirituality comes in two varieties. One kind is essentially silence. Since this kind of silence is neither empty nor full, there are no words to describe it. If it was empty or full, it could be described because those qualities are known to everyone. The silent kind is like the board of a board game prior to the gluing on of the wonderful world of the game.

The second variety of nondual spirituality, then, is the colorful world of the game. It’s very busy. A roll of the dice and men move from square to square, cards are picked, spinners are spun. This is the game of nonduality. This is where I am right now.

You cannot play the game unless you have a leg in both worlds: one leg in the silent, pure game board prior to the gluing on of the game, and another leg on the printed sheet that goes on top of the plain and untainted board.

That’s your starting position. The only thing that changes is the weight you put on each leg. There’s a time to be fully involved in the game and a time to withdraw.

The bottom line in the nonduality game is to find a unique place on the thin printed game sheet that is glued onto the clear, perfect, unstained board right beneath it, without ever fully leaving one or the other. If you become lost in one or the other, you’re out. Go sit on the couch and watch Oprah.

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Publishing Nonduality Books – Part 6

February 25, 2008

This is the last part — for now — on publishing nonduality books. It is about sharing costs with an established publisher. I think this is — or at least it could be — the best route.

Fact is, you have to spend some of your own money anyway. You have to pay to get your book edited, for an index to be written, for a website, for any niche advertising you want to do.

You may have to pay for any review copies you want to send out. You have to pay for permissions to reprint. There could be other expenses that are part of positioning your book for sales.

If you share publishing costs with your publisher, you can negotiate some or all of the above expenses. Sharing costs with your publisher demonstrates your seriousness.

It drives you to achieve a break-even point. It could give you a voice within the publishing company. It may even lead to your own imprint or marketing name within that established publishing house.

Having your own brand under the umbrella of a reputable publisher is a whole other direction. It is where I’ll end this brief series on publishing nonduality books.

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Publishing Nonduality Books – Part 5

February 3, 2008

This entry is about getting a literary agent. If you are a serious writer and want to give your book the best shot for success, at the very least research what a literary agent can do for you. Even if you choose not to get an agent, what you will learn will help you communicate with others in your publishing adventure.

Some literary agents do understand the teaching of nonduality and are looking for books to represent. They will not require you to compromise your message.

The following books show what agents do, the fine details they take care of, and what they expect from authors.

How to Get a Literary Agent, by Michael Larsen

Literary Agents: What They Do, How They Do It, and How to Find and Work with the Right One for You, Revised and Expanded by Michael Larsen

Research the above books on Amazon.com and consider alternative titles, as well.

In Larsen’s How to Write a Book Proposal, mentioned in a previous entry, there is an excellent brief chapter entitled, How An Agent Can Help You. Here are excerpts from that chapter in a section entitled Four Ways Agents Can Help You That You Can’t Help Yourself:

1. Agents understand editors’ expectations, so when they submit a proposal, it is closer to 100 percent than you can make it without help. … because editors aren’t interested in books that will require a lot of editing.

2. An agent can get you the best possible editor, publisher, and deal for your book.

3. An agent can negotiate the best contract terms.

4. An agent can respond to the questions and problems that arise during the long publication process that you won’t be able to answer for yourself.

The above four points do not even scratch the surface of what you need to know about literary agents.

In this entry I hope to have convinced you to research getting a literary agent for your book.

Now, here is some news about an agent I think you’ll like. Namaste Publishing, which publishes Eckhart Tolle’s books and those of other highly regarded authors, is now serving as a literary agent. The following is from www.namastepublishing.com/contact.asp:

“Namaste Publishing currently has a full quota of books for publication and is not accepting submissions. However, books in a wide range of genres may be submitted for agenting by Namaste Literary Agency. Please follow the guidelines for submission. Namaste Literary Agency is happy to receive manuscripts from first-time authors. If a book has been self-published, it may still be eligible for representation.”

Visit the link above for more information.

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