Roger's Book
Roger -
I looked over your the site describing your materials and I started at the Table of Contents, following your admonition to Carmelo. Of course, I would have started there anyway.
I did not find the book scholarly or intimidaing at all. It is not written for dummies or idiots to be sure but a parent who is looking for a good private school or even the best public school to send their child to, or a high school or college student who is looking for a "how to study" handbook are going to be interested in reading such a book. Our slightly upscale neighborhood in Orange County is just full of concerned parents who want the best for their children as far as education is concerned. My Son graduated high school in 2000 and my daughter in 2004 so we are talking not that long ago. The parents, usually college educated, were extremely interested in their children's education from the time the kids started even preschool.
I think your market is these types of good middle class or upper middle class types of parents, fairly well educated themselves and with a strong desire to have their children receive the best possible education. For that particular group of people, your book is pitched at the proper level to communicate to them. If you go into the ghetto or the Latin barrios, the average level of the parents and the students may make the book a bit lofty but still not out of their reach as far as their ability to understand and work with the principles. Plus, in those communities you will appeal to those families who are determined to get a good education and move up and out of their ghettos and also many of the Teachers who teach in those areas will be VERY interested in reading your book because they need help in making there jobs both more bearable and more fulfilling.!
A SPANISH EDITION AND ALSO THE ASIAN COMMUNITY
Marketing the book in the Southwest portion of the USA, once you get rolling, I suggest you have a spanish translation of your book done. It could probably be translated in Spanish for very little extra cost and you would reach a vastly larger percentage of your public. I am in Orange County, California, which until recently was thought of as all white and totally Christian. It used to look like the Germany of the 30's here not too long ago, so many blond and blue eyed people constituted the population. However, nowadays, I would say that close to half the people in Orange County have Spanish as their main language. It is totally a bi-lingual community here now and blonde and blues eyes are probably only 20% to 25% of the population.
The Asian community, virtually all major denominations, excel in education and the parents are brutal in forcing their children to study. The Asians outperform the Caucasians statistically in every area of academic education. If I was to pick the most intense studiers, it would be the Koreans, especially in Math, Science and Computer studies. China has two camps, mainlanders and Taiwanese, The Taiwanese are much more hip and modern, similar to the Japanese while the mainland Chinese are more "old school" and crusty but both groups want and demand good educations. The Japanese are a more independent group - you know how they are, they don't make a lot of noise but just demonstrate industriousness and competence. The Vietnamese are very keen on education as well.
TWO FACETS OF YOUR BOOK
I perceive that your book is two books within one (at least 2 books if not more!). The first part of your book concerns barriers to study and what they are and how to remove them. To get into this portion of the book, you have had to get into the philosopy of why people want to and need to learn so as to suceed in life and enjoy life. This is cut and dried and probably other books about study might briefly touch on this.
However, you develop a "not directly related to study portion of your book" and you go to such a degree that a second book is written within the first book, or at least that is what I got out of your Table of Contents and its supporting comments.
In this second facet of your book, you take on the ambitious project of giving your readers almost a complete philosophy of life! A good book on How to teach, how to study is great value for only $27.95. Now, you are actually sweetening the deal and for free are giving people almost a "primer" on how to live life and how to live a better life than the readers ever believed possible. This is certainly exchange in abundance!!
It is akin to Lao Tze, when he was asked to write up his philosophy of life by the guard at the Citiy gate, writing up his philosophy as requested and then throwing in another sub book within his book telling how to best study his philosopy and in fact to study or teach any subject. IT IS QUITE A BONUS TO THROW IN THE EXTRA PHILOSOPHICAL MATERIAL WHICH YOU AND VIRGINIA THROW IN. I was even thinking that C of S might not like your book for two reasons, first borrowing some of Hubbard's study tech and second for throwing in some philosophical sections which make your book a competitor to what they are selling. I am sure you have worked all this type of thing out already before you got this far.
MARKETING
You have got something here that is desparately needed and wanted by societies all over the world though many people may not know that they need it or even that they want it. This book has to be carefully marketed and if that is done professionally and correctly, I think you may have a "Tiger by its tail" and the book could become a landmark book and actually contribute a great deal to improving conditions on Earth. The how to teach and how to study portions are the things which need to be marketed. The philosophy portion is attached to those rather seamlsessly and will be absorbed and applled as the steps in the book are drilled.
The book has enormous potential! On a saner planet, something like this would be recognized for what it is and quickly be assimilated into society and be standard issue in every college book store. On planet Earth, competing with crap and smut and MTV, it will take a brilliant marketing effort but this book could really go far and help make a better world.!!!
Lakey
P.S. Rog - I put that other education website up yesterday with a link to your new book. I got about 90 views yesterday but no one wrote any reply except me. If you could write a little blurb on that thread, it my help unstick things so that more people will respond. If that does not work, you could just start a new thread yourself, just talking about your new book
)
I've just gotten a glimpse of the website, will really give a good long hard look soon when I have more time.
