Picture: Sunrise light on cliffs above Drakes Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California
Many of you will recall my numerous mentions here and elsewhere about my latest upcoming book, California; Yesterday & Today, that had originally meant to be published this year. That’s apparently not gonna happen now. The first note of bad trouble came when I had to request a delay because I fell off a cliff just as I was starting the project. At least I lived through that experience to finish the photos & writing by the revised deadline earlier this Spring.
I thought I did a good job with the text and pairing historical images with modern images. Some photo sets were complimentary, showing a sense of similarity and continuity through the passage of time. Others images were paired to show a disparate relationship, highlighting the changes that have occurred. Editing out certain locations or subjects in order to fit the book’s format was difficult to say the least. I hated to leave something out because there simply wasn’t room in the book.
I just recently woke to find an email from my publisher informing that the book I’d worked so hard on writing, researching, and photographing, poured blood, sweat, and tears for, is no longer going to be published. “Excuse me. Say what?” I never even got to build a promotional web page for it.
Wait, there’s more…
Picture: Fanciful view of Drake’s Bay with the Drake’s vessel, the GOLDEN HIND, at anchor Drake sailed on the California coast in 1577. In: “The Annals of San Francisco”. Frank Soule, John Gihon, and James Nesbit. 1855. (Courtesy: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration; NOAA)
California; Yesterday & Today was going to be part of an already established series of Yesterday & Today (Y&T) books. In fact, when they asked me if I’d be interested in doing the book, they sent me Yesterday & Today books for two other states. My book was one of four new titles being produced for the series. All four titles have now been “indefinitely shelved,” for reasons I won’t go into here. That means three other authors got basically the same email that I did. Boy, do I feel bad & empathetic for them.
We’re not done yet; there’s even more…
The publisher has decided to resurrect my book into a new format, new layout, and with a new title. The book will be re-packaged using the text & photos I’ve already provided, and modeled after a book they already have in the pipeline and set for release in the fall. My book will now be re-titled as Greetings from California: Legends, Landmarks & Lore of the Golden State. Mine is the only book of the four Y&T titles currently being repackaged.
Now I’ll be the first to admit that I’d grown pretty attached to the Y&T concept of pairing images, and was disappointed to hear about the change. But the simple fact is that I’d rather have my book published in a new format, than not published at all. In fact, I feel blessed that they selected mine, and that my hard efforts won’t have been spent in vain. Also, I remember on my last book, Backroads of the California Coast when the publisher called to tell me they were re-formatting that book. I was extremely skeptical of how it would turn out. I held my breath, prayed, and was rewarded with a book that turned out wonderful. In fact, I liked the new format even better than the old. So I now sit with baited breath again, hoping the new format will yield equally impressive results. One of the great aspects of the new format is that I’ll now be able to include images, both historical and modern, that I previously had to leave out, and which should help make this “new” book even better.
The new publication date for Greetings from California: Legends, Landmarks & Lore of the Golden State will be in May of 2011.
f in ge rscr o sse d.
Stay Tuned. More news to come.
Gary – Glad to hear they are still going to use your contribution. I hope it works out well for you!
Ron
Good luck on the book Gary. It’s always tough to get changes after such hard work but at least it won’t take anymore work on your part.
Actually find the words “legend” and “lore” very
appealing…inviting the readers to explore something
new to them, as compared to a more frequently done today
and yesterday format.
Glad the publishers will be using your book; the changes
should be fun to do.
Glad to hear that all the work that you did in your book project won’t be in vain.
Hopefully, you will be able to put this experience in the “All’s well that ends well” category of life experiences when all is said and done.
Glad to hear that your hard work is finding its way to print after all. What a roller coaster ride!
Gorgeous shot! Can’t wait to see your book. Congrats on rolling w/ the punches & being flexible!
Gary, what a terrible thing to go through. The final result shows what a tremendous talent you have, and how hard you have worked to develop it. Congratulations on the revised plan.
However, I think your experience is a passion play of what is happening in the publishing industry today. The bottom line is, no one knows what books will actually sell and turn a profit. But, my sense of things tells me we are on the cusp of a resurging tide – people will return to magazines and books at least for a while, and products such as the Ipad will encourage that. People miss the kind of photography you provide – images that inspire and instill such awe of our beautiful world.
So hang in there, grab the victories that come, and keep developing your vision. It is unique. And, no doubt, the universe is unfolding as it should.
This photograph is absolutely beautiful….There’s something about getting out in nature with the challenge of capturing some of the amazing beauty around us.
Over the past year, I have found myself in the freezing cold, (I’m from Canada) braving snowfalls, and sliding over the ice in winter, then attacked by mosquitoes and black flies in summer, all in the hopes of capturing a glimpse of nature’s beauty with my camera… If you would like to view my website please go to http://marilyns-photo-shoppe.partnersaroundtheworld.com…Thank you..