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I suppose I had better give an update on my memoirs since I did take a few pre orders and I expect those few customers may feel that they might never see the book or their money again.

The book has already been written. At present I am going through a laborious and tedious task of going through each chapter to eliminate various typos and bad punctuation and irritating matters like trying to figure out where capital letters go. This latter thing is sheer torture and if I had known about it beforehand I would probably have never written the bloody book.

Anyway I am now up to Chapter Ten in the correction process and there are only 4 chapters left to figure out. Once I have done the corrections Ariel Frailich of Card Stories fame will deal with them. Ariel is laying out the book for me and helping me with technical matters. He is actually a magic book publisher himself but on this occasion he is dealing with the layout rather than publishing it. I am the sole publisher so when nobody gets their book after giving me money you are supposed to scream for my blood, not his. Come to think of it he is probably worried about being paid himself. And if you eventually read my memoirs you will soon figure out why.

After the corrections are done we have to figure out where to put various photographs. And then we have to figure out the cover. And then the books have to be printed.

When I first tried to sell them at my International Magic lecture recently Martin MacMillan advised me to settle on a publication date and he said that would make people buy them quicker. So I just made one up off the top of my head of November 15th. And it worked. Mandrake himself gave me money as did Jerry Sadowitz. And four others. One chap at the lecture was sensible enough to say that he wanted my book but he wasn't going to give me any money until it came out. Very wise of him.

Ariel has advised me that nobody keeps to publication dates and you will all be expected to wait another three years or so by which time I will be quite dead and that will teach you all not to give people money in advance.

I therefore have some doubts if the November 15th deadline will be kept. However, you never know. It might be. We shall see. In the meantime I will keep you all updated on here as to progress. As soon as I know the corrections have been done you will all be notified. And when Ariel has put them into the layout. So that will be two notifications. And then another notification once the photos are done. Then another notification once the cover is done. And one final notification when the printing is done and those of you have pre-ordered will finally get your books and those of you who have been bright enough not to give me money in advance will be able to order and expect your books very quickly indeed. You may be surprised to hear that the books will be printed in the UK so you won't have to spend the usual extortionate rates for postage from overseas.

Anyway this plan I think is the best way of keeping people informed bit by bit as to what is happening with my long awaited memoirs. One thing I am quite sure of. It is going to be a fantastic book. I am tempted to say more wonderful things about it but I wouldn't want anyone to think I was immodest.

The corrections from my end have now been completed. I now have to wait until Ariel puts them into the layout. The nest thing is the cover. Ariel is somewhat horrified by my proposed cover and that is delaying things a trifle. I want a picture of me with my eyes closed sniffing a giant fan of money. He wants something a trifle more classy and conservative. I am not too fussy about "quality and class". I want crass bad taste and a lack of subtlety. There have been several photographs and suggestions for covers.

Ariel likes some and doesn't like others. Paul Pacific says he doesn't like any of them. I think he wants a picture of his bloody feet plastered all over the cover but I have assured him that it ain't gonna happen.

Sniffing the wad seems spot on to me!

I thought so too. The resistance and sulking from Ariel is making me feel terribly guilty. However, I have to be true to the tone of my book. He wants boring head shots and suchlike or a collage of different images of things I do. Thus there would be an image of my hypnotising people, doing psychic readings, doing a kid show, selling svengali decks etc; He feels it would be more in tune with the title of the book showing my various lives.

Not me. I just want people to see me sniffing money with my eyes closed.

Not only that he doesn't like the other idea I had of including a little excerpt of an article written about me for the back cover. It was an amusing article from a journalism student which won her a university scholarship. She saw me selling svengali decks and wrote it all up. She made more money from me selling the decks than I did.

I wanted to put all this or at least part of it on the back cover. I have already posted this a few years ago.
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/sutra176078.php

I just got this in from distinguished musician Tony Moore who used to work for me. He showed up at my London lectures recently. I wanted a little introduction from him for my book.
When you have finished reading it take a peek at the You Tube clips and you will see how highly respected he is in the music business.
........................................................................................................
Hi Ronnie

Sorry for the delay - it's been a hectic week..

I was honoured with a Gold Badge Award
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_89EDLSjSk

then I played at The Albert Hall on Thursday !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wlVFK4PgOQ

And yes, it was great to see you - I am starting to put into practise some Chinese Numerology and reading up on palmistry and Tarot !

Here is my introduction:
...........................................................................................................

I first met Ronnie McLeod (as I knew him) in the early 70's when I was about 12 or 13. I had just stumbled on the ability to spring cards when my parents took me to the Bristol Ideal Homes exhibition, I saw Ronnie sat at a booth with a big sign saying " Magic Demonstrations". After seeing him also springing the cards, I precociously went up to him and said I could do that! Thus began a long working relationship with Ronnie, learning magic and selling svengalis. I did two summer seasons in Blackpool and even went to Toronto with him for 3 months when I was nearly 18.

Those days taught me so much about life AND gave me an income that I used to buy expensive keyboards and equipment ready to start my life as a professional musician. I always look back fondly on my time spent with him. To many he appeared mean and moody, but to me he was the most generous of souls and a man of honour and passion, a real friend. I eventually stopped working for him to go and play in a band that no one had ever heard of, a band called Iron Maiden...but that's another story.

Tony Moore - London - 2010

The corrections have now been done and we are working on the photos. I think that has either been completed or nearly so. All we really have to worry about now is the cover.
I don't think you will have to wait too long.

I am STILL doing corrections. I thought I had finished with them but more have turned up. I never realised what a painfully slow process writing a book is. And it takes just as long to edit and produce the book as it does to write it.

And of course I am doing Christmas shows which are distracting me from completing the book. Ariel is now pressuring me to finish rather than the other way round which is the usual case.

We are getting there though. It won't be long now. At least it had better not be otherwise the damn book will be published posthumously.

mark lewis wrote: it takes just as long to edit and produce the book as it does to write it.

I definitely agree with that. Editing something you've written is harder than editing someone else's work because you can become what I call 'copy blind', reading what you think you wrote rather than what's actually there.

Best of luck with it. I'm looking forward to the results.

T.

I have now done the corrections and I utterly refuse to do any more. The book is done all except for the cover. Hopefully that will be done any day now and in fact possibly today. Then off to the printer which oddly enough looks like a load of complicated aggro filling out forms and doing lots of complicated computer stuff that I do not understand and am not capable of.

I have no idea how long it takes to print a book. And of course Christmas and New Year holidays are getting in the way. I hope I live long enough to see this bloody book in print. I can't believe what a painfully slow process it is. And I haven't the slightest idea what the price will be.

It'll be worth it though. I honestly think this will be the book of the year. I am wondering who I would like to star in the movie when it is made.

mark lewis wrote:I am wondering who I would like to star in the movie when it is made.

I just Danny DeVito flash through my mind when I read that for some reason.

How very odd. Someone else said that.

We are getting there. I actually have a sample proof copy of the book in my hand. If it had been perfect I could have started to sell them immediately to the American market (other countries including the UK and believe or not Canada where I live would have to wait a couple of weeks longer). It is a hard backed substantial tome of 322 pages.

The book looks great but alas they have screwed up the writing on the spine so that will mean another delay while they fix it. It is going to sell for $40 or 25 pounds in the UK. I think I will be able to do free shipping for both countries. Alas other countries including ironically Canada will have to pay a $10 surcharge for shipping and handling.

The book will be printed simultaneously in both the US and the UK. The US will be first and then Blighty second. We will get there in the end.

It is a fantastic book and anything good is worth waiting for. Incidentally members of the Society of American magicians will be able to see a 4 page extract in the February issue of MUM magazine.

Making good progress now. A new sample book has arrived in Toronto but I haven't seen it yet. If it is fine and dandy that means I can start to sell the book. And the good news is that I can sell to the UK and other countries straight away rather than have to delay it as I originally thought.
Technically I can start to take orders right now but I would rather you all hold off for a couple of days until I make sure this sample book is fine and also so that I can figure out the logistics of shipping to various countries. To someone as technologically challenged as myself it is going to take a little while to figure it all out.

The book is up for sale on my website but I am in the odd position of hoping that nobody buys it until I figure things out.

In the meantime you can read this:
http://canadasmagic.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... owman.html

Alas more teething trouble. The second sample book that arrives ALSO screwed up the wording on the spine but in a different way so they are sending me ANOTHER sample book to be proofed. If they don't get it right this time I will jump off a tall building. I have already taken people's money and have had to explain to them that there will be a delay in delivery because of this. That'll teach them not to buy things from grafters and if they ever get to read the book they will soon see why.

You are all better off to hold off for a few days until I can sort this spine mess out. And then it will be full steam ahead!

Good luck Mark, I'll be interested to see this when it's all ready