(Added to this website on 5/26/11.)
In today's economy, new authors - even the best ones - are often ignored by literary agents and publishers. In fact, some of the best books and movies are those that were considered too risky for an investment of time or money. When computers make writing so easy as compared to creating manuscripts that are hand-written or type-written, the number of manuscripts that are submitted in a week to any given agent are excessive.
My own writing is usually factual. I have self-published most of it and had the
backing of magazine editors for some of it. The result has been rewarding to
myself and my readers, primarily because what I write is timeless and copies trickle
out to a specialized group of readers. When writing novels, self-publishing
is not the answer.
The average novel is advertised widely, put out in hardcover editions at first
and eventually reduced to pocketbook size - but always with large numbers of copies
manufactured at one time and sold within a short time.
One of my classmates is an aircraft litigation attorney with a B.S. in engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a J.D. from the Loyola School of Law in New Orleans. He is now a legal consultant for cases requiring his unusual background, and has had time enough to write a novel based upon a unique brotherhood of which he is a member.
He has been an Air Force navigator, Law Clerk to a Louisiana Supreme Court Justice, attorney in private practice, and Assistant Counsel for the Air Transport Association in Montreal. He has worked with the Warsaw Convention, dealt with fares, travel agent contracts, litigation in North and South America, and U.S. regulatory matters affecting international air carriage and Interpol anti-terrorism matters. In 1979, he became a trial attorney with the FAA, representing the Agency in aircraft crash litigation. From 1982 to 1991 in private law, he handled numerous criminal and civil cases. In 1991, in Washington, D.C., he became a Trial Attorney for with the Aviation Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice at their request, serving as lead trial counsel for the United States in litigation of major aircraft crashes.
Bob's book is a thriller that shows some of the inner workings of a close-knit group and the nature of their antagonists. Some of its characters are based on real people and some of its fictional incidents are loosely based on real events. With the events currently taking place in the Middle East and their developing impact on international relations now and into the future, this book will be extremely timely in the next 24 months. Among other subjects, it involves the politics of the region, both pro and anti-American.
This book should be published for both its content and its entertainment value. Because most agents are swamped with manuscripts, and publishers will not accept manuscripts directly from an author, we are asking for suggestions as to how this novel can be directed to those who can publish and advertise it. If you have such a suggestion, you may contact Bob by writing to him at the address below. In the meantime, Bob will continue to write to agents just in case one will take his letter from a huge pile and actually read it.
Robert E. Badger
945 Browntown Road
Bentonville, VA 22610
Thanks for your help.