I'm pretty happy with progress this week for the Holy Bull bio. At this point, I'm getting ready to take a trip into the pressure cooker that surrounds a high-profile colt during the pre-Kentucky Derby runup and examine the Bull's Derby flop. It was a race that was simply too bad to be a true bill on his ability, but what led to his turning in such a horrible performance? That's the question I have to try and answer, or at least to present enough evidence on to allow readers to draw their own conclusions.
Pictures are probably going to be more of a headache than the writing. So far, the Keeneland Library has been able to supply some material, but I'll need more, and at a cost I can afford since I have to pay any licensure fees myself. Those who have read my previous post, "Picture This" (October 26, 2023), know that this isn't exactly a new gripe, but I'll say it again: tracking down photographs for books is a pain, and often an expensive pain. Like most writers, I'm far from rich, which leads to a dilemma; I want photographers to reap a fair return for use of their work, just as I'd like to receive a fair return for mine, but I do have to consider whether my personal budget can handle the required fees, especially given that there's no guarantee that I will ever see a profit from a book no matter how much effort I put into writing the best book I can and then marketing it. Those of you who are already published authors know very well what I am talking about. Those of you who aren't, consider yourselves warned.
Pictures are probably going to be more of a headache than the writing. So far, the Keeneland Library has been able to supply some material, but I'll need more, and at a cost I can afford since I have to pay any licensure fees myself. Those who have read my previous post, "Picture This" (October 26, 2023), know that this isn't exactly a new gripe, but I'll say it again: tracking down photographs for books is a pain, and often an expensive pain. Like most writers, I'm far from rich, which leads to a dilemma; I want photographers to reap a fair return for use of their work, just as I'd like to receive a fair return for mine, but I do have to consider whether my personal budget can handle the required fees, especially given that there's no guarantee that I will ever see a profit from a book no matter how much effort I put into writing the best book I can and then marketing it. Those of you who are already published authors know very well what I am talking about. Those of you who aren't, consider yourselves warned.