…or the signal to noise ratio.
(Self-publishing a book: 25 things you need to know by David Carnoy)
Self-publishing promises to be the great hope of would-be authors to make their millions without getting put down by the mainstream publishing “man.” The problem is, there are a lot of people who do not write well, and they have they are willing to take advantage of the ability to get their words in book form.
But that’s not all bad. There’s something to be said for being able to hold a real book, sit in your chair, and savor the time spent in its world, and if it scratches a vanity publishing itch, so be it.
Where I think the self-publishing world really shines, though, is for niche markets. Large publishers don’t necessarily have the incentive to spend their professional resources on otherwise good books that only have appeal for a very small market. That niche appeal is the point that grabbed me in David Carnoy’s list of 25 things you need to know about self-publishing.
The rest of the article is worth your time, too, if you’re considering it.
Now go write that great American novel, or that highly technical book about flux capacitors, or …
Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk, has a book due out this September. Anyone who knows me knows that I consider Michael a friend and a mentor, and his writing has influenced me practically the way NT Wright has academically. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. You can pre-order at Amazon, or follow the link at the bottom of the post to the publisher’s web site. Also, if you are visiting Amazon, please click the link to request that the publisher make the book available for Kindle download.
Mere Churchianity
Graphic courtesy of Aaron Smith (aka CulturalSavage)
An odd thing happened this year. My wife and I did not go to the Cornerstone festival. This has been an annual trip for us for years. As we go longer into the process of waiting to adopt a child, we are compelled to stay closer to home, as we could be called on very short notice to travel anywhere in the US to become parents. This was a bummer, as we missed out on the chance to hang out with Michael Spencer again, and to meet his wife! I’ve been one of the members of his site, The Boar’s Head Tavern, for a few years now, and though we’ve only met in person once (at Cornerstone last year), I consider him a friend. On very short notice, we had the opportunity to go with our youth group to Sonshine. This event is much closer to home, so it would be easy for us to leave quickly if needed. Each Christian festival is its own thing, so we tried not to make comparisons, but we could not help but to notice the differences, adn consider what we liked and disliked about each event.
Good things from Sonshine:
Very clean porta potties. I know this isn’t really fair, becasue the company taking care of the Cstone units does a fantastic job at a Herculean task. But I was very impressed at the fact that every time I needed to do what we all need to do, I didn’t have to deal with something terribly foul. I did miss all the show bills taped to the inside of the door, though. Reading material, people!
More of the music I’d rather hear. There was a lot of what makes Christian music cheesetastic, but there was also some good mainstream stuff. (To be fair again, Cstone also has had these bands.) Skillet, Family Force 5, Reliant K, Sanctus Real, and many more. Cstone intentionally reaches out to a different crowd where music tastes are concerned, but at times I wish there would be a little more to bring in some of the “mainstream.” I love Cstone, and it’s “my” fest with “my” people, but they of all fests are in the unique position to be there for all Christians. I hope they think about it. The reason I make this comment is the overwhelming number of hardcore bands that make me feel like the Gallery and some Mainstage nights are all that is ther for me music-wise. Of course, this may say more about me getting older, too.
Comparisons in favor of Cornerstone:
I understand that Sonshine is held on public ground, but being able to part at least one vehicle at our campsite would really improve things. On one hand, it’s a LOT of work to make multiple trips hiking all the gear a youth group uses from the parking lot to the campsite. That said, kudos to the camp security guy who very kindly assisted us with multiple trips on his four-wheeler. Whoever you are, sir, you do indeed rock. In addition to hauling stuff in, it would be nice to have something on site that locks. Guitars aren’t all cheap, ya know. And, let’s be real here, we have cell phones, ipods, laptops, cameras, etc., and they need charging.
Again, this is probably related to where the fest is held, but the constant need to pass through gates between the camp area and the fest area is an annoying bottle-neck, especially when getting back to camp after the night ends. Something Sonshine could learn from Cstone here that it works very well to come on site, and be on site, without the constant need for credential checks.
Stages. On one hand, it makes for great crowds to have a limited number of stages, but running only 2-3 for nearly the same number of people at each fest limits your choices. This is one of the great things about Cornerstone, in spite of my previous gripe at the current overabundance of hardcore bands.
Non-music events. Here is where Cornerstone really shines in comparison. Sonshine does concerts very well. So does Cornerstone. But again, an advantage for Cornerstone is the presence of thought-provoking seminars, sports events, childrens and youth events, an art gallery and art classes, and film festival. That said, Sonshine had some great main stage speakers with challenging, God-centered messages.
If I may be a bit of a fundy for a bit, one thing did rub me the wrong way at Sonshine. On the opening day, the festival director welcomed everyone and made the point that the fest was primarily about us. Isn’t the point of a Christian festival to be about God? Sure, it’s a big celebration by his people, and there is some honesty there in what most Evangelicals are in contrast to what we profess, but we could at least try to remember that the reason we gather, even if it’s for a few days of fun, is our joy in Christ.
One last gripe, and I’ll stop. I don’t want to sound like Sonshine is a bad fest. It isn’t. In fact, we had fun, and I got to know some of the youth and parents in our church that I didn’t know well before. That’s always a good thing. But for the last criticism, I’ll call it the daily “running of the tarps.” The area immediately in front of the main stage is standing room only. The middle area after that turned into a patchwork of tarps laid down by people to reserve space to sit and watch the shows. Each morning, people would line up at the gates before 6am, and around 7 or 7:30, a significant line formed. When the gates open, people would run like the stampedes at Wal-Mart on the day after Thanksgiving to get their tarps in a good place. The occasional spat over space and moved tarps would mar an otherwise pleasant concert-going experience. This seems somehow our of step with the idea of Christian mutual love and brotherhood, and frankly, rather petty. It encourages a “me first” attitude. I don’t know how long that has been going on, but the fest would do well to find a way to get rid of it and encourage people to just show up and enjoy the shows.
General thoughts.
I’m a Cornerstone veteran. My wife and I have been coming every year since 1993 (in her case, 1996 for me), missing only 2000 and 2009. We have come to expect and embrace the truly diverse and eclectic slice of humanity that shows up there every year. Though we look more like the Sonshine crowd (more on that below), we feel at home at Cornerstone. Cornerstone has it all: hippies, tats, piercings, weird hair, punks, goths, urban types, rural types, suburban types, etc. All are welcome, and none need feel out of place. It is truly a safe place for one to be and express the Christian faith and discuss matters of eternal significance from all points of view while being challenged, but never mocked. At Sonshine, everyone was so … normal, so squeaky clean. It was actually a little disturbing. I felt like I was surrounded by a bunch of Stepford Christians. Seriously, it was creepy. (OK, I’ll be nice, there were a lot of really nice people there of genuine faith, too.)
We had a good time at Sonshine, but if you asked me today, I’d say let me go back to Cornerstone any time, and I don’t know that I’d miss it if I didn’t go back to Sonshine. It’s a good fest, and if that’s your thing, enjoy it. But for me, I’m a Cornerstone fan for life.
I just read that Rick Meigs of The Blind Beggar and Friend of Missional was in a serious motorcycle accident and is in critical condition. Just wanted to spread the word to pray…
Thinkling and BHT member (and all around awesome dude) Jared Wilson shares a thought provoking look at suburban life in America, listing some of its major faults. He has some good ideas for Christians who want to work preemptively in this context, built on five key ideas:
- Intentional Prayer
- Scripture Reading
- Joyful Fasting
- Generosity and Service
- Christian Community
Jared is doing this for real, and you can see what’s happening through his church: Element in Nashville.
This is great (if only to see NT Wright slap the side of his head while saying, “Duh”).
From @jaredwilson: “We are too in love with our buildings and programs to do what it takes to reach those who will never enter them.”
(HT: @emckean via Twitter)
wotd: gnosophagy: and insatiable appetite for knowledge; inordinate curiosity.
Sometimes odd things pop into my head. My BHT friend Kurt mused on Twitter about the humorous mental image of throwing an apple at someone. This entered my twisted head, transmogrified, and came out as throwing a messy sub sandwich at someone’s head.
Then I got the idea that a fun Youtube schtick would be to make slapstick micro-comedies. They would be somewhere in the 5-30 second range. Hucking a sandwich at someone’s head from out of the frame would be a good start.
Carry on…
Please pray for Amy Welborn, a great friend of the Boar’s Head Tavern, on the sudden and untimely passing of her husband.