Advice from members about new book

[Tom Butler]

I am coming close to finishing a book and it is time to decide if I am going to publish it with AA-EVP Publishing (atransc.org) or try to find a publisher. I would like your thoughts on which makes most sense.

 

The Table of Contents is outlined below. The book begins with a redefinition of the Survival Hypothesis with added information from lessons learned in transcommunication, especially EVP/ITC. The Implicit Cosmology and other discourses in Section I provide a detailed study of how survival might be understood.

 

The second section is my take on the environment in which survival is studied. To give you an idea of the tone, I begin the Science Commentary with: Hands down the most disruptive influence for the paranormalist community is science. (One of the most disappointing part of directing the Association TransCommunication has been the general absence of parapsychologists, yet most of our people keep looking to them for help ... Wizard of Oz Syndrome!) 

 

The third section goes into the phenomena and how it relates to the Trans-Survival Hypothesis. Much of the section is based on lessons learned from managing the ATransC for fifteen years.

At 500 pages, the book is not an easy read. I consider it a disclosure of a theory for survival and trans-etheric phenomena with supporting material for further study. While the book will help a serious researcher or practitioner understand the phenomena, it is one of those "You have to do the work to learn" kind of books.

 

The title of the book is Implicit Cosmology. It is formatted for a 6” X 9” paperback book. It has 81 diagrams, photographs and ITC examples, a glossary of terms with around 200 entries and something like 200 references. Both versions include an index while the eBook version also uses numerous internal hyperlinks.

 

I had the hardbound Handbook of Metaphysics published in 1994 (ISBN: 0-8158-0485-7) and a couple paperback novels that were published but which never made it to the book shelves because of publisher bankruptcy or the publisher going to jail. Those experiences have left me with a bad taste about publishers and agents, but I think I may need their help getting this one out.

 

Do you have any suggestions?

 

Section I Implicit Cosmology
Introduction to the Theory
Essay 1: Trans-survival Hypothesis
Essay 2: Implicit Cosmology
Essay 3: Organizing Principles
Essay 4: Source
Essay 5: The Nature of Reality
Essay 6: Etheric Fields
Essay 7: Life Fields
Essay 8: Personality-centric Perspective
Essay 9: Perception and Expression
Essay 10: Perceptual Agreement
Essay 11: Mindfulness
Essay 12: Progression, Teaching and the Community
Essay 13: Cosmology of Imaginary Space

Section II Commentaries
Commentary 1: Introduction
Commentary 2: Community
Commentary 3: Point of View
Commentary 4: Etheric Studies
Commentary 5: Science
Commentary 6: Psi Research
Commentary 7: Skeptics
Commentary 8: Wikipedia
Commentary 9: Perspective

Section III Transcommunication
Transcommunication Introduction
Phenomena 1 Foundation Principles
Phenomena 2 The Nature of Transcommunication
Phenomena 3 Audio ITC a.k.a. EVP
Phenomena 4 Visual ITC
Phenomena 5 Artifacts and Perceptual Error
Phenomena 6 Mediumship
Phenomena 7 Healing Intention
Phenomena 8 Introduction to Best Practices
Phenomena 9 Best Practices: Classifying Phenomena
Phenomena 10 Best Practices: Witness Panel
Phenomena 11 Transcommunication Research

Closing Comments
Glossary of Terms
Index

[Rick Darby]

Tom,

Best if you can find an outside publisher who will promote the book, but that will be hard unless you first have a good agent. (It sounds like you have had some negative experiences along this line.) In all honesty, this sounds too esoteric for a qualified commercial agent to get involved with.

Self-publishing is a more direct route, will be quicker, and you will have complete control -- not necessarily the case with an outside publisher. But promotion is still the key. A few well-placed ads and reviews in relevant publications will be useful. And of course you have your own organization as a launch pad.

I agree with your assessment that the greatest barrier to conveying important paranormal information is not ignorant people in general, or dim-brained journalists, but conventional and closed-minded scientists.

[Tom Butler]

Thanks for the input Rick.

I have settled on self-publishing via print on demand. We used Ingram's Lightning Source for a book we wrote for the Association TransCommunication as AA-EVP Publishing. We will revive that publisher name.

I have found a good copy editor and the book is in his hands now while I develop a proper name and cover. You are right that self-publishing is a lot of work, but once done, having the full control is a benefit.

We also have around 700 daily website visitors so I can develop a little internal publicity. It is not a popular press kind of work, so volume sales is not an expected outcome under any condition.

Perhaps on the market mid-summer.

[Lee Lawrence]

WOW Tom,  I love your table of contents.  That's a very comprehensive book.

May I ask where you are located?

I would like to discuss some of the topics in your book with you.

namaste'

Lee

[Tom Butler]

Lee, sorry for the delay. We have been on the road and Internet communication has been spotty.

We are in Reno, NV. I maintain the ATransC Idea Exchange discussion board at http://atransc.org/forum/. That is a good place to discuss questions and ideas.