On Fact or Fiction ?

[Guest guest]

ON FACT OR FICTION ?

 

Dear Bhagavatas,

 

I am overwhelmed by the spate of requests for posting excerpts from my

book "Explaining the Unexplained- Myths, Miracles and Mysticism in

Hinduism- What do they signify ?"

 

Though I did not want to post the letter from my publishers, the posting

by Mr. Krishna Susarla and others inspired me to post the same - before

I start the series on the subject " Fact or fiction?" This is because my

publishers feel that the material has universal appeal in understanding

the episodes in our scriptures in the proper perspective.

 

The publishers and the independent reader (whose review follows) point

to the relevance of the episodes in our scriptures not only for the

devout Hindus but also those outside the pale of Hindu religious

thoughts and practices.

 

The book was written primarily for the information of those not exposed

to our Scriptures. Hence, it may look pedastrian and maybe like

my‘carrying coal to New Castle’ to some of you atleast and I crave your

indulgence.

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

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LETTER FROM PUBLISHER:

 

Dear Mr. Ramaswamy:

 

We have fully appraised your manuscript "Explaining the Unexplained -

Myths, Miracles and Mysticism in Hinduism: What do they signify?" and I

have discussed the project in great detail both with the reader and with

the members of the editorial teams in the USA and UK. We agree your work

would enhance both of our lists considerably and we are pleased to make

you an offer of publication

 

As we are only prepared to accept works which have the potential to be

commercially viable, we are very selective in the material we choose for

our book lists. Your work certainly falls into this category since, as I

anticipated, your manuscript proved to be very impressive. The Readers’

report is enclosed for your review and as you will see, it is most

complimentary. Explaining the Unexplained tells the rich history of

myths, miracles and mysteries which form an integral part of the Hindu

faith as described in your work. You do an excellent job of explaining

how such teachings relate to an often times degenerate modern world.

Thus, your work demonstrates how the past may be used in a way to

enhance the present. Your manuscript is well written and extremely

readable. There is no doubt that those interested in Hinduism and its

teachings should enjoy your work. Congratulations on the completion of

such a well written and informative manuscript. Overall. I feel that

your manuscript should be very well received by a diverse group of

people.

 

Our United Kingdom Office feels that considering the book’s potential it

is an excellent candidate in their own international lists. Therefore,

we are more than happy to offer joint promotion. This means that

"Explaining the Unexplained" will be made available within the USA and

the UK simultaneously; hence, widening the potential market for your

book. The book should have considerable universal appeal because of its

subject matter. We are also represented by Biramo Books Pty.Ltd in

Australia and Baker & Taylor, one of the largest book wholesalers in the

United States. Our titles are accessible to the 17,000 Libraries, 6,500

Bookstores and 4,000 Universities that compile Baker & Taylor’s current

customer list. Our primary distributor in the USA is Southern Publishers

Group which has access to major bookstore chains nationwide.

 

The work of publication includes editorial advice, page layout and

design, cover design, printing and binding, marketing and promotion,

warehousing and distribution, in addition to our knowledgeable expertise

and personalized service throughout the entire publishing process. As

the author, you will have opportunities to approve both galley and page

proofs prior to publication. You will also receive several cover designs

for your approval and at that time you can consider the retail price of

the book. All copies in the first press run belong to the author and are

available at any time to you for personal use. Our authors find this

beneficial for times when they wish to bestow personal, signed copies to

friends and family, and have copies on hand for special publicity

occasions.

 

Our marketing strategy is individualized for each book. It is the

tailored plan which aids the efforts of a successful promotion campaign.

Our marketing coordinator will produce a comprehensive strategy for your

book, a copy of which you will receive for approval prior to the

publication release. She takes a keen interest in marketing of each

author’s book which in many cases is a work of a lifetime. Our goal is

to pursue various advertising avenues that will make your book available

to readers. This is done through a number of publishing networks based

on the experience of our international staffs.

 

There are various ways of producing a book of this kind but after much

deliberation, we would suggest that you consider publishing in a 6" x 9"

size, perfect bound (soft cover) form, with an attractive two color

laminated cover created by our design team. The result would be a high

quality edition which would fully reflect the caliber of the material it

contains but one which would be still accessible to a potentially

extensive readership, particularly as it will be offered on both sides

of the Atlantic.

 

We will take care of securing the proper copyright forms to be

registered with the US Copyright office in your name as exclusive

Copyright holder.

Additionally, we will obtain a US Library of Congress Number an

International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and a Bookland EAN bar code

which are all necessary for the book trade. We will also make sure that

your book is listed in the nationally d publication"Books in

Print", in addition to other appropriate sources. All of the services

mentioned are a part of our publishing proposal to you.

 

I hope this information proves of value to you and you seriously

consider proceeding with publication since a particularly fine book will

result. I appreciate that there is much to think about in a project of

this kind. This being the case, do not hesitate to contact me. I will

gladly endeavor to elaborate on any point or explain matters further so

that we may proceed with the publication.

 

A formal publishing agreement is enclosed for your review. Should you

decide to proceed with the publication, you may sign and witness both

the copies of the agreement where indicated and return them to me. We

will add the appropriate signatures and return a copy for your file.

 

May I offer, again, my compliments on the completion of such a

distinguished manuscript. Mr. Ramaswamy, We look forward to adding it to

our list of upcoming releases.

With kind regards,

(Sd)……………

Managing Editor

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