I have changed the title of this post, and I have also changed the post itself, and I will explain why.
When I decided to publish independently through Invisible Man Books, it was after my second book had been published by a major Indian publisher in 1997, and I had run into censorship problems.
Since December 1997, Invisible Man Books has published six titles, including 5 original titles, in print, and every one of them is a daring book, daring in its own way. Kuldip Nayar, author and journalist, said of "The Killing of an Author": "An integrity that is rare." Others have described the books as "courageous" and "going where no Indian writer has gone before" (see http://www.richardcrasta.com/reviews.htm for details). Every one of these books would not have been in existence but for Invisible Man Books, and the very existence of Invisible Man Books, is a challenge to the Establishment. Many of these contain Prefaces that are manifestos of independence, of nonconformism, and resistance: yes, even the Preface to What We All Need, which I have just published at my other blog: http://richardcrasta.blogspot.com
Maybe I was wrong to be so naive, but I have never regarded my writing or my publishing as a business (though I am aware of the need to survive so I can continue writing). I regard myself as a freedom fighter, as a fighter for justice and for democratic rights, someone in the service of a larger cause. Writing and publishing, to me, is part of my my commitment to freedom of expression--to equal freedom of expression for all human beings, including those of Indian origin. At lulu.com, where The Killing of an Author was first published as a POD book, one reviewer calls it "not a book, but an act of bravery."
I have regarded my work as a sacred calling, as a public service, as something I owe both to myself and society. I am flabbergasted when someone asks me "How is your business?" or "What is the breakeven point for your books"? And I realize these people don't know the first thing about me. I have invested about $50,000 of my time and money into these 6 books over 12 years from 1997 to 2009, and partly because I have been cheated by distributors, booksellers, and others, and the books repressed and treated as mere commodities, with far less respect than "Chicken Soup" and bathroom joke books, and I have earned back only around $10,000. In my blogs, especially at http://richardcrasta.blogspot.com , I have campaigned for public interest causes.
Freedom is never free. If you wish that Invisible Man Books should continue to be in existence, not to bow its head and slink away, not to have no premises even to store its books, feel free to follow up your wish with action by clicking on the "Tip Jar" at the top of this blog (slightly right of center) or by ordering books at http://www.richardcrasta.com/buybooks.htm
Also, as a symbolic gesture of support, you can "like" the Invisible Man Books page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Invisible-Man-Books/234258493292819
Thank you!
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