I have quite a few footnotes in my first published non-fiction book, but you have to have a lot to show that you did research and that you used it well.
A medieval author could also be simply fishing for money. Christine de Pisan is useful here as a datum, because most authors had other jobs. She just wrote. One book a year, and she was able to support herself, her mother, her sister, and her children, on the gifts from those she dedicated them to.
Fascinating. I love paratext. Regarding the dedication, there's a section in Lifemanship, by Stephen Potter, in which he suggests using the Dedication to forestall any criticism of the book by reviewers:
"Dedicationship
A. C. Y. Davis invented a means of wording his dedications so that criticism of his book was practically impossible, e.g. 'TO PHYLLIS in the hope that one day God's glorious gift of sight may be restored to her. Critics and reviewers naturally felt it would be bad taste to be rude about Davis's book (Spring on the Arun) with such a dedication. Only I knew tha Phyllis was, in fact, Davis's great-grandmother, extremely short-sighted, it is true. And not surprising, at the age of 96."
As for the Acknowledgements section, I would advise authors to keep a running file of who has helped them. I have twice been omitted from the Acknowledgements section of books where I offered and provided substantial input as it was being written. I was highly offended each time, and left me with a marked disinclination to offer to assist on future projects.
Incidently, the editor of an education magazine in England has asked me to review The Idea Machine. It's being sent to me from America, so hopefully it will arrive in time. I'll republish the review and send you a link or a copy in due course.
"Philosopher Aaron James dedicated one of his books to his parents. The title? A**holes: A Theory. So, we’re left wondering, who was worse, Mom or Dad?"
And that's the last time he was invited for Thanksgiving... 😂
I have quite a few footnotes in my first published non-fiction book, but you have to have a lot to show that you did research and that you used it well.
I meant endnotes, but that's mostly the same thing.
A medieval author could also be simply fishing for money. Christine de Pisan is useful here as a datum, because most authors had other jobs. She just wrote. One book a year, and she was able to support herself, her mother, her sister, and her children, on the gifts from those she dedicated them to.
Patronage was the whole ballgame.
Fascinating. I love paratext. Regarding the dedication, there's a section in Lifemanship, by Stephen Potter, in which he suggests using the Dedication to forestall any criticism of the book by reviewers:
"Dedicationship
A. C. Y. Davis invented a means of wording his dedications so that criticism of his book was practically impossible, e.g. 'TO PHYLLIS in the hope that one day God's glorious gift of sight may be restored to her. Critics and reviewers naturally felt it would be bad taste to be rude about Davis's book (Spring on the Arun) with such a dedication. Only I knew tha Phyllis was, in fact, Davis's great-grandmother, extremely short-sighted, it is true. And not surprising, at the age of 96."
As for the Acknowledgements section, I would advise authors to keep a running file of who has helped them. I have twice been omitted from the Acknowledgements section of books where I offered and provided substantial input as it was being written. I was highly offended each time, and left me with a marked disinclination to offer to assist on future projects.
Incidently, the editor of an education magazine in England has asked me to review The Idea Machine. It's being sent to me from America, so hopefully it will arrive in time. I'll republish the review and send you a link or a copy in due course.
That Davis story is hilarious. And thank you so much for reviewing The Idea Machine!
I love Berdyaev. Hilarious about footnoting the dream.
I’ve edited maybe a couple hundred books in my time. I never had an author try that one on me.
May I brag on the frontmatter for a cookbook I participated in? It was Novel Tips On Rice: What to Cook When You'd Rather be Writing. Here it is:
The NovelMatters authors cannot be held responsible for
any untoward factors related to the development and use
of this cookbook, including but not limited to: errors in
printing and/or errors in judgment; food poisoning,
gagging children; small kitchen fires, large kitchen fires,
house fires of any description; appliance malfunctions,
ingredient malfunctions, logic malfunctions; wrong
measurements, unauthorized condiments, failure to rise;
rejection slips, slips of the tongue, slip and fall cases; the
spoiled or out of date condition of your ingredients or
query hooks; marital disputes, editorial disagreements,
writing‐related depression; accidental insertions of
chapters from WIPs due to rogue cut and paste computer
functions; hurt feelings, moral outrages, menopausal
symptoms; forgetfulness, hearing loss, oblivion; ringing in
the ears, phantom tastes, missing‐limb syndrome; weight
gain, weight loss, intolerance to all waiting; list‐obsession,
list‐phobia, listlessness; tics or other involuntary actions;
allergies, lip chewing or any other causes of swelling of
the mouth; technophobia, claustrophobia, cibophobia
(look it up), bibliophobia, gynephobia, chronophobia;
dropsy, palsy, leprosy or any other King James malady. Or
from any other Bible version.
Magnificent!
"Philosopher Aaron James dedicated one of his books to his parents. The title? A**holes: A Theory. So, we’re left wondering, who was worse, Mom or Dad?"
And that's the last time he was invited for Thanksgiving... 😂