If we had no way of evaluating a book from its cover and blurb then we'd end up reading a lot of pretty awful books. Those who are put off by this book so they won't invest the time to read it through are making a pretty rational choice in my opinion. That's not to say others won't read it and enjoy it. Good for them.
Another new book: Jehovah's Witnesses - AN EXPOSE, written by a former elder and retired veteran United Airlines pilot
by AndersonsInfo 98 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Nathan Natas
"...do it for PROFIT"
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Yeah, I'm sure THAT is the way SO MANY XJWs have become billionaires!
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
I probably have about as much experience with publishing as anyone here. MAYBE the best one can hope for is to break even after maybe ten years!
My point is that the PROFIT MOTIVE is absent from THIS equation, my friend!
Now, I DID have a few thoughts about Jim Staelens as I read some of the promotional material... thoughts like WHY is 50 years experience as an Airline Pilot such a vaunted credential? Why is 50 years as a Watchtower Slave not grounds to say, "Man, how dopey ARE you?" Speaking for myself, I got out with less than 20 years in the belly of the Borg (and less than ten years after becoming a legal adult. Maybe Staelens should sit at MY knee... instead of the other way around.
I decided to do something UNIQUE. I bought a copy of the book so I can evaluate it on its merits instead of trying to justify my knee-jerk reaction.
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edmond dantes
Well said Barbara and thanks for all your hard work.
If the book helps people to see a scar on the face of humanity which the Watchtower Org. is so much the better.
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VIII
Perhaps if s/he were Serena Williams and wrote a book about the JWs and how awful and deceifful they were s/he'd have more credibility and a lot more people would read it and pay attention. And it actually might make money!
Since that isn't likely to happen, ex-JWs from out of nowhere will continue to write books no one will read about their unique experience (thinking it's unique, when it's really not, we've all been there, done that) and hope they have that best seller that will be made into a blockbuster movie.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say this isn't the one. Heck, no one cares about all the famous Scientologists coming out. Why care about some ex-JWs?
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Nathan Natas
VIII, I agree with you, and here's why:
(1)there aren't enough JWs and XJWs to create a profitable target audience.
(2) Generally speaking, JWS and XJWs are cheap and won't fork over a nickle for a book that doesn't promise ETERNAL LIFE as a reward for reading it.
I guess it could be said that the WTB&TS ruined part of the publications marketplace.
But I can't agree with you about non-unique experiences. Most JWs/XJWs are women and have never had the "priviledge" of serving as an MS, Elder or higher. Most JWs/XJWs have never "served" at Bethel, or as missionairies. Most JWs/XJWs have not been the victim of a pedophile. Most JWs/XJWs did not go to prison for refusing to cooperate with a military draft. There are numerous "little crowds" of JWs/xJWs who have had experiebces that are unique, and there is value in telling these stories, but the renumeration is seldom in terms of vast, un-dreamed-of wealth.
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Las Malvinas son Argentinas
I've read a lot of ex-JW books. The problem with most is that they either draw upon existing material and reference it, or tread over similar tales already told. There was one that I read which constantly referenced Crisis of Conscience. Halfway through I put it down and just started on COC for the second time. I haven't bought an ex-JW book since. That is not to say that it can't be done in a way that draws the reader in. For those attempting such a venture, I would offer the advice of not trying to re-write COC, ISOCF, or Apocalypse Delayed with regard to all the doctrinal matter. Ex-JWs already have these resources both in printed matter and in forums such as this one. We all have stories; what makes yours special enough to write a book about? Make it an amusing, almost comical tragedy and leave out the standard "I started to have doubts when..." narrative. This is isn't something that you can realistically expect to get rich or famous from, so keep your day job whatever it might be, or be satisfied in your retirement. I too found it a bit odd to be advertising that he was a professional pilot for nearly 50 years. That information should only be as a footnote, not as a selling point. He probably could have just based it on his experience in the organisation and went from there. Though it desn't necessarily draw me in enough to want to buy it, I would certainly want to read snippets of it to decide whether or not it would be a good read.
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Farkel
I just received my copy from a good friend and will devour it.
The class fool speaks again:
: If we had no way of evaluating a book from its cover and blurb then we'd end up reading a lot of pretty awful books. Those who are put off by this book so they won't invest the time to read it through are making a pretty rational choice in my opinion. That's not to say others won't read it and enjoy it. Good for them.
Sorry, fool. I'll read it. You won't. You will still be the clueless fool, and I will know more than I did. And you will know what you knew before I read it, which is basically, not much.
Fool. You picked the wrong sandbox in which to play.
Farkel
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Nathan Natas
Farkel, apparently SBF feels that "judging a book by its cover" is a sound investigative technique.
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Vanderhoven7
It's on order. Now I'm waiting for Terry's upcoming release.
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slimboyfat
Judging books by their cover is kind of what I do for a living you could say, thousands of them daily. The title and blurb of this book scream self-published solipsistic rant of little interest to family and friends never mind anyone else.
I didn't say judging a book by its cover was a good investigative technique, but a necessary skill for anyone who does not have all the time in the world available to them to read each awful book all the way to its tedious conclusion.