Year Number 2, Day #1
If you haven’t been walking much, I understand. So does Kafka. Here’s what the great master said about life, liberty, and leaving your house for a walk (or anything else):
You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quite still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.
Besides reading Kafka, I have been busy walking, cycling, writing, and getting a job teaching literature and writing at a leading private prep school (I’m super excited about that one — thus, the Kafka!). Meanwhile, I have a few riddles for you.
1) If you walk in the park by yourself and no one sees you, have you still walked?
2) If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears, has it made a sound?
3) If your publisher lowers your ebook price from $9.99 to $1.99, will your sales increase 10,000* percent?
The answers to those questions is, miraculously, a resounding YES! And that’s the news, friends: My wonderful publisher, HarperCollins eBooks, has lowered the price of The Miracles of Prat0 ebook to an awesome low price of $1.99. If you’re looking for a fun summer read for your Kindle, or iPad, pop over to Amazon and upload this book 1-2-3. If you’ve got a Nook, go here.
So there you have it, friends. I hope you’re still walking. I hope you’ll forgive me for being silent for so long and that you’ll read the pieces I post this weekend from Montreal and the Eastern Townships.
Meanwhile, in the immortal words of Kafka: You can buy the eBook for $1.99…and you do not need to leave your room!
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*10,000 percent is an actual number based on Amazon.com’s sales increase of this eBook from last week to this week.
June 17, 2011 at 10:20 AM
Laurie,
So glad you’re back, missed hearing about your adventures! I am still walking.
Regards, Joan and Peanut
June 20, 2011 at 5:47 AM
1) You obviously walked, but your ego not being fed by people recognizing you walking, thus certifying your walking, would make the experience less, thus it might seem you have not walked.
2) Basically, does anything really exist without someone perceiving it. I believe the tree makes a sound, us being present and experiencing it or not doesn’t cancel it making a sound, but what the hell do I know
An electron will usually act differently when perceived, so there’s still lots of mysteries out there. Watch “What the bleep do we know?”. Well worth it!
3) Possible 50% more sales, depends on the book really. But honestly, with ebooks nowadays authors themselves can self-publish and avoid publishers altogether. I’d much rather pay $9 for an ebook when I know that all of that money is going directly to the author. Also found a really neat website called all you can books that has any reading material I might ever need, and they’re cheap, so it’s all good!