This above raises another issue related to publishing and money: I get the strong impression that many people imagine that writing is the way to fame and fortune. Well, there might be a little fame, but dosh? - I doubt it. Some time back I contributed to a Literary Critical journal - not for the little money, but to establish myself as one who could usefully write for peers. I also enjoyed it, and it sharpened me up in my field, knowing who the audience was. I think Xander did the same in his area.

Even if a book is published, the writer might care to check the number of hours against the payment, and work out the hourly rate. For most people except the J. K. Rowlings of this world and the journos of mainstream newspapers, the money isn't there. So CS's view, IMO, is the right one in a niche biking market; a book, maybe an article, is part of a whole, and not an end in itself (to say nothing of the off-road groupie "benefits in kind").

In an ideal world, money wouldn't enter into the writing debate at all; ideally we would write because we had something to say, which CS competently does. But we live in a cheapened society where money is usually the prime factor of motivation; we are all trapped in it to some degree, and one result is the financial chaos which we are all paying for - don't ever doubt it. Adam Smith and Karl Marx warned about this, a long time ago.

And no, this isn't off topic - it's at the heart of the issue.

PS I hear that one of those above-mentioned fishing magazines (Total Carp) is popular in Colombia, amazingly enough.

Content of post deleted. No useful content. Albert: if you have something productive to add, feel free. Don't try to start another trolling session.
Chris, your friendly Mod (actually when I was a lad, I thought I was a Rocker)

After trying my hand at bike mag article writing (7 articles published in Motorcycle Sport and Leisure in the early 2000s) and one each in a Canadian and South African mag, all of which I was paid for, I decided not to bother any more. Putting it on a website costs me a lot of time and effort (that I give for free. The monetary cost is only 28 quid a year to host the site) and people can visit it for free. I have total editorial control and have a lot less grief.

The main reason for not submitting anymore to bike mags is: They now (usually) expect stuff for free (if they can charge money, why should I give them free content?) and particularly the sour taste left from my dealings with Motorcycle Sh*t and W*nk, then edited by Peter Henshaw and published by Dennis Hill: I had to chase them from ars*hole to breakfast time to ever get paid and to crown it all, they lost 60 of my best pictures (In the days before digital. My fault, I assumed they were well run...)

After the first time, the warm and moist feeling you get, seeing yourself in print, soon wears off. For warmness and moistness I can suggest top shelf mags.

I do read bike mags, but only ones I subscribe to: The UK's "TBM" (a genuinely well written publication, riding trail bikes helps in order to find it interesting) and the German "Motorrad Abenteuer" (= Motorcycle Adventure, published by the same outfit that does "Tourenfahrer"; speaking/reading German clearly helps here... for both? )

I liked the rant by Harlan Ellison on the YouTube video.

Off to buy Total Cod
Chris

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TBS.com

Drifting away from mags but the same would hold true if such a thing as a well written bike magazine existed..

Anybody read Simon Gandolfi's book? Or Ted Simon's?

They are very good writers who ride bikes quite badly, rather than very good bikers who write books quite badly.

And I'm very happy to pay good money for good writing.

--Mike

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www.BesideTheSeaside.eu
---I'm back. Now what?---

Very nice blog Mike.

Chris,you as a Moderator please explain how this thread belongs in RIDE REPORTS.This topic is for the bar and how by pointing this out am I to be told off for trolling.
Al

Good to see you want everything in its correct place. How right you are. I think that if you search around you may find other examples of wrongly placed posts. Let us know how many you found. Get back to us.

Albert
You work it out.

I'll give you a hand: a. The man from TWO started it here. b. He's asking for ride reports for his mag, c. Just because people are politely and forcefully (but with the stress on politely/in a civil manner) putting their points of view forward, doesn't automatically "condemn" it to the Bar. The bar is for "no useful content". People's views on mags/getting paid for stories are, in most people's opinion, useful, even if you disagree with them/find the topic boring or whatever. d. If you don't like what's written in this thread, don't read it. You're the one clicking the mouse/controlling what appears on your screen.

Yours
Chris (who also wears a flat cap)

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TBS.com

Nice point. Has anyone read Bill Bryson? There's a man who has mundane "adventures" and writes about them extremely well. He can make a trip to the grocery store a compelling read.

You need a mixture of two things in order to make a good book or article:

1. A good story and 2. the ability to write it.

The grander the adventure, the more tolerable it will be to read poor writing... to a point. It works the other way, too. If you write well, then a trip to the pub will enthrall an audience.

Too true. In fact, this echos what I posted way back in the early pages of this thread. It's my policy to never actually work out the hourly rate I make as a writer, otherwise I'd become very depressed.

I sell my book at motorcycles shows and the odd book store or whatnot. People often say to me that they are "jealous," and that I have the "dream job." Apparently, they are under the impression that I make money. Or that I travel for free, at least. This is not the case.

When they ask me how I can afford to do what I do I reply, "I took a vow of poverty. I don't own a truck. I don't own a house." There's a good reason for the existence of the phrase "starving artist."

So why do we do it? I travel because I'm restless. Why do we write? I haven't figured that out yet, but I'm writing another book and I don't plan to give that question any further thought until I'm done!

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Jeremy Kroeker
www.MotorcycleTherapy.com

Nice one, Jeremy.

Jeremy, keep on writing because it's the right thing to do, and it's what you do - this is reason enough, IMO.

My best wishes for your next book and travels.