Ask the Author: Alan Garner
Answered Questions (9)
Alan Garner
I think what is happening in America right now is a horror story. Trump lies about believing he really won the election and many millions of people believe him. They send him money and don't believe in democracy anymore because they are sure it has cheated them. They join top the teal or MAGA. Also, I think what Republican legislators are doing to make it hard to vote or to have your vote counted is a great threat to democracy. There are fewer Republicans today, and so they have decided that in order to stay in office, they have to find ways to make it hard for Democrats to vote. They send notices to people who have names similar to Democrats (especially Blacks) who have been convicted of a felony and ask them to come in and get a DNA and a background check so they can be sure they are legally eligible to vote and have not committed a crime they have not been convicted of yet. So if Robert Jones is the felon, they will send letters to Robert P. Jones and to Robert F. Jones. And to 50 or 500 others with similar names. And guess what? None of those people are going to come in to have their DNA checked to see if they have possibly committed a crime they have not been convicted of. I wouldn't come in either if I got such a notice- and you wouldn't either. Because it's always possible that you will end up getting a false positive on your test and they will put you in jail. I believe this is how Bush won Florida. There were far more voters for Gore, but they didn't vote. they didn't show up to get a thorough going over and they just never voted again. You or I would do the same. As it turned out, the Supreme Court put aa stop to the counting of the ballots anyway and declared Bush the winner of Florida and thus the Presidency. There are many other ways the Republicans are reducing the Democratic turnout. They are reducing the hours when voting booths are open so minorities are unable to vote (say they cut out noontime voting. Lots of minorities don't have any other time when they would be able to vote. Or many Black churchgoers always used to have a bus which brought them to vote on Sundays after church. So the Republicans would cancel Sunday voting. Or they stop voting by mail, which is a way many minorities found they could vote. Or they gerrymander a district, so some huge majority of a minority will win in one district, but their side will win by just a little in 5 or 6 other districts. These tricks work and will keep them in office for many more years than they would if there were honest voting. But this trickery makes people cynical and bitter- and they should be cynical and bitter. Eventually, there will be so few Republicans that they will be unable to keep themselves in office, but that may be some years from now.
Alan Garner
Thailand is strange enough for me. People here are uncommonly kind. And even if you're poor here- you're rich! My mansion has 3 bedrooms, a huge game room, 5 types of granite floors from different parts of the world, a separate kitchen as Thai food is pungent- and it cost me all of $60,000 to build (would probably be 80+ today, but millions in Florida or California. We have the most wonderful woman who used to be homeless as our maid, and her salary is $300 a month, an average salary. She comes in at 6 am and leaves at 5 pm to go to her $80 a month apartment down the street. Also, this is the only country in the world where women literally don't care about age differences. They're taught to respect age. My darling wife is unusual in that she's almost my age- just 19 years younger. And Thailand is the most fun of any country I've even been to. The smiles you see all over are real.
Alan Garner
I think I am enjoying my latest project more than anything else I have ever done. Because it is difficult to make an ordinary writer into a bestselling writer, what I am doing in writing SECRETS OF A MILLION-SELLING SELF-PUBLISHER is very difficult to do. But it potentially will enable someone who is not a natural writer, but who has some specialized knowledge to nonetheless become a success as a writer.
Alan Garner
Unless you have something, you MUST say, I wouldn't recommend becoming a writer. Writing is a field that will break your heart. Most people cannot earn a living as writers. On the other hand, I am currently writing a book which I plan to call SECRETS OF A MILLION-SELLING SELF-PUBLISHER, which will teach you how to become a bestselling author even if you are not a great writer and even if you do not have any connections. For example, if you have a unique idea for a book or you have a unique background, you can perhaps find someone who is famous or well-known to become your co-author. This would enable you to sell 10 or even 100 times as many books as you could sell with your unfamous real name. I have done this myself. I took one of my American books that was just selling an average number of books, and I teamed up with Allan Pease, a famous Australian celebrity/writer/keynote speaker. Together we put together an Australian version of my US book on conversation skills. The book hit #1 on the charts in Australia and remained there for a long time. That book managed to sell over one million copies thanks to Allan being on the over and doing lot f publicity on behalf of the book. One million books is approximately one million more than I would have been able to sell had I tried to do it on my own, with my unfamous name. So if you can find someone to become your co-author who is famous, I guess it would work. But very few people would be able to do that. You would have to have some special knowledge, as I did with conversation skills. Or you would have to have a unique idea fr a book that would convince someone famous to become your partner. I know of someone who deliberately wrote a brilliant and provocative Master's dissertation, knowing that he would later be able to use it to get someone famous to become his partner in writing a book. But I doubt the average person could or would go to such extremes.
Alan Garner
I don't get writer's block because I outline what I'm going to write beforehand. Then it's just a matter of filling in the blanks.
Alan Garner
Much to my amazement as I've always exercised a lot and eaten healthy food, I had a heart attack. And so I'm reading a book on how not to have another one by an amazing heart doctor named Esselstyne. No one got a second heart attack when they went to him. His colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic would send people they had already given 3 bypasses and had given up on to him. They'd still be alive 20 years later. Listen to him speak on You tube. He's quite old but he speaks and moves with the energy of a young man. And what he says will change your life- if you let it.
Alan Garner
"CONVERSATIONALLY SPEAKING": The most popular book in the world for learning conversation skills, with sales of over 1 million. Recommended by leading psychologists: "Of great value for people who want to sharpen their skills in interpersonal relations. I routinely recommend it." -Aaron Beck, M.D., Prof. of Psychiatry, U. of Penn. Uniquely includes help for shyness based upon work of Dr. Albert Ellis' work-and endorsed by Ellis! A brand new, fully revised and updated edition just released. The author was terribly shy when young, overcame it, and has dedicated his life to helping others.
"LIFESKILLS FOR ADULT CHILDREN": If you were neglected or abused as a child, chances are your social skills were never fully developed and you have difficulty making and keeping enjoyable friendships. This book, written with New York Times bestselling author of "Adult Children of Alcoholics," Janet Woititz, is for you. It will help you fill in the gaps in your social skills learning.
"THE LIFESKILLS FOR ADUOAT CHILDREN WORKBOOK": This book will help you practice the skills you learned in LIFESKILLS.
"EVERYTHING MEN KNOW ABOUT WOMEN": The original and funniest BLANK book. Over 1 million sold.
"50 WAYS TO MEET YOUR LOVE...in Thailand": Lots of men retire here, find a lovely wife, and live a dream life they could never afford or find in the US. I'm one. You're rich here, even on Social Security.
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"The 16% SOLUTION,": Safely double your passive income. Written with my brother, Attorney Joel Moskowitz. ENDORSED BY THE AUTHOR OF "RICH DAD POOR DAD."
"LIFESKILLS FOR ADULT CHILDREN": If you were neglected or abused as a child, chances are your social skills were never fully developed and you have difficulty making and keeping enjoyable friendships. This book, written with New York Times bestselling author of "Adult Children of Alcoholics," Janet Woititz, is for you. It will help you fill in the gaps in your social skills learning.
"THE LIFESKILLS FOR ADUOAT CHILDREN WORKBOOK": This book will help you practice the skills you learned in LIFESKILLS.
"EVERYTHING MEN KNOW ABOUT WOMEN": The original and funniest BLANK book. Over 1 million sold.
"50 WAYS TO MEET YOUR LOVE...in Thailand": Lots of men retire here, find a lovely wife, and live a dream life they could never afford or find in the US. I'm one. You're rich here, even on Social Security.
.
"The 16% SOLUTION,": Safely double your passive income. Written with my brother, Attorney Joel Moskowitz. ENDORSED BY THE AUTHOR OF "RICH DAD POOR DAD."
Alan Garner
Alan Garner's Blog
January 14, 2022
How I Sold 5 Million Books
I am presently (February 2022) writing a book entitled "How I Sold 5 Million Books." This is about 5 million more books than most author's sell and was very difficult to do.
I did many things that other author's don't do to accomplish this. For example, I found famous authors in other countries and asked them if they would like to become the co-author of Conversationally Speaking for their country. They had to translate the book and change it enough so it would truly become their book as well. Because the end-product was good, and because they were famous, our book often became a bestseller in their countries.
I have never heard of another person doing this, and I have always wondered why.
January 14, 2022
How I Sold 5 Million Books
I am presently (February 2022) writing a book entitled "How I Sold 5 Million Books." This is about 5 million more books than most author's sell and was very difficult to do.
I did many things that other author's don't do to accomplish this. For example, I found famous authors in other countries and asked them if they would like to become the co-author of Conversationally Speaking for their country. They had to translate the book and change it enough so it would truly become their book as well. Because the end-product was good, and because they were famous, our book often became a bestseller in their countries.
I have never heard of another person doing this, and I have always wondered why.
Alan Garner
Ryan, Your note was meaningful to me beyond what you could imagine. I was tremendously shy much of my life and had a great deal of difficulty learning social skills, then learning to teach them, getting degrees... It took me two years to write Conversationally Speaking as my goal was to make very complex skills simple- and because I cared too much. The isolation and difficulty of those two years were so tough I've only written one real book since, Lifeskills for Adult Children, which I co-authored with Janet Woititz. And I only did that because it was written for people who were neglected as children and are really starting at zero, so I didn't have to do any more research. (Incidentally, since that time the books I have written are jokebooks or blank books, the most popular being "Everything Men Know about Women.") Sorry to say, but I married a Thai girl and spend most of my time in Thailand nowadays, so getting a signed book to your friend would be LOTS of trouble. Take him or her out to dinner- and tell her how you feel. Me, I'm moved to hear I helped someone so much. Alan
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Oct 28, 2024 11:53PM · flag