Why I get all the money.

It has come to my attention that a few folks are concerned that I get all the money from the book publication, and that contributing essay writers will get nothing.  A fair question and I think that I’m a fair guy.  Here is my thinking.  Sadly, coffee table books do not make their authors’ a lot of money.  In fact they are notorious for not being money generators.  Quite a few are actually funded by the author.  Mine will not be.  This is my first book, so I don’t know what to expect.  So, I can’t offer to share money with 50 other people without knowing what I’m offering.

This book will never be offered a Hollywood movie deal.  My hope is that I make enough to pay for a good steak dinner for my wife and me.  I’ve been working on this project for three years, traveling to find the cool bikes, researching the historical information, and producing the finished images.  The money that I make will be insignificant considering the man-hours I’ve put into the project.

Which brings me to my last point.  I’m not doing this for money - although I would like to recover some of my expenses.  I’m doing this because I think I’ve made some pretty cool pictures of some very cool motorcycle engines.  And so, I’m collecting them for a book.  And I figured that to make it more interesting, the words should come from the people who have actual knowledge, as well as a passion for the engines.  In essence, I’m looking for people who would enjoy writing about their motorcycle passion and want to be part of something lasting and significant.

If you only want to write 600-1000 words for money, then you've missed the point and you’re not the kind of writer I’m asking for.  That’s all I have to say about that.