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News & ArtsFriday, November 14, 2008
Books Joe the Writer
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 2:27 PM
Joe the Plumber is broke. Joe the Plumber is publishing a book. Joe the Plumber insists he's publishing this book not for money but because the people are clamoring for him to speak. Speak, Joe the Plumber, speak!
"Everyone came at me to write a book. They had dollar signs in their eyes. '101 Things Joe the Plumber Knows' or some stupid s—- like that. Excuse me, I am sorry," he said. "You know I will get behind something solid, but I won't get behind fluff. I won't cash in, and when people do read the book they will figure out that I didn't cash in. At least I hope they figure that out."The book, called "Joe the Plumber — Fighting for the American Dream," is to be released by a group called PearlGate Publishing and other small publishing houses.
"I am not going to a conglomerate that way we actually can get the economy jump started. Like there is five publishing companies in Michigan. There's a couple down in Texas. They are small ones that can handle like 10 or 15,000 copies. I can go to a big one that could handle a million or two. But they don't need the help. They are already rich. So that's spreading the wealth to me," he said.
You know, the idea of regional publishing is a good, sweet idea. There are tons of tiny publishers all over the country, and a loose conglomeration of them publishing national-interest books with locally designed covers and such seems wonderful. It's too bad that Joe the Plumber is such a fucking tool.
2
Wait a minute - if he's broke, how is it he's worried about being in the "above middle class" tax bracket?
3
Well, I seem to recall some statistic from a sociology course that said some ridiculous percentage of people consider themselves in the middle class
4
The "publisher" sells one other title, a novel by Joe's co-author Thomas N. Tabback entited "Things Forgotten," in which:
"After a traumatic experience, Bronx Police Officer Paul Kelly awakens in a hospital with no memory. His life and loved ones are all lost to him, but a specter from the past awakens him to an identity more than 3200 years ago. In a time when the heavens still touched the earth and man witnessed the might of God with plain eyes, there lived Nahar, son of Nahath, son of Reuel. Through Nahar's eyes, Paul is about to recall events that would forever change the world, for he dwelt in the Jordan Valley of Canaan, as a chosen people prepared to cross the river into their Promised Land."
"After a traumatic experience, Bronx Police Officer Paul Kelly awakens in a hospital with no memory. His life and loved ones are all lost to him, but a specter from the past awakens him to an identity more than 3200 years ago. In a time when the heavens still touched the earth and man witnessed the might of God with plain eyes, there lived Nahar, son of Nahath, son of Reuel. Through Nahar's eyes, Paul is about to recall events that would forever change the world, for he dwelt in the Jordan Valley of Canaan, as a chosen people prepared to cross the river into their Promised Land."
6
Who cares if they're "locally designed covers"? Locally grown vegetables, locally brewed beer, great. A book cover can be designed anywhere, by the best person out there.
Parochialism at its worst.
Parochialism at its worst.
7
@6: I emphasized the wrong point, I think. Sorry. With the regional publishing system, the money to produce the book would stay in the community, rather than staying in New York or wherever the giant publisher was.
8
@2,
Because he's an idiot.
He's definitely not doing it for the money. What's the going rate for non-best selling authors, $5k? $10k?
Because he's an idiot.
He's definitely not doing it for the money. What's the going rate for non-best selling authors, $5k? $10k?
9
@6, Did you actually look at that cover?
"A book cover can be designed anywhere, by the best person out there."
Yes, and they live somewhere far, far away from the guy that did that one.
"A book cover can be designed anywhere, by the best person out there."
Yes, and they live somewhere far, far away from the guy that did that one.
11
Joe the Chump is more like it. Shilling for tax breaks for the rich because he hopes to one day not be broke. I might actually feel sorry for him for being such a sucker if he weren't racing to cash in by roping in more suckers for the GOP trickle-down pyramid scheme.
On the plus side, some hard-working writer will collect a much-deserved fee for creating the appearance that Joe the Anecdote actually thinks in complete, grammatical sentences.
On the plus side, some hard-working writer will collect a much-deserved fee for creating the appearance that Joe the Anecdote actually thinks in complete, grammatical sentences.
12
This reminds me of a commenter on Bill Moyers' Journal last week. She used Joe the Plumber of an example of the type of American who hasn't achieved what he thinks he's entitled to -- unusual and very rare success. It was enlightening. The interview might still be on PBS's website.
13
Seriously, though, that's not the actual cover of the book, right? It's just a mockup Paul made, yes?
Please say yes.
Please say yes.
14
The really sad part of all this stupidness is that he is like so many Americans who are too lazy to try harder. I'm a librarian by trade, and worked for a proprietary school (e.g. Kaplan, Devry, ITT). Something I am not very proud of. I learned there or here in Colorado (north of Denver) that a lot of "remedial" "learned" persons would understand Joe "the plumber" (since he really has no right to call himself one). They don't comprehend complex ideas or subjects at all. They don't even understand how to write a sentence with nouns and verbs in proper order. It's heartbreaking. Of course, what is criminal about these proprietary schools is that they get these individuals to sign away their lives to student loans at the same price as what I paid for a legitimate grad school education at the University of Denver. Talk about waste, fraud, and abuse!!
16
Um, Joe who?
Sorry, if I wanted to read Zen and the Art of Plumbing I'd drop half my brain off the Fremont Bridge ...
Sorry, if I wanted to read Zen and the Art of Plumbing I'd drop half my brain off the Fremont Bridge ...
17
I love that he's Samuel J. Wuzelwhatever on the cover. What, Joe's not good enough for you now? Elitist.
20
If you think his book cover is awesome, check out Joe the Plumber's website: http://secureourdream.com/
21
They are already rich. So that's spreading the wealth to me," he said.
Does this guy even speak English? What is he TALKING about? Slogan slogan slogan platitude slogan slogan trope catchphrase slogan slogan trope?
Does this guy even speak English? What is he TALKING about? Slogan slogan slogan platitude slogan slogan trope catchphrase slogan slogan trope?
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