I wanted to let everyone know that my book “Seeking Wisdom: Thoughts on Value Investing” will be published on August 12th. It will be available in paperback as well as Kindle format. It is a compilation of some of my articles here on Gurufocus with quite a bit of additional (and new) content.
Earlier this year I wrote about the fact that I would stop writing for GuruFocus. Since then many people have asked me three questions – one about me and two about the book: why I stopped writing, why I have chosen Amazon’s publishing house, and why I decided to publish only a softcover version. I thought I’d take a crack at answering these questions.
The first is relatively straightforward. As some of you know I’m fighting a rare genetic disorder that over time will likely kill me sooner rather than later. I’ve been extremely sick for the past two years (hence the departure from Gurufocus) with the last 6 months being particularly difficult. The ability to write, research, and publish on a regular schedule is difficult with ER visits, infusions, transfusions, and any other problem the disease can throw at me. The good news is I’m giving as good as I get.
For the next question, I used Amazon simply because it was easiest, most convenient, and had the quickest production schedule (the most emphasis on the latter) of all my choices. I wanted to have something out there in the marketplace should something happen to me (the sooner rather than later part!). It was mostly due to ego I suppose with a touch of worry about family support that drove the final choice.
The paperback decision was almost as easy. If anybody remembers lugging around campus the 1940 edition of “Security Analysis” in hardcover, you know sometimes size and weight start counting more than the content. At 370 pages, I wanted readers to be able to tuck the book into their briefcase or read it on whatever electronic platform they chose. Nobody needs another 5 pounds added to their already overburdened briefcase or messenger bag.
So now you have the long and the short of it. I greatly enjoyed writing the book, learning new content, and puzzling over what to write about next. But it’s really all of my readers who made this whole thing possible. All of you provided tremendous support, learning, and constructive criticism in an all too ill mannered and discourteous world. So many thanks and I hope you enjoy reading the book. Best.
Tom
Earlier this year I wrote about the fact that I would stop writing for GuruFocus. Since then many people have asked me three questions – one about me and two about the book: why I stopped writing, why I have chosen Amazon’s publishing house, and why I decided to publish only a softcover version. I thought I’d take a crack at answering these questions.
The first is relatively straightforward. As some of you know I’m fighting a rare genetic disorder that over time will likely kill me sooner rather than later. I’ve been extremely sick for the past two years (hence the departure from Gurufocus) with the last 6 months being particularly difficult. The ability to write, research, and publish on a regular schedule is difficult with ER visits, infusions, transfusions, and any other problem the disease can throw at me. The good news is I’m giving as good as I get.
For the next question, I used Amazon simply because it was easiest, most convenient, and had the quickest production schedule (the most emphasis on the latter) of all my choices. I wanted to have something out there in the marketplace should something happen to me (the sooner rather than later part!). It was mostly due to ego I suppose with a touch of worry about family support that drove the final choice.
The paperback decision was almost as easy. If anybody remembers lugging around campus the 1940 edition of “Security Analysis” in hardcover, you know sometimes size and weight start counting more than the content. At 370 pages, I wanted readers to be able to tuck the book into their briefcase or read it on whatever electronic platform they chose. Nobody needs another 5 pounds added to their already overburdened briefcase or messenger bag.
So now you have the long and the short of it. I greatly enjoyed writing the book, learning new content, and puzzling over what to write about next. But it’s really all of my readers who made this whole thing possible. All of you provided tremendous support, learning, and constructive criticism in an all too ill mannered and discourteous world. So many thanks and I hope you enjoy reading the book. Best.
Tom
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