I don't understand all your ballet terminology.  Is there some resource I can consult for that sort of thing?

Register and log in to read The Divine Comedian?  Why do I have to register and log in?

 Actually you don't have to register.  There's an anonymous login listed at the bottom of this page.  But you do have to log in to tell me you are age 13 or older, and that you agree to and respect the rights of the author and copyright ownership of this book.

 It is free, but as with all free things there are some minor strings attached.  I think in this case they are very minor.  You aren't going to get any spam from me, you aren't going to have your activities monitored, or anything else like that.

 I suggest actually registering rather than using the anonymous login.  It will make the author feel good about the fact that folks are reading his book.  At some point in time it will also give you access to special features that enable you to provide feedback, or post your own favorite links, or save your place in the book.  There will also be Polls that users can participate in, and possibly someday a message board if readers are interested.

Welcome

to the free on-line copy of

The

Divine

Comedian

by Gustav BenJava

“Here we are nymphs and in heaven are stars;                                    

ere Beatrice descended to the world                                             

we were ordained to her for her handmaids.”                                       

—Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy                                

So, why am I giving away my novel, The Divine Comedian ?

I love to write, and I worked hard on this piece of literature.  But unfortunately in the publishing industry hard work doesn't always pay off.  Even hard work with talent doesn't always pay off.

I a word, it is far more work to try to get a publisher to publish your novel than it is, for example, to wash a school bus with a tooth brush.  A muddy school bus.  Inside and out.  Just because someone has a talent for crafting a story doesn't mean they are necessarily a good salesman.  And don't tell me "to get an agent"?  Have you tried?  

It is far more work to "get an agent" who will take on your book and get it published for you that it is to, for example, was a 747 with a tooth brush.  A muddy 747.  Inside and out.

For my part, after several years of talking with editor at all of the big publishing houses (that would be Random House) and numerous agents, after writing many letters, and so on, I gave up. 

Now, don't tell me I shouldn't give up.

I believe in my novel.  I believe it is a great literary work. I believe it is something that is well worth reading.  (I believe I shall have another drink.)  But can I convince a publisher that they can make money off it?  That's what you have to be able to do: to sell someone the Brooklyn Bridge (or a muddy school bus, or 747), if you want to get a publisher to take on your novel.  I'm no salesman.  I abhor salesmen.  I don't want to be a salesman.  Salesmen are evil, and I'm not evil.  So, I do believe in my novel, it isn't that.  I believe it is an entertaining story. 

But I'm different.  I don't want to tell the same old story.  I have my own unique twist on life, and that flows into my writing.  A unique story isn't what publishers want these days.  I can't even count the times I've heard an editor from some major publisher tell me: we want something unique and different, just like N N N (and they go on to name some book that is selling well on the NYTimes Bestsellers list.) And I want to slap them and say: Wake Up!  If it is already out there on the NYTimes Bestsellers list then it isn't something new!  Publishers don't want something new.  They want something exactly like what is selling on the NYTimes Bestsellers list. You ever wonder why movies come out in pairs, trios?  Armageddon the same time as Independence Day?  It's because marketing people know that if Brand X is selling it, then Brand Y can sell it too.

But, I am unique.  There is no Brand Y when it comes to my novels.  I have a unique twist in the things I have to say, and because of that, I'm not sure where my niche market is hiding.  I'm not sure how to find them, so I'm hoping they will find me.  No, it's not that I don't believe in my novel, it's that I don't want to be a salesman.

Well, we are making some progress.  I've added four more chapters, so now we are up to six chapters plus the Introduction and Prologue.

 I hope to add a couple chapters a week until it is all uploaded.

It's quite a bit of work to upload.  Not only do I have to cut-and-paste the text from the original manuscript, but then I have to go back through it and manually format it to get all of the italics right.  There's a lot of italics in this manuscript because there's a lot of introspection and quite a lot of foreign (ballet) words.

More coming soon!