This is going to be on Amazon's Kindle eBook-store, and also in soft-cover. Supposedly it will be offered for free download when you have a subscription, and then later maybe for $6-8. Not exactly sure how that all works, but it has to be under $10 to qualify for certain conditions. I'm not doing this to get rich, just for fun.
I’m often asked for an “elevator speech” about the
potato hack. If I had 30 seconds to explain the potato hack, I’d say:
The potato hack was copied after a diet plan
described in an 1849 medical journal. Even back then, Americans were becoming
fat and “dyspeptic” [poor digestion] from eating too much. This potato diet
simply called for one to eat nothing but potatoes for a few days at a time. It
was promised that fat men become as “lean as they ought to be.” 167 years
later, we are fatter and sicker than ever, but the potato diet still works. Potatoes
contains natural drug-like agents that effect inflammation, hunger, insulin,
sleep, dreams, mood, and body weight. The potato is the best diet pill ever
invented.
You're turning prolific!
ReplyDeleteIs this part of Kindle Unlimited? I subscribe to that, so maybe I'll get to read it for "free." I sometimes wonder if I should keep subscribing, and then I find a nifty book that I can read.
I'm not a fan of the title. I've long hated many uses of the word "hack". To me, a book called "Potato Hack" should be about GMO potatoes, not about eating potatoes. But I have no useful suggestions for an alternate.
I know what you mean. My wife did not get the title, either. The "hack" part came about from various forums and blog comments where people just started calling it a "hack."
DeleteI used to always call it the "Potato Diet" but it's not really a diet, per se. Besides, shortly after Richard started talking about it on FTA, some joker published a stupid little ebook called "The Potato Diet; Hacking Your Way to Weight Loss." It's on Amazon, has 1 review (poor).
So, I kind of need to stay away from "The Potato Diet" I guess.
Right now, it's "The Potato Hack" with the subtitle: "Reset your metabolism and lose weight with potatoes and resistant starch."
There is a big section on RS and PS, and lots of science. Should the title reflect RS more?
I just realized, I use the term 'potato hack' hundreds of times throughout. If I change the title, I'd probably need to reword the entire book. Not hard with "find and replace", but still...
DeleteThe Resistant Potato
DeleteThe Magic Potato
ReplyDeleteWhat about 'Spud Butt'.
DeleteOr potato magic
DeleteThe main title, The Potato Diet. The sub title, Simple, Easy, Healthy Weight Loss, up to 5 pounds per week.
ReplyDeleteBe available for PR for TV stations, networks, etc. Can't sell books with PR. Send them free copies. Get interviewed in print too. Put up a YouTube channel with links to clips from any stations that did an interview and send links to other stations etc.
You will build on the first ones. Most likely this will happen faster than you think.
You need to come up with talking points, not only for you but for the reporter. You will send them this info so they don't have to do the work. Make your case to them but make it easy for them too.
You are going to do great because this works, it's simple, it's cheap, it makes nutritional sense, it gives people immediate results. Your info worked for me too and I've been pointing people to you for months.
Good luck.
Dan
How many words is it? (Sorry if you already said.) I could maybe help proof it. If you desire, send it via e-mail. If not, okay. Do you want potato in the title? Do you want diet in the title? Do you want a serious title? Or more of a catchy title? I like Dan's, but somehow, I just can't get over the word "diet." However, I know many people are sold on trying "diets." So that appeals to them.
ReplyDeleteTerri Fites
From Michelle: SPuD: Simple Potato (un)Diet
DeleteThe above sounds really good/ interesting. I wont offer to proof read as I think others with a keener eye for detail will offer more benefit to the book. I'd simply get too absorbed and want to gleen any further details I could!
ReplyDeleteI do quite like the idea of the 'hack' and certainly like the analogy in the first couple of sentences above. I can't help but think something along the lines of 'Harnessing The Power of the Potato' within the sub title sounds good.
I'll certainly buy it when released
Hot Potato, Cold Potato
ReplyDeleteA sensible approach to weight loss, better gut health and stable blood sugar.
OR
One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato Four ..
A diet for people who hate going hungry.
Love these, wild cucumber - the first sub is the best for either title.
Deleteoh! either of these - the best so far! - also the last 2 covers are the best IMO
DeleteLOL, thanks! Do I get a free hat if he chooses my subtitle?
DeleteWildcucumber it's not a diet, that's the point. It's an undiet.
Deletesigh. Of course you are correct, I was taking the mick with that second one. Nevertheless, Tim's words, above " A short-term potato-only diet has proven to be an ideal way for people to lose excess weight and keep it off, long-term."
DeleteRe book title: come on, people. Do not be so narrow-minded. It is 2016, a hot year for politics and it is all about power back to the people etc. Think big! Anything ordinary would get overlooked.
ReplyDeleteWhat about:
Amazing Potato
I love you, Potato!
Thank you, Potato!
Make Potato Great Again
A Potato to believe in
Nobody who eats Potatoes should be hungry
Restore the Potato dream
Potato revolution is coming...
A potato in every pot
Delete"Make Potato Great Again"
DeleteAnd I could wear a $2 hat that bears this slogan! Hats for everyone!
"Make Potato GRATE Again!"
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe masses won't know anything more about these proposed titles than they would "potato hack". I would stick with "potato hack". It seems everyone under 40 is looking for life "hacks" and their is a certain population that is familiar with the phrase already. Many suggestions, although great, would be starting completely over. You can use the subtitle to clarify.
ReplyDeleteI second Gemma-you could really have fun with a title. I keep thinking 'The Year I Became Mr. Potato Head', but I'm sure there's trademark issues there... :) With the 'Spud Fit' guy getting a lot of media attention right now it's a really great time to come out with a potato hack book.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to be one of your proofreaders and being a part of the great potato revolution!
-Sara
The Simply Spud diet? Super-Spud Cycle? Intermittent-Spudding ;-)
ReplyDeleteAll-Spud? Totally-Tuber!
Deletethe potato cure ,,,,,the potato metabolic reset diet ,,,,,,the potato health reset diet,,,,,, what you need to know about the potato diet ,,,,,,the 3 day potato reset diet ,,,,,,,the miracle potato reset diet,,,,,, total body reset potato diet
ReplyDeleteWow, you guys! Great ideas. So, I wonder, would it be out-of-place if I had a title something like "Total Body Potato Reset Diet" and a subtitle, maybe "Hack your metabolism with a short-term, all-potato diet." Then, throughout, I could still use "potato hack" as I have already written.
ReplyDeletesounds great Tim,,canadianfishfinder is my google acct name Tim ,,im Leo ,,you looked at my doctor data results a couple years back,keep up all the great work
Deletesomehow incorporating ....Hack your metabolism and lose 3-5 pounds in 3-5 days.... in the subtitle would be an eye catcher
DeleteI think "The Potato Reset: Recharge your metabolism and lose fat with a short-term, all-potato diet."
ReplyDeleteI would stay away from "miracle" and the like.
EF
I think putting "Hack" in the subtitle is a good idea. But the title needs to be snappier, and include something about weight loss, fat loss, etc. if you want people to read it.
ReplyDelete"Stop Looking Like a Potato: hack your metabolism with a short, all-potato diet"
ReplyDeleteTim, I love that your book will piss off any of the chronic keto crowd that come across it. For the title, maybe The Potato Diet-Hack -- it has the "diet" word you don't like, but also "hack." Many folks will probably not know what "hack" means without an additional word like "diet" to explain it.
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps "The Potato Hack" with a subtitle based on your other ideas, such as "How to Kickstart Effortless Weightloss" (or Restart Your Metabolism and Restore Microbiome Diversity, or some such)?
Speaking of Mr. Potato Head, here's a potato hack mascot for ya. The cap reminded me of him and he resembles a potato. :)
https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/politicoheadtrump.jpg?quality=75&strip=color&w=419
How about "Potato Belly" - Photo shop not needed
ReplyDelete:>
I like hack and think you should keep it. It's part of a certain vernacular at the moment which is useful.
ReplyDeleteBut for those who haven't heard the term before you probably need to indicate which definition of hack you mean. You're really wanting one along these lines -
"Hacking might be characterized as ‘an appropriate application of ingenuity’. Whether the result is a quick-and-dirty patchwork job or a carefully crafted work of art, you have to admire the cleverness that went into it."
Wilbur's concoction really fits in there.
I guess just eating potatoes isn't really a hack, the more I think about it. Sort of talking myself out of it now ;-)
Though something along the lines of 'Hacking your way to health' in the subtitle could work.
RM
If you go to Amazon, and search their books for anything with "hack" in the title, you get tons of hits: Life Hacks, Love Hacks, Kitchen Hacks, and then of course a slew of computer hacking books. But the word is out there, and I think people understand it means a way to work around the normal rules.
DeleteLots of people were calling the whole potato starch thing a "gut hack" last year, too.
We'll see. Need to sleep on it a couple days and play with the cover generator.
Yeah, you're right. I do really like the word. I like the rough and ready association.
DeleteAnd it totally works with potato diet because the ingenuity is in the simplicity.
Ignore me, thinking in circles today!
Keep it!
Hack implies clever. This potato hack is.
DeleteThe Potato Hack (and other Tater Thoughts)
ReplyDeleteI would be happy to proof read the book.
ReplyDeleteProofread. Already inspiring confidence.
Deletelol, sure - send me an email please so I know where to send it. akman2014 at live.com
DeleteIrish Famine Diet? or is that in poor taste?
ReplyDeleteWhat's strange about the 1849 Potato Diet article that started this whole thing, is that 1849 was about the height of the Irish potato famine, but in America, people were living very high on the hog. In fact, becoming fat and unhealthy from all the food and lack of manual work, thanks to the outsourcing of labor to African slaves. I wonder, when they wrote this, did they even know what was going on in Ireland? Or maybe they were seeing Irish immigrants who really, really liked potatoes.
DeleteI dug into the food that plantation owners fed their slaves during that period, as well. If I remember right, they got a bag of corn meal and so much pork, then had to hunt or grow anything else they wanted. In a way, they were eating better than the slave owners as processed meats and refrigeration was starting to change the American diet forever.
Now that would be poor taste, eh? The Slave Diet. But, an interesting time in our history, nonetheless. The feeding of humans destined for a life of hard labor, they could not feed them what we eat today, you can bet.
"The Slave Diet." Goddy Mighty, are you nuts? You'd have the DOJ on yer ass quicker than you could say "gimme cracked corn..."
DeleteJames H.
From what I understand, corn meal existed in Ireland before the famine, but was not very common until someways into it. Unfortunately, the Irish didn't know to use lye with the corn meal to make hominy, as the Indians did, and thus it first created another problem by causing vitamin B deficiencies (though the Irish were still grateful, because they at least had something to eat). By the time my grandparents were youths in the late 19th century and early 20th, corn meal was quite common, and the Irish called it "Indian meal" (my grandmother called it "Inga meal"). The US sent corn meal to the starving Irish--some Irish say it came from Choctaw Native Americans, whom the Irish are still grateful toward today, but I doubt that many Americans knew of the horrific extent of the famine, as British officials tried to keep it mostly underwraps (and some horrific information has only recently been coming to light on the subject that puts the British leaders in an even worse light than previously thought). A Turkish man is also believed by the Irish to have sent them food during the famine, so there is also gratitude for that amongst those who still know of this (a movie will soon come out in the USA about this).
Deleteok, something better maybe Spuds for Health and Weight Control.
ReplyDeleteIf you need any more proofreaders, happy to assist.
Lynn - I've got about 10 in proof-read status now, let me see what these folks come up with before I send any more out.
DeleteThanks!
Hey, all - I'm playing with some cover designs. What do you think about 'The Potato Hack' subtitle: Lose 5 pounds per week with a potato diet from 1849.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to incorporate the Trump hat, but as a picture. If not on the cover, then in the preface.
The Blessed Potato back on the Good Health Menu. One of the emphasis should be that even buying organic doesn't have to break the bank with the potato diet.
DeleteWhat do you think of the covers I just added above? These are a sample of what I can do with Amazon's cover builder. They are kind of rigid on the style, but the font, color and picture can easily be changed. Do any of these styles jump out at you? Should I go sexy or stay with potato theme?
ReplyDeletePicture no 3 I find is bordering on porno. What has a naked lady have to do with a potato hack? I personally like cover no. 4 best. It is about potatoes after all.
ReplyDelete1849 may not ring a bell for many people. Why not make a reference to our ancesters. Take the picture of the potato eaters by Vincent van Gogh (may need to ask for permission to use). In the past it was the poor that mostly ate potatoes, not the rich.
The poor man's potato hack.
The Ancestral diet to help you lose weight.
Jo tB
The biggest problem with pictures is the rights to use them. They have to be self-created or in the "public domain." I'll see if I can find a public domain for the van Gogh, my favorite Dutchy.
DeleteTim...I am a older woman (69) who needs to lose 50 lbs; and the first thing that caught my eye was the title "potato hack". I would keep that in the title, along with the subtitle above on the book cover, and I like the 4th picture. And if you need another proof reader, just let me know. Good job Tim!! Linda
ReplyDeleteI think I have my hands full with the reviews coming in now, thanks! I like cover 4, too. The pile of potatoes kind of makes you look closer to see what it is.
DeleteTim, Tim, where was your brain when you chose the girlie pics?
ReplyDeletehahaha, I had just reviewed Khloe Kardashian's #1 diet book on Kindle "Strong Looks Better Naked". How do you know that's not a picture of me?
DeleteOne issue I see with sticking with the "Potato Hack" title is doing web searches. You're gonna be competing with tons of other diet and paleo blogs, sites, and discussion forums that have been talking about this for many years. Will that help book sales or hurt? If the name is more unique, then it might be easier to market the book and diet? Dunno. I'm no online marketing expert but it's something to think about.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to keep "Potato Hack" maybe it's best to use a dual title (sub title?). For example...
Delete"Against the Grain: the high carb potato-hack diet for quick weight loss"... and maybe on the back cover ... "Paleo approved diet invented in Ireland in 1849".
In short, you want people to easily find it, or reviews/opinions of it, with a google search for some phrase apart, or in addition to, "Potato Hack", else it may get lost in the woods of search responses.
DeleteThousands of people seem to find my blog every week (according to the stat tracker) with Google, the top search terms have consistently been "potato diet." As there is already a book called "The Potato Diet" which was a very poor ripoff, I decided not to use potato diet as the title, but I wanted it in the subtitle for searches.
DeleteSome good points you made, thanks.
Brad, Ireland in 1849 was the hight of the potato famine, where nearly 1 million people died of hunger because of potatoes being struck by blight. Failed crops, and because the english was taking up all the arrible land for their own crops (being shipped to England). So the potato diet was NOT invented in Ireland in 1849.
ReplyDeleteJo tB
So!it was the English to blame for the potato blight,did they know iot was coming?
DeleteA lot of those "taking"up arable land were Irish landowners.
I always thought this was a nice friendly place.
Thanks for keeping my EXAMPLE accurate Anonymous. ;-)
DeleteThe Potato Diet Hack (says it all)
ReplyDeleteDig This Spud - From Couch Potato to Man of Steele in Less than a Week
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious side, my take on some of the ideas from the article or the comments:
"Miracle Diet"? You might as well call it "The Potato Hoax" :-D
"Total Body Reset Potato Diet" seems nice but a little bit long for my taste. (Your jumbled "Total Body Potato Reset Diet" had me confused for a second: "Total Body Potato" - duh? :-D )
My favorite is still "The Potato Hack" - it's got punch and is right to the point. Short and catchy. Add one of those nice subtitles you all came up with and it should be great.
As for the cover:
Yes, van Gogh is also one of my faves, but are your readers going to end up looking like those potato eaters? Not a good first impression.
Those naked girlies will gain you a few readers and lose you some others. I don't think it's worth it, esp. since it doesn't really seem your style (at least as far as I can tell from your blog).
[But you could use cover #3 -the one where she is covering her private parts- for your next book:
The Potato Hack (Part 2) - How to Grow your Own Potatoes at Home
(As Made Popular by the Movie La Teta Asustada/The Milk of Sorrow.)
Also in planning, parts 3 and 4:
The Potatoe Hack (Part 3) - A President's Advice on How to Have One and Eat it Too
The Kartoffel & Kümmel Hack (Part 4) - The Krauts Final Attempt at World Domination
(I'd be willing to collaborate with you on that one.)]
I really like your cover #4, both the color-scheme and the picture, but that might be my twisted European La Grande Belezza and Troll Hunter taste...
Last but not least: you gotta check for a translator - I think I know a woman who'd love to do the job.
Really looking forward to the book, hopefully at some point in a non-kindling version,
iz@oz
(For those interested in being dominated: it's caraway, not cumin.)
Morning Tim,
ReplyDeleteNoooooo! Public domain pictures are AWFUL. Fake. Yucky. Cliché. It makes the book look old, put of date, fake, disingenuine. Which isn't true but a picture's "1000 words" can prevent someone from even considering your book. :-(
Get a photographer and have someone take pictures of YOU. An outdoor picture. Think, Alaskan outdoorsman. Search around, and find a good amateur, or creative professional photographer. I was surprised how many people I know take fantastic pictures.
Have a look at the covers of books you respect. Notice the theme. Personal story, biography, and history.... An author I respect is John Vallient. He wrote "Tiger..." and "Golden Spruce". Think outdoors, strong, manly, interesting, depth..... Not fake, vacant, photo-shop bikini.
Title wise, "Potato Metabolism Reset"....
Natasha :-)
See new cover above. This is from the cover designing program I am working with. My days as a pornographer are over.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting a good lesson in book publishing. I originally wanted all color pictures inside and some other high-end options. When I put it all in the "royalty calculator" with a $10 cover price, my royalty was $-18.50. hahaha
No way this book is worth $28.50. So, now the pictures will be in black and white and I can make about $4 per book at a $10 cover price. People always told me there's no money in writing books. I see why now, and also why there are rarely color pictures in books.
Of course, for an extra $600 these kind people will design a fancy cover worthy of a Stephen King novel, and for more, they will format the interior as well.
So, for now, keeping it simple. The options I've chosen will allow one to buy a paperback version or download it electronically for just about every reading device imaginable.
The proof-readers are doing an excellent job of catching my "theirs" and "theres" and "its" and "it's". Spellcheck only gets you so far, lol.
What do you think of the new cover design?
I think you've got it!
DeleteMuch, much better!!
DeleteJo tB
Spot on
Delete"The Original Potato Hack - A Guide to Weightloss, Metabolism Reset and Recovery"
ReplyDeleteStill looking for a title ? What about:
ReplyDelete"Lean as a Spud" ?
How about "The Potato Prescription"? ;-)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, good for you! I will buy when it comes available.
Cover looks great! Congratulations!
So when will the book be available?
ReplyDeleteI hoping to have it delivered to the publisher by the end of next week, then a week or so to get it on Amazon if there are no technical issues with the draft.
DeleteEarly to mid-March for sure (I hope).
Tim, in case your other proofreaders haven't caught it yet ... in the mock-up of the back cover it should be "ravages", not "ravishes". You must have had a little left-over Kardashian influence hangin' around when you wrote that part. (grin)
ReplyDeletehaha, I completely missed that! You saved me some embarrassment. Thanks!
DeleteLet Potatoes be thy medicine: How to hack your way to a healthier , leaner body with the humble Potato.
ReplyDeletePlease critique the latest cover design, above. The picture on the front is from my favorite aunt, Ann Overhulse, who is an award-winning professional photographer. See more of her work here: http://www.dphotographer.co.uk/user/Ann%20Overhulse
ReplyDeleteAnd the back cover...too much?
Subtitle OK?
Hi Tim,
ReplyDeleteI'm commenting on the one that I see at the top of the post, not sure if that's the most recent design:
Using all caps for the covers makes reading the text a bit difficult. Would be nice to use some cleaner fonts.
Also, I was expecting that there might be a simple secondary headline that describes the benefit e.g. "Effortlessly lose weight (or fat), eating only potatoes."
For the front photo, I'd like to see one of you, it gives something for people to connect with.
I think I'd also change some elements of the Bio. Some of the info, while nice, isn't totally relevant to what would help the book. I have a few more comments, and would be happy to help with the cover design. Feel free to email me altosaar at gmail.com
Mark
DeleteI absolutely agree, the cover still needs some work. The back cover text too, nice but irrelevant (even contraproductive).
Thank you guys so much! Still a work in progress. I appreciate the feedback.
DeleteLet me play around with the cover generator some more today. There are about a dozen different styles. I'll have some others up later. Having a cover professionally designed is really expensive and has to follow a format I am not at all familiar with, so using this free generator is really nice, as long as I can get something that "speaks" to you.
DeleteThis will be the first thing people see, and most likely in thumbnail view.
New cover on display above. Any good? A bit dark.
DeleteFront cover too much beige...blah. Much prefer the previous one similar to your home page here. It pops.
ReplyDeleteI also felt better about the text on the back last time, but not sure I remember it all.what's the small photo on the bottom with the potato? A blood sugar thingy?
"A blood sugar thingy?"
Deletehaha, no, a USB thumb-drive. Get it? Computer/potato. Hacking? Oh, well. I tried.
Why not use the pic you have for a backgrund here on the blog?
ReplyDeleteBack cover good. Layout good. But too much tan. I really like the background here or at least red, purple and tan potatoes in your hand.
ReplyDeleteHow about this one? I learned something new today, the cover photo has to be super high quality, which means a massive file and a camera with the settings exactly so. Luckily, I have a good camera (Sony a65)and was able to set it up to the specs required.
DeleteWhen viewed flat out like.. this it is great. Tells a story. But what happens when it is a book and you only see the front?
ReplyDeleteThe green bands really help perk it up, but I still think more colorful potatoes would be more effective.
How about just one steaming hot potato in front of a dark background?
ReplyDeleteDo a quick google for
"steaming hot" potato
and
steaming "baked potato"
(with the quotation marks), take a look under 'images', and hopefully you'll get some ideas. (I'm assuming the Google-results will be the same for you in the US as for me here in Europe.)
Take that plain old country gal, the humble potato, and make her the cover girl:
Steaming hot, in the spot-light, just in her open jacket - no need for glossy make-up or fancy lingerie (i.e. butter, cheese or sauces).
That's the kind of porn no one can dress you down for...
iz@oz
Hey iz
Deletefallen in love... with a potato?
Love at first sight.
Deleteiz@oz
I think I found the picture you love. I'm just not sure. I have looked at hundreds of pictures of potatoes and just not thrilled to put any on the cover. I want the cover picture to tell some kind of story, or spark a thought related to "the hack." But I am probably overthinking it a bit.
Deleteiz
DeleteOh how sweet.
But your tip to google "hot potato" in Europe... look, what I get.
Well, it's not one specific picture I was thinking about, but several, and more like a mix of those.
ReplyDeleteThe idea behind the pun was that the potato, which most people don't really think is really of as anything special, is actually kind of a star... healthwise - if you only take a second look. That's one of the things I think you're trying to convey with your book.
Anyway, if you want to tell some kind of story, then I think this latest cover is the best, but then I agree with elliebelly that your face should be on the front cover with the potatoes, and those in various colors.
As for the link you posted, Gemma, I'd have to kind of guess what you are trying to say. If it has to do with the "kraut domination" thing further up: that was meant as an ironic criticism of what my own country is doing right now in Europe, and the stance a lot of people there are taking. As matter of fact for more than a decade I've been living in a different country that has taken LOTS of BS from Mr. Schäubele and consorts in the last years, and I see the effect it has on people here, so I'm actually pretty sad of where things are heading. Sorry if I have annoyed people here with my puns.
What I was I was talking about was pictures like the one with the potato on the fork (but I wouldn't use a fork on the cover), or the one with a steaming baked potato nestled in silver foil (but I wouldn't use the silver foil on the cover), i.e. pictures of potatoes. Finally, I was not asking Tim to google potatoes "in Europe", but was hoping that the same pictures would come up googling in the US as they do here.
(And I love potatoes, not a potato...)
iz@oz
Iz - I don't think anyone was offended, and I'd like to say "thanks" for your comments. This type of feedback means a lot to me, I only have one shot at getting this right the first time. I know fully well that I need to attract new readers with a 1 inch thumbnail among a sea of thumbnails.
DeleteI'm trying to find the owner of the $1M potato photo to see if he'd let me use it on the cover.
It's all over the news, so not like it's a big secret: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/01/29/photo-potato-sells-for-1-million.html
Tim, you're not serious, are you? That IS a great photo of a potato but not for your cover. Only someone whose guts are overlowing with bacteria born and bred on potato starch would be great be interested in eating that, and you want to capture the UN initiated.
Deleteiz
DeleteTake it easy. It was no offence to anyone. I just posted a cartoon that I remembered from last September. It was a joke relating to the phrase "hot potatoes", and I insist we need to be able to make jokes even when times are bad, when we are sad (such as you), or especially when we are angry (such as me)
Re book front cover: I also think the photo should look like inviting to eat and experience a magic, and not like a dark asteroid.
I'm not as enthused with the current picture of you behind the potatoes. The problem to me is that it is not - or rather does not look like - a professional shot. First impressions are worth a lot, and a picture using on-camera flash is, I'm sorry, going to scream amateur. That's not what you want when asking someone to pay for a book like this. I know the old adage, but really with so many self-published books these days, it's a reasonable first filter.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, this means a lot coming from you. I spent a couple hours over the weekend perusing "indie author" soft cover books, and, yes, it takes about 3 seconds to see it is a very amateur book. As much as I hate to use a stock photo from Pixabay, I just might, because they are professionally done. Do any of these speak to you?:
Deletehttps://pixabay.com/en/photos/?q=potatoes&image_type=&cat=&min_width=&min_height=
The problem is that Im a terrible person to ask about that. I spent several years and lots of money studying photographic lighting. I even took photos of bottles. You don't light bottles - you light things the bottle reflects, which is cool. So anyway a lot of those pictures are underexposed, have color issues, etc. Anyone with a camera can be a professional.
DeleteI think the background pick on your blog is better than the majority of those. A couple of others you've had didn't raise my critical eye like the on-camera one did. With good lighting, you can tell amateur from pro. The background photo uses the best light of all - sunshine. But is that your shadow on the left?
I meant that with good lighting you CAN'T tell...
DeleteI might play around with the picture I used for the blog background and see if I can crop it to work on the cover. Actually, that was my first choice to use until I started getting all artsy.
DeleteAny comments on the new cover?
ReplyDeleteDo you think the potato hack is suitable for someone who has never eaten potatos? My Wife is from Thailand. Her parents, grand and great grand parents very rarely eat/ate potatos, either. She wants to lose a few kilos but is wondering if this hack is mostly suited for potato eating cultures?
ReplyDeleteI have never even given that a thought! No idea. I suspect one reason the potato hack works so well is because nearly all people normally eat potatoes and have a gut flora that digests potatoes well. Maybe if she first starts eating potatoes daily for a couple weeks and see how she does, maybe her gut flora is up to the task. No idea, really. Sorry!
DeleteThanks for the response, Tim!
DeleteShe agrees and wants to ease into it and see how she feels.
Anybody from a non-potato eating region here that has tried the potato hack?
"Do you think the potato hack is suitable for someone who has never eaten potatos?"
DeleteWhy not? She can try and see (better peeled first).
Plants move around the world, often with people. Imagine a European asking: can I eat a coconut, it does not grow here. Or buckwheat, people eat and grow it in many places now, even though it originated in the Himalayas.
I prefer it over the old cover, personally.
ReplyDeletewhen you see the book, you'll see that the "1849" aspect is woven throughout. What about the subtitle:
Delete"Reset Your Metabolism with a Potato Diet from 1849"
Too many words...maybe:
"The 1849 Potato Diet"
The preface of the book is (how do you say this in 4 words?):
"I’m often asked for an “elevator speech” about the potato hack. If I had 30 seconds to explain the potato hack, I’d say:
The potato hack was copied after a diet plan described in an 1849 medical journal. Back then, Americans were becoming fat and dyspeptic from their “luxurious habits.” This potato diet plan simply called for one to eat nothing but potatoes for a few days at a time. It was promised that “lean men become fat and fat men become lean.” 167 years later, we are even fatter and more dyspeptic than ever, but the potato diet still works. The potato is full of pharmaceutical-grade anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents. The potato exerts profound effects on hunger signals and insulin sensitivity. Potatoes contain a compound known as “resistant starch” which serves to feed the trillions of bacteria and yeast that inhabit your intestines. Taken together, in a massive daily dose, the potato is the best diet pill ever invented.
With that, I give you, “The Potato Hack.”
Hi Tim,
ReplyDeleteI think the content of the back cover is getting much better.
One thing that may be confusing is that your picture is embedded in the quote from Dr. Ayers.
For the cover headline "Reset your metabolism" - I wonder if that is a bit vague for a benefit. I think it might be better to use a headline that causes most people to try a new "diet" - weight loss.
Also, instead of the quote from the original potato diet on the back, maybe consider sharing your experience with it. Highlight some of the benefits you experience e.g. last stubborn pounds came off effortlessly, lost a pound a day, that didn't come back etc.
Thanks, Mark - This is what I get being a cheapskate, but at least I have a really honest focus group. The area where Art's comment is was supposed to be "about author". I like having a few quotes better. I agree, the picture...who is it? Tim, Art? If I use this one, I'll take the picture out. There's no way to move it or deviate from the template.
ReplyDeleteAs far as a subtitle, I found if I use more than 3 or 4 words, it turns to a font so small you cannot read it on a thumbnail. However, the subtitle is always presented alongside the title on Amazon, so maybe it is not so important. Several of the templates put the subtitle on the back cover.
I like your idea for the quote. Thanks
Still a work in progress!
re:GemmaFebruary 22, 2016 at 9:23 PM
ReplyDelete"Do you think the potato hack is suitable for someone who has never eaten potatos?"
Why not? She can try and see (better peeled first).
Plants move around the world, often with people. Imagine a European asking: can I eat a coconut, it does not grow here. Or buckwheat, people eat and grow it in many places now, even though it originated in the Himalayas."
Yes, I'm a bit of a worry wart.
I have digestive issues and will try it together with her.
Funny that you mention buckwheat. In Shanghai I ate the famous hand-made noodles on two occasions. Both days I had unbelievable pain in my lower back the following mornings. Googled afterwards and found the main ingredient to be buckwheat. I had some tostitos whole(multi?) grain chips with the same reaction months later. Again, one of the top ingredients was buckwheat. It's like a fireman is using the jaws of life on the base of my spine. It's one of only a few food items that still puts me into flares while on my meds.
I'll update in a couple weeks to see how it worked out.
Re buckwheat: sorry, LOL
DeleteI could have mentioned another plant, like rice. But you get my point I think.
Subtitle: weightloss made simple
ReplyDeleteDr. Oz talked about raw potato starch today. You better stock up!
ReplyDeleteYou are shitting me...what did he say?
DeleteAn author of a low carb/high fat diet book was on his show talking about satiating high fat meals, snacks etc. After that he mentioned supplementing with the raw potato starch powder to help with hunger control. He mentioned the gut bug benefits etc. Of course he couldn't admit that the actual potato itself is satiating since he thinks starch is the enemy. I've seen this author somewhere a few times before, probably on some documentaries etc. He looked familiar. I went to my grocery store and bought up what they had. I love this stuff. Now the whole world knows. Sucks
ReplyDeleteTim, about the latest cover, showing your picture surrounded by the Art Ayers quote: the layout, to me, looks like that's a picture of Art Ayers, not you. I would separate them. Or maybe a caption: "the author with his potatoes".
ReplyDeleteOnce, many many years ago, I ran into a bookstore and rushed to pick up a book before catching the train. Had just seconds to make a decision. I saw the name Ursula LeGuin on the cover, and thought great! A LeGuin SF novel I haven't read yet! And picked it up in a hurry.
On the train I had a closer look at the cover. "This is a great book. (says) Ursula Leguin". The blurber's name was bigger and bolder than the author's! Screwed by marketing again!
Still it all worked out in the end. Years later I realized that the unknown talentless hack was actually somebody named "Salman Rushdie".
LOL
DeleteTrain stations are dangerous, this happened to me as well, at a train station stand. I wanted to buy The Alchemist", was in a hurry, and I got a book "by the author of The Alchemist" instead.
Perhaps some will read this title as "Steal The Potato"?
I hope I do not have to go into hiding like Mr. Rushdie after LC Paleo finds out what I said about them...
DeleteI think I am on track with the cover to end all covers. I'll post a finalized version when it's submitted. This feedback has been instrumental in helping me decide what to use. Thanks, everybody!
Yes, the high-fat hezbollah may declare a "low-fatwa" against you!
Delete"From spud to stud"
ReplyDeleteI just saw the new cover. My favorite thus far. In fact, it reminds me : have you tried salt encrusted baked potatoes? I haven't thought about those in a long time. Awesome. Just like with fish, they do not dry out.
ReplyDeleteI thought the snow made a cool backdrop, but it bleaches out the words. I think I have the perfect picture picked out now. You all will have to wait to see the final design...
DeleteI saw what you wrote above, and mention it a couple times in the book:
"I suspect that the potato hack gives a safety valve to hunger. Then free will becomes a matter of just eating potatoes. I'm hungry. Now the question is: Should I eat potatoes? Yes or no, this is free will because the decision to stick to potatoes is honored. If you eat cake, then it's not free will. The underlying question is different."
Very well-said. The food-reward centers in the brain are very powerful, and may even communicate with the metabolic circuits that create a weight set-point. In a famine situation, our body would presumably want to maintain itself in a leaner state and not drive is mad by continued "seek food" signals.
It's as if the brain is saying, "OK, buddy. You are upon hard times, I'll leave you alone as long as you eat a potato every now and then."
When is your book coming out? I just checked Kindle and it's not available yet.
ReplyDeleteWith some luck, it will be on Amazon before the end of March.
DeleteHey Tim, would Amazon Kindle maybe let you list your book for "pre-order"? Or just some sort of "coming soon" listing? It might help to get the word out even before the book is available.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, no one is more eager than me. I'm probably a week to 10 days away from having a firm date on release. Please bear with me, it's still a learning process!
DeleteCurrent update on book release?
ReplyDeleteSoooooo close! They sent me a proof copy of the book today, I expect to approve it Monday or Tuesday. Then I think it will be available as print immediately and another week to get onto Kindle.
Delete