This project of writing my own is something that I have kicked around for quite some time but I think this summer and fall will be when I can devote a strong amount of time into completing this.

The book is called “Diamond Destruction: How Greed, Media And Steroids Ruined Our Game” which discusses how I fell in love with the game of baseball that I didn’t know as a younger child and have gradually seen both the fans over sensationalize athletic “heroes” and expect far too much from people who are playing a game for a living while there are athletes who can never really appreciate their fans. I have been writing this with the objective of trying to figure out if high salaries really aren’t the problem, how stories are often sensationalized in a 24-hour news era and what impact did the use of steroids really have on the younger baseball crowd that has grown up in this era. I think it is important to judge the mindset of a growing fan base of our national pastime and something that we should never forget or take for granted.

I pitched my project proposal to KickStarter and after it was accepted, I set up the page with a target goal and rewards for each level of contribution. If you have an interesting idea but are lacking some support, make sure to check out that site and it can certainly be very rewarding.

I didn’t know the game until I was nearly 10 years old when I moved from Pakistan to Canada and now the United States for the past decade. Graduating from College with a degree in Mathematics in about a week, I would love some financial help in publishing a book on baseball that I have been working on in my spare time. All proceeds will be used strictly for book-related purposes including designing a cover. If you can’t give right now, please let me know if you can contribute with some information that you think might be helpful and as always, feel free to spread the word around.

Happy 2010 Readers.

What’s your new resolution this year that you definitely won’t break this year?* I plan to finish my book within the next 365 days… Let me know what your goals are and good luck in achieving them.

*Note: By definitely I mean you will absolutely try but will most likely not succeed.

Popularity: 8%

Just yesterday, I was made aware of a “Self Publish with Us” service offered by Amazon.com. Through CreateSpace or BookSurge, you have the ability to utilize several publishing tools to help sell your books, videos amongst other digital media.

For a first time author, this is probably a very enticing offer to have a book published for free while having it listed on Amazon and making it visible to millions of viewers. Amazon does take a percentage of the list price plus a fixed charge depending on the length of your book but you agree to a non-exclusive agreement giving you the ability to change publishing and distributing partners if a better situation presents it self.

There is a 24-page minimum if you choose to publish but I am going to assume that if you are writing anything, it will hit that 24-page mark rather quickly and shouldn’t be a problem. If you remember, I started writing my own book about earlier and without even knowing, I have been way past the minimum limit. This service really has gotten me back interested in finishing up the book and hopefully have one out within the next 6-12 months.

Let’s just take a look at some of the features “Self Publish with Us” offers:

Book Features from Amazon.com

• All book covers are printed in full-color on cover stock and finished with a protective laminate coating
• Black and white books can be printed on white or cream (also called “off-white”) paper
• Amazon listings include the Search Inside!® feature
• Free CreateSpace ISBN is assigned if you do not already own one

Some critical frequently asked questions that I briefly described earlier such as the initial cost to publish a book, whether you keep the rights to your work and can you order a member’s copy are answered below:

So here is a sneak peek at a chapter that I have written for my book. The title of the book is Diamond Destruction: How Greed, The Media and Steroids Ruined Our Game. Let me know what you guys think.

This specific chapter is called “Derek Jeter: Mr. Overrated?” which I am sure is going to be a big hit amongst my Yankee friends. Maybe this is my own way of removing the closet Yankee fan label or the fact that I never fell for the Jeter hype in the first place. Not really sure what it was but I never thought he is this superstar that everyone makes him out to be. Just think about Jeter who does not put up any big numbers and plays shortstop – if he put up these numbers for a team like Kansas City Royals or another lower tier team by today’s standings, no one would even know who Derek Jeter is. He was quite fortunate to fall into a perfect place with the Yankees who had stars and he was just a very small piece who didn’t even play that big of a role in their ultimate success.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter. I might release more as I go along but feel free to criticize, point out errors or add any other input you may have on this. If you want to read everything I have, feel free to contact me. So far I would say I have about 50 pages worth written and I’m still looking for more people to read it, rip it to shreds so I can improve on it.

I will not waste much time in making my point very clear regarding this chapter. I have long stated and still stand by the statement that Derek Sanderson Jeter, also known as Mr. November to many fans around the country, is one of the most overrated and overhyped baseball players to play the game in my lifetime. Certainly it does not help that he was drafted for the Evil Empire but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like every single player who has put on a pinstripe. There are plenty of Yankees who I have great admiration for and hoped that they had played for my favorite team.

Popularity: 8%

As some of you may have heard, I am currently in the midst of writing a book on baseball and issues that are plauging the game today. I want to say I am just about half way through writing it, since I don’t expect the book to be very long about 100-125 pages. The chapters are going to cover various issues including steroids, the media and how the influence of money has taken over the game.

I already have one reader and I am currently looking for maybe 2 or 3 more people who are interested in critically reading what I have written and tearing it to shreds with corrections, suggestions and even ideas on what else to write. Let me know if you are interested, and I’ll arrange to send you a copy of what I have.

Plus, if you are quite handy with graphic design and would like to design a front and back cover for the book, let me know and I can give you the title and what I would like to see on the cover. I am sure any work done towards the book can be appropriately compensated if we agree to something.

Popularity: 2%