Roger Pearse

Arf.

I know. There are various obvious crowd-pullers one could use, albeit not quite like that! But they are all probably wrong for the likely audience.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

DCHindley

Roger,

I finally found the kind of book cover picture I was thinking of, if you would like the paperback version to reach out to a non traditional audience (i.e., real people, not us freaks).

A couple reading the bible, probably in daily devotional, which inevitably will lead to discussion between them as to what the passages being read "means" to them.



Since I am not a photoshop or web publishing software expert (personal computers did not even hit the market until the year after I graduated from college), replace in your mind the title with something like:

GOSPEL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS then for an author, place the author's name "Eusebius" in smaller type offset somewhere from the title, maybe below the illustration. In this version, don't add "Bishop of Caesarea" or "author of Church History" or such like. That will make most folks of this type pass it by, because they will think "dry dry dry."

By doing this, you tap the devotional crowd. If they don't recognize the author (pretty much a given) they will open it up and look at the types of questions and answers inside. If they like what they see, they may then look at the general introduction you will write for it and be surprised to learn that church fathers are not all piss and vinegar, but some actually had a genuinely inquisitive side seeking substantive answers rather than dictating a party line.

Of course, for the academics and amateur sleuths of early Christian faith and/or dogma, come out with a different cover for them. probably on the lines that Spin and others had provided. Have a different introduction though, one dripping with your usual verbiage, and add footnotes/endnotes.

Don't forget the library edition of this academic version, which would be a hardbound version of the edition above, and be rediculously expensive (think Brill).

DCH

Roger Pearse

Thank you very much -- this is helpful. I agree about the different market, and the approach, but it is very helpful to hear these ideas given focus.

Elijah

I don't know if you would get in trouble for messing with the cross but it converted to an equal sign I thought would go with solutions to the gospel problems.

spin

Roger Pearse

Two more useful ideas - thank you.

ph2ter

mountainman