To create a great pool-related non-fiction book -- what's the topic of the book?

12310bch said:
1.Keith

2.Billy

3.Robin

I'll prepay for biography of any of these characters.

Or how about the hustler scene in L.A. during the 60's and 70's?
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I know you must mean Keith McCready as number one, but do you mean Billy Incardona for number two? And number three? Robin Dodson? Eddie Robin?

Yep, for me, the hustler scene in the 60s and 70s (and not just in L.A.) was the most interesting era of American pool.
 
The only chance a book about pool could be a blockbuster imo is to be fiction. Show me one non-fiction book on pool that sold over 10k copies. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
The only chance a book about pool could be a blockbuster imo is to be fiction. Show me one non-fiction book on pool that sold over 10k copies. Johnnyt
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Interesting. I wonder how many McGoorty books sold. Best pool non-fiction I've read.

Freddie <~~~ thinks that one should be a movie
 
Cornerman said:
Interesting. I wonder how many McGoorty books sold. Best pool non-fiction I've read.

Freddie <~~~ thinks that one should be a movie
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Book sale numbers have to come from the publisher and they rarely give them out. You might be right on McGoorty. The book came out in 2004, but i'd have to see the numbers to believe it. Believe it or not 10,000 copies is a lot sales for a non-fiction/ bio book about pool. Johnnyt
 
Correct Sir for the moment perhaps!

Johnnyt said:
The only chance a book about pool could be a blockbuster imo is to be fiction. Show me one non-fiction book on pool that sold over 10k copies. Johnnyt
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Maybe Alf Taylor's Book will surpass that mark. I hope so. In reality of audience appeal,it is Fiction that bring's the best results at the Box Office and the Book Store. You may blend elements of the two,but the fictitious side must dominate.:cool:
 
Johnnyt said:
Book sale numbers have to come from the publisher and they rarely give them out. You might be right on McGoorty. The book came out in 2004, but i'd have to see the numbers to believe it. Believe it or not 10,000 copies is a lot sales for a non-fiction/ bio book about pool. Johnnyt
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I think (but that normally gets me in trouble) that McGoorty was well before 2004. (Just checked... looks like 1984... and 1972). But, for some reason, Byrne changed the name of the book. It has been called:

McGoorty: A Billiard Hustler's Life

and

McGoorty: A Pool Room Hustler

and

McGoorty: Story of a Billiard Bum



Anyone know why the different titles?

Freddie <~~ bum
 
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Cornerman said:
I think (but that normally gets me in trouble) that McGoorty was well before 2004. (Just checked... looks like 1984... and 1972). But, for some reason, Byrne changed the name of the book. It has been called:

McGoorty: A Billiard Hustler's Life

and

McGoorty: A Pool Room Hustler

and

McGoorty: Story of a Billiard Bum



Anyone know why the different titles?

Freddie <~~ bum
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trying to appeal to different demographics id say.
 
McKinneyMiner said:
I think a behind-the-scenes book about the history of the Mosconi Cup would be really interesting...

How the players are selected, the different changes the format has had over the years, Matchroom's involvement...

As for player biographies, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest... And this is really something for JAM to do or be directly involved in...

Keith McCready...

I will guarantee that a biography of Keith that is done right and professionally will sell better and bring more attention to pool than almost any other book has...

But again, JAM has talked about doing this and it really is her project...

And to second a vote from a previous poster, a biography about UJ Puckett would be tremendous... Especially in an oral history format where various people who knew and played UJ are interviewed...
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I believe she said she was almost done at one point- i know it was started.
 
Cornerman said:
I think (but that normally gets me in trouble) that McGoorty was well before 2004. (Just checked... looks like 1984... and 1972). But, for some reason, Byrne changed the name of the book. It has been called:

McGoorty: A Billiard Hustler's Life

and

McGoorty: A Pool Room Hustler

and

McGoorty: Story of a Billiard Bum



Anyone know why the different titles?

Freddie <~~ bum
Click to expand...

My semi-educated guess is the original sub-title "Story of a Billiard Bum"
was a ref to the old saw 'gentlemen play Billiards, bums play Pool'.

Keep in mind, all three are only sub-titles.

I suspect that by the time re-printing rolled around, it was felt harldy
anyone knew or cared what a gentleman was, or what Billiards was.

Dale
 
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