This book is about other thieves – those in the book business. These pirates are the book stores, publishers, marketers and agents, for starters. This is Swiatek’s sixth book, following his instructive, highly praised and entertaining other works: "This Page Intentionally Left Blank," "for seeing eye dogs only," "The Read My Lips Cookbook," "Don’t Bet On It" and "Tick Tock, Don’t Stop."
At the end of 2005, the author had the pleasure of conducting a work session on writing humor at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo. This endeavor got him started on this book, which is his journey as a writer, with all the joys, disappointments, experiences and hemorrhoids brought on through dealings with agents, book stores, publishers and marketers. Written to enlighten authors and aspiring writers with insight into the publishing business, it is also meant to give them and everyone else a few laughs.
Of course, the title refers to what was described above, but it also has two other significances. When one hears about pirates with puffy shirts, one can only envision Jerry Seinfeld on the show with that same garment. Another episode comes to mind with the eye-patch so elegantly worn by Kramer as he stumbles into the booth at the café. Besides the lessons that the writer learned when dealing with book people, he also provides a few laughs to keep readers turning the pages. To understand the third meaning of the title, you’ll have to read the introduction. Swiatek also offers advice about what is needed to be a writer. Most of all, he implores those aspiring to being writers to have hope and not give up.
Before retiring from the business world at the end of 2001 after more than 25 years, the author was a software consultant for over twenty years, having worked at various corporations throughout the east coast, such as Nestle, Blue Cross, Chase Bank, Digital Equipment Corporation and Sea World, but he was never a stowaway aboard any ship. He studied and worked with computers for over thirty years and taught mathematics at high schools in New York and New Jersey for eight years, and, until now, has had five other books self-published. You can get details about all his books, including what is keeping him off the street and what he hopes to get published in 2008 at bobcooks.com, the web site he created and maintains. e was born in Buffalo and lived in a few places in the eastern US, but currently resides in the city of his birth. His degrees are in mathematics, math education and computer science, but none in piracy, writing or journalism. Rather, he has real-life experience when it comes to quite a few aspects of writing.
