007 How long before the book is published?

Short answer is, I'm not exactly sure.  If I "stick to the script" and only include the basic (edited or cut down version of Thomas's letters) I could say I am almost there.  Or even simpler would be if I just published the letters in total, as they are, and let Thomas tell the story.  And let the readers form their own view on various matters. 


But, in typical fashion, I always have to make things more complicated and difficult than they need be, this is to make the book writing more simple, or in the hope that I may add interest, also put my point of view (fair enough?), and maybe get more people to share this interesting story with.  And if I pass on before my job is done, I can leave it to my son to do in his dotage (40 years time).


And so, I have input the letters to a massive data base, sentence by sentence or (in some cases) phrase by phrase.  From this data base I can pull out the content from all the letters, according to subject matter.  The trouble is, I now have about 500 different subjects in the data base.  This hasn't simplified things, it's made them more complicated!


Main problem with me is that I have a "completeness" ?compulsion, I really want to include lots of "extra" stuff - stuff which I find interesting (but which modern day readers may not - yes, that is a risk).  What a shame to leave it out, that's my philosophy.  Of course, that will make for a rather large book.  And I have great difficulty in making decisions, so it is easier to include something in than include it out (as Sam Goldwyn might have said). 


Or books!  Yes, I have thought of that.  So, why not (say) five books on my Grandfather's life?  Why not another Forsite Saga (about a dozen books, as I recall)? Minutiae rules!!

I'm thinking perhaps I will self-publish and do only (say) 50 copies of the book.  Then hawk these around to various book publishing firms to see if they are interested in doing a reprint.  For nothing. 

Call me crazy, but I have absolutely no doubt that one day my grandfather's life story will be made into a film.  But it might have to be me that makes it ....