Late January, I discussed my book, The Encounter Down Under, with a potential publisher. I contacted him through a mutual acquaintance at LinkedIn — actually, there were two steps between him and me — and we met at his office in Amsterdam. He had read part I of the Senna versus Schumacher story and liked the what-if concept of my book.

Publisher critical of my approach

However, he was critical of my approach, which is writing a race-by-race report of the 1994 season, albeit with Senna still competing for Williams-Renault. Although suitable for an online version, such an approach lacks body, if you will, for an actual book.

He gave me some advice concerning an alternate concept, including a theme on which to build the story — e.g. the safety measures that might not have been introduced, had Senna lived, or the Senna vs Schumacher rivalry that sadly eluded us — and commented on telling a story to accompany the ‘facts’, with personalities et cetera.

Food for tought: do I want to write a proper book?

So, that gave me some food for though, the last two weeks. And I must admit that I didn’t do too much work on the Canadian Grand Prix chapter because of it. The questions that I ask myself is:

• Do I want to continue with my current approach and finish The Encounter Down Under as an e-book kind of thing?
• Or would I like to see my story published as an actual book to present to friends and family, and put on the book shelf?

Outlines for an alternate approach to my story

The last couple of days I’ve spent some time outlining an alternate approach to the Senna versus Schumacher story. A broader view, if you will, which could include the 1995 and 1998 seasons. Perhaps zoom in on details of and characters surrounding both drivers and their battles on (and off?) the circuit.

This process will likely take some more time and I’d like to discuss the outcome with the publisher some more. So I’m afraid I can’t promise any progress in the e-book area. But I’ll keep you updated.