[Mason Malmuth]

Hi TT:

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True, but Mason probably would not write a book on tournaments because its not what he does. But if he did take a stab in the dark, at least we can assume from his past proven track record that it would be good, and he would probably be making a better royalty than you

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I'm going to take this one step further. My best guess is that Doyle Brunson cost himself at least $1 million in royalties by not going with us, and perhaps as much as $3 million. I don't know Daniel's deal with his publisher (who's the same as Brunson's), but assuming he does produce a very good book, there's a good chance the numbers would be similar.

Our royalty rates run as high as 50 percent of wholesale which is equivalent to 25 percent of retail. These are rates that are virtually unheard of in the publishing business.

And one final thought, if I was to write a tournament book, it would sell well because we wouldn't publish it if it wasn't good. Don't forget, we at Two Plus Two do have access to experts who would give us comments, and this would include David Sklansky and Dan Harrington, to make sure it was good.

By the way, we do like Daniel at Two Plus Two and there is no question that he's a gifted player. What he needs to understand about me is that a bunch of years ago I made the decision that our publishing company, and not my poker playing career, is where my main efforts would go. It's perhaps the best decision I ever made.

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OK back to reality - I'm your biggest fan and biggest critic of your TD 2-7 section in SSII. It was hands down the best section in the book, but if you spent a little more time editing your concepts, added a discussion on odds & pot equity (its only needed when the pot is bloated or very small but its still a missing topic), and expanded greatly on the river I think it would have been flawless. Take your time, don't let anyone rush you and don't miss any tiny details. Deliver the flawless book that you want to write. Everyone has high hopes for your next book, I hope you live up to our expectations!

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This is incredibly good advice. The world of poker books has changed from what it was years ago when I started. Many authors out there don't realize how important it is to have their books very well written and produced in all aspects. Twenty years ago when Two Plus Two first began, this wasn't the case, but it is the case now.

I have been critical of Daniel's writing in the past, and I'm sure he hasn't enjoyed those comments. But Daniel, as TT mentioned, have a professional editor go over your work, especially someone who is very good at tightening up the language. If you don't know one, contact me privately and I can recommend an editor. Do you really want to publish a book where someone can come along and simply cross out every third or fourth word and then it reads better?

And one final thought. While I agree that's Daniel's
"Triple Draw" in SS2 is quite good, my favorite section is the Omaha eight-or-better. But that's probably because, though virtually no one knows this, I had a little something to do with it.

best wishes,
Mason