by Bailey White
Staff Writer
There isn’t much new in North Florida real estate. Maybe this: a humorous book.
Jeff Cooper, a Jacksonville-based independent real estate agent and property appraiser, is among the 70 percent of Americans who think they can write a book.
Not many, of course, do. If there are 10 of you in your office today and none has written a book, then seven of you can be ashamed.
Not Cooper. He failed once, but not twice, and he’s written a book loaded with personal experiences and advice.
Such as:
“If your husband buys a restaurant, you will be a waitress.”
“Except for the Sistine Chapel, ceilings are boring.”
“Eat hash and buy good clothes.”
“Don’t buy a fish camp next to a guy with 50 cats.”
The title is “Buy a Boarded-up House with Contents.” It was published late last year, but it wasn’t Cooper’s first literary attempt.
“When I was in high school I sat down to write a novel,” he said. “I got about a paragraph into it before I thought, ‘This is hard,’ and I quit.”
This time, Cooper’s will was stronger, despite the 20 years it took to reach completion.
“Dad was an important motivation in writing the book,” he said. “He was a really nice guy, and I wanted everybody to know about that.”
What began in 1983 as a newspaper article in tribute to his father, grew and grew “until it evolved into a book,” said Cooper.
Part memoir, part humorous attempt at advice on real estate, the book chronicles Cooper’s 30-plus year career in the real estate industry.
“I’m 59 years old,” he said. “I don’t think much else will happen to me.”
“There are 68 chapters, each with a different idea, he said. “The book goes back 50 years in time, when you could buy a mansion for $20,000.”
The title comes from chapter six, about the Victorian-era home his parents bought in Palatka. The house is featured in the cover illustration which was done by Cooper’s cousin.
“Everybody that’s important to me is in the book,” said Cooper. “It was attempt to get them to buy it,” he joked. “It is very personal and I do wonder how it will fly with people who don’t know me.”
He’ll soon find out, if his book gets the distribution he is hoping for. Cooper is currently working on its promotion, and pushing it to national and local vendors.
He recently made his first sale to Chamblin Book Mine.
“They bought three copies,” he said. Cooper is looking into starting his own website where he could sell the book and would like to sell it through Amazon.com.
“My wife thinks it’s an expensive hobby,” he said. “I’m trying to prove her wrong.”
Having a book published is an expensive process. Cooper went through the Jacksonville-based Raj Publishing and has spent around $5,000 on publication costs so far.
“But I did make a $9 profit from the sale of those three books,” he said.
The benefit to printing so close to home and at a rate of about 50 a month is that Cooper can constantly amend his work.
“I’m able to change it as I go, based on feedback I get,” he said.
He’s planning on changing a few things before the next printing. The next edition will include a review by friend and former colleague Bill Watson. And he’s changing a line on the back cover to read, “If you’ve ever worked with your parents, this book is for you,” despite the fact that, according to Cooper, “you really can’t work with your parents, you’ll be working for them.”
He speaks from experience. Cooper and his father, Art, worked together for 18 years.
“Dad provided me with a rich background in real estate,” he said.
Cooper, who spends most of his time now appraising houses for bank loans, said the book provided a good creative outlet for him.
“My work life has been identical since 1989,” he said. “I didn’t want to atrophy and this book was something to give me a little juice in the head.”