Ben Dilworth had an idea. Usually I listen to those and try them out but his latest idea to get sales would probably not work.
I will explain.
Despite the fact that the World Mysteries books contain hundreds of pages and feature over (now) 40 years worth of cases I have looked into and also contain many cases never before reported on -not forgetting my unearthing of images thought lost for over 100 plus years (psst! No one did any research which is why they were 'lost' and I found them)...they are not selling. The price is the minimum and as all books are printed in the country from which they were ordered I have no say over postage prices.
Ben's idea was to break the book Some More Things Strange and Sinister up into parts to make 24 pp (in publishing you count exterior and interior covers) A4 magazine style publications. He even put together 6 mock up or dummy issues as well as a Special to show what he meant. The following are the rough covers he put together and I will come to that after showing them.
What to say? Firstly, those covers would never get approval from me to print! They were put together to show a cover with the main focus being on the interior. If you had ever seen a Black Tower book -comic album, graphic novel or prose - you would have noted that the quality of the printed covers is the best possible. In the past people at Small Press events have stated the books look "too slick and professional": yes -because people would be giving their money for the books and that means they deserve a quality product.
Of course,unlike Ben, I have extensive image files so covers are no problem. To use my Print On Demand (POD) company to produce a 24 pager would cost around £2.50 a copy. So the buyer would be paying around £5.00 a copy (the printer and POD company take a big cut and if sold in the US I have to pay tax but with no benefits).
The problem is that I do not think it would work. 20 years ago, perhaps, but we are now living in a time when literacy is dwindling -it has even been called the "new age of illiteracy". People would sooner pick up -and pay higher prices than any of my books- trash: fantasy and lies rather than truth and facts. They want everything from the internet and for free because they do not give a damn how much work or time is involved-they want it for free.
I have also tried this idea myself and failed. This piece has run over three blogs, Google Plus, Twitter, Pinterest, Face Book and many other online outlets with a total of 230,000 views. Yes, 230,000 views and since it was published in 2018 not a single copy has sold.
Technical and scientific based journal looking at what has become known as "UFOs" -including natural phenomena some not yet scientifically understood.
This is NOT a sensationalist publication but will contain fully referenced articles and reports to help promote further serious study.
Same principle really but if a world wide audience was clicking on to this advert but not buying you have to assume they like wasting their own time. Some 52 pages for £4.50 you really can't go wrong and it was a 1st issue, too. Although issues 2 and 3 were completed I did what any sensible publisher does -I cancelled both books.
The thing is that Ben's idea came just as I was looking at breaking up the Return of the Gods: Twilight of the Super Heroes and Cross Earths Caper into 52 pp issues. Cost of each would be around £5.50. Seemed to be a good idea except that it would involve any interested person buying the entire series and that would amount to more money than both books cost combined -and The Green Skies would also need breaking up into parts. You can see where the problem is: having the books online at the store costs me nothing other than all the time to upload and do all the storefront stuff. But there are a lot of books on there and they are not selling -which is why I also cancelled all of the British Golden Age comics reprints -the Complete Collection has sold 4 copies and the single volumes none. Where are all of those ardent Golden Age comic fans that were all cock-a-hoop about these books?
My whole aim has been to give the potential buyer as good a quality publication as I can but (I'm a life long comic fan so I know the score) at the lowest possible price. No takers. So a Some Things Strange & Sinister series I could not see working and it would also mean that the complete books have less appeal.
I do not sleep much. I have many, many ideas as well as projects ongoing and 100% of the projects have been halted because I do not have a computer any more. Green Skies was completed last year but sits as 500 or so unlettered pages. I have two other current comic projects that I cannot letter. My rapidly failing laptop does not have a program that I can use to start on the two new prose books. If I have no money coming in from sales then I cannot buy a computer (not even second user since the programs all cost a great deal of money).
So while Ben's idea sounds interesting it will not work in today's almost non-existent market. I've been publishing since 1984 and since 1995 things have fallen apart. I will not blame the internet just those who misuse it.
I will explain.
Despite the fact that the World Mysteries books contain hundreds of pages and feature over (now) 40 years worth of cases I have looked into and also contain many cases never before reported on -not forgetting my unearthing of images thought lost for over 100 plus years (psst! No one did any research which is why they were 'lost' and I found them)...they are not selling. The price is the minimum and as all books are printed in the country from which they were ordered I have no say over postage prices.
Ben's idea was to break the book Some More Things Strange and Sinister up into parts to make 24 pp (in publishing you count exterior and interior covers) A4 magazine style publications. He even put together 6 mock up or dummy issues as well as a Special to show what he meant. The following are the rough covers he put together and I will come to that after showing them.
What to say? Firstly, those covers would never get approval from me to print! They were put together to show a cover with the main focus being on the interior. If you had ever seen a Black Tower book -comic album, graphic novel or prose - you would have noted that the quality of the printed covers is the best possible. In the past people at Small Press events have stated the books look "too slick and professional": yes -because people would be giving their money for the books and that means they deserve a quality product.
Of course,unlike Ben, I have extensive image files so covers are no problem. To use my Print On Demand (POD) company to produce a 24 pager would cost around £2.50 a copy. So the buyer would be paying around £5.00 a copy (the printer and POD company take a big cut and if sold in the US I have to pay tax but with no benefits).
The problem is that I do not think it would work. 20 years ago, perhaps, but we are now living in a time when literacy is dwindling -it has even been called the "new age of illiteracy". People would sooner pick up -and pay higher prices than any of my books- trash: fantasy and lies rather than truth and facts. They want everything from the internet and for free because they do not give a damn how much work or time is involved-they want it for free.
I have also tried this idea myself and failed. This piece has run over three blogs, Google Plus, Twitter, Pinterest, Face Book and many other online outlets with a total of 230,000 views. Yes, 230,000 views and since it was published in 2018 not a single copy has sold.
Paperback,
52 Pages
Price: £4,50 (excl. VAT)
Prints in 3-5 business days
Prints in 3-5 business days
Technical and scientific based journal looking at what has become known as "UFOs" -including natural phenomena some not yet scientifically understood.
This is NOT a sensationalist publication but will contain fully referenced articles and reports to help promote further serious study.
Same principle really but if a world wide audience was clicking on to this advert but not buying you have to assume they like wasting their own time. Some 52 pages for £4.50 you really can't go wrong and it was a 1st issue, too. Although issues 2 and 3 were completed I did what any sensible publisher does -I cancelled both books.
The thing is that Ben's idea came just as I was looking at breaking up the Return of the Gods: Twilight of the Super Heroes and Cross Earths Caper into 52 pp issues. Cost of each would be around £5.50. Seemed to be a good idea except that it would involve any interested person buying the entire series and that would amount to more money than both books cost combined -and The Green Skies would also need breaking up into parts. You can see where the problem is: having the books online at the store costs me nothing other than all the time to upload and do all the storefront stuff. But there are a lot of books on there and they are not selling -which is why I also cancelled all of the British Golden Age comics reprints -the Complete Collection has sold 4 copies and the single volumes none. Where are all of those ardent Golden Age comic fans that were all cock-a-hoop about these books?
My whole aim has been to give the potential buyer as good a quality publication as I can but (I'm a life long comic fan so I know the score) at the lowest possible price. No takers. So a Some Things Strange & Sinister series I could not see working and it would also mean that the complete books have less appeal.
I do not sleep much. I have many, many ideas as well as projects ongoing and 100% of the projects have been halted because I do not have a computer any more. Green Skies was completed last year but sits as 500 or so unlettered pages. I have two other current comic projects that I cannot letter. My rapidly failing laptop does not have a program that I can use to start on the two new prose books. If I have no money coming in from sales then I cannot buy a computer (not even second user since the programs all cost a great deal of money).
So while Ben's idea sounds interesting it will not work in today's almost non-existent market. I've been publishing since 1984 and since 1995 things have fallen apart. I will not blame the internet just those who misuse it.
No comments:
Post a Comment