So, coming up with another idea.
See, Our Man thinks we've not done too badly on the book part of #quakebook. (It's a reality. It's bloody good. It is accessible from the world's biggest bookseller, Amazon, you can download it to your PC, Mac or smartypants phone) and they have waived their fee, so every time you buy it, not a penny goes to Quakebook, Amazon or Our Man (sigh). Everything, less any cut passing government heavies might impose as tax, goes to the Japan Red Cross.
And Our Man is absolutely confident we'll get a print edition in English and Japanese out soon, at cost price. Would be lovely to get a printed book with ALL revenues raised going to charity, but real books have real costs - paper, ink, lorry drivers, presses, business-class tickets to book fairs in London, you know, unavoidable costs, baby.
Incidentally, here's a lesson in economics Our Man is having to get his head round: Sell a Kindle book at $9.99, all the cash goes to the Japanese Red Cross. Sell a hardback at $20, even at cost, you are looking at half the kindle book price, $4.50, going to charity.
Charge twice as much, get half the bang of a digital book. But print outsells digital 9:1 or so.
Our Man's head hurts. You do the math: Print is pricey, but it pays. If inefficiently.
Our Man likes print. It's got pedigree. It's real. But it takes time and resources to figure out. He will get it figured, but in the meantime, we do have a digital book that ya'll can get your digital digits on. Just, it's a high mental barrier to jump from print to digital for many readers.
That's why Our Man thinks we need a kind of citizen's army of recruiters to help the print lovers defeat their fears of digital - if just for one book for charity.
The Civil Rights movement had voter registration drives to get black Americans voting for the first time. Quakebook needs something similar.
Your advice is, as always, welcome (though not always heeded).
15 comments:
well, dear fellow, a digital book requires a digital reader. A digital reader requires an energy source. Some of us older folks are going to resist buying yet another energy sucking doohickey as long as it is possible.
You don't need to buy anything. It's just a program you download for free to the same machine you are reading this blog post on.
I thank you, I think you have proven my point :)
That's it. I'm going to buy Quakebook and leave it at the front of the bus.
We will light the fires of revolution and call it 'Kindling'.
The printing keeps some people in employment, so you could look at it that way. We still live in a world that likes books, each to their own, and its good you are providing the choice. I wanted to buy the kindle version for my grandchildren to keep, but its just too complicated to arrange downloads, and they are all under 7 yrs old. I will buy each family a print version as soon as they are released. Keep up the good work. You are doing amazing stuff. Have you thought of self publishing the quakebook on Lulu? It can be done in a day, or is the profit margin for the Red cross not good enough for the cause? They may do a special discount for you?
chris
I hear you Chris, and I wouldn't want to replace a beautiful hardback book as a present for your grandkids with a digital version.
I feel like the Quakebookers have moved the mountain to Mohammed - the book is there, nobody profits from it but the J Red Cross - and anyone with a computer or smart phone and credit card can buy it and read it and get money to those in need.
And yet, people think they can't read it, it's too complicated or that it's some marketing thing, or that by choosing the digital version, they are forever renouncing print. This is just not so - and highlights to me that Our Man and Quakebook has to do a better job of explaining why a digital version of the book makes sense.
Just my two yen.
Also, we are looking at other platforms, but for now we have Amazon doing it all for free, short of a print book, what more do you want, I asks ya?
Dear Mr. Abiko,
You've gotta be kidding! You, with your persuasive powers, think you can't get the same kind of cooperation/collaboration for a printed book? Why don't you make a list of "to dos" and ask for signups?
Dear Mr. Abiko,
Have you already have a fixed plan to publish Quakebook in Japanese? I'm a book editor making books in Japanese, and I may show you some Japanese publishers.
"It's just a program you download for free to the same machine you are reading this blog post on."
No Linux version :) Generally, as far as I know there's no way to move the book off Amazons devices onto something else. I'll stick with formats that aren't controlled by a single entity.
Meanwhile, if you want to improve the profitability of the paper version, why not do like O'Reilly? They offer the print book, or, for a bit more, the print book and e-book (in all common formats) together. Example here: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922259
Just another $4 or so for the ebook version, but as you say, 100% of that money would go to the Red Cross - as much as you get from the paper book sale itself.
t2enonu No fixed plan, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Email me at ourmaninabiko @ g mail . com
Anon, working on it. Are you my digital reincarnation of my mum?
Janne, can you see your way to swallowing your admirable aversion to the big guy just this once for the children, they are our future you know etc etc. But, yes, working on a one-size fits all solution. But I'm allergic to fees negotiations ya know.
Mr. Abiko,
(...continuing from 11:05, and noting 11:19... yappari so deshou!?!)
Your response did not disappoint. Now would you go look through your email on April 15 and confirm that you received my message (that I contacted the right address, etc.)? After that, I'll send content to you. It is not as urgent as it was then, as the deadline has passed, but there is always another deadline to aim towards. tn
Sorry, anon, you want me to search through 500 emails for an anonymous email about what?
If I have failed to respond to an email from you, I do apologise. It's one of my many failings to be forever playing catch-up with email. Please understand I get mountains of emails, about numerous deadlines. If I missed yours I am sorry. Please send it again and I will give it all my attention.
How many copies have you sold on amazon so far?
FAntastic marvellous great - get on with teh print edition - A big publisher will surely want to be on board. Scholastic Publishers in NZ have given NZ$100,000 to support peopel from Christchurch earthquake from the book Quaky cat
http://www.quakebook.org/about/
You can do it!!
Oh yeah - I should have mentioned that Kindle is proprietry software and many people who want to buy the fabo e-book will not have the reader. Bring on the book book - do I sound like a librarian - I am! - also read e-books
Best wishes for forging ahead - make sure the Easter bunny visits your daughter this weekend!
Pene - Aotearoa, New Zealand
Whoopsie sorry - here is proper link
http://bit.ly/dNbZnl
Post a Comment