I'm not sure where to post this, though this thread seemed the most general place.
As some of you know, over the course of the past few years I've been compiling information with regard to a reference guide for alternative/underground British comics. I've painstakingly combed over just about every conceivable resource for information: libraries, booksellers, auctions, old newspapers and fanzines, publishers, printers, artists, and friends and associates thereof, etc. I've sent thousands of e-mails, written letters and made phone calls. You name it. I'm obsessed.
I've amassed an enormous amount of information as well as comics themselves. My aim is to create a Kennedy-esque guide, sans pricing information. Each entry will have the same level of detail that his did. I've even toyed with the idea of including expanded information such as binding types (e.g., 2-staple, 3-staple, perfect bound, stitched). Simply put, an enormous level of detail.
I've been see-sawing back and forth between publishing an actual book and a website. I lean toward the idea of a book because it seems more . . . permanent, more important, even.
The reason I'm posting this is because I'd like to get some feedback from you, the collector, as to what you'd like to see. Which medium would be more useful to you?
Hands Down... Book, without a doubt.
Jason
Book.
Book
A book and get some one to illustrate it.
QuoteI lean toward the idea of a book because it seems more . . . permanent, more important, even.
Ouch!
Well if ya decide to put it on the web.
We'd be happy to provide space for it here.
I appreciate that, CJ. And I meant no offense about the above comment. It's just that I've seen so many websites come and go for whatever reasons. An actual book seems more lasting, is what I meant.
A book. When society breaks down, it will still be there. Copywrite it and it will be in the Library of Congress. Excerpt it to the web.
QuoteA book and get some one to illustrate it.
Multiple someones?
A book. But an online version would sure be handy too (and could be updated on a whim if that was part of the plan).
QuoteA book. When society breaks down, it will still be there.
:mouth:
That's right.
The more books we make now, the more we'll have to burn, to heat our shacks, when society breaks down.
I'm as much of a fan as anybody. But when the power goes off for ever, i don't think i'm gonna care about this stuff anymore. Can't eat comix.
The basic info (without the prices) should be in a hardbound book. In the book, you give a website address wherein the reader can look up the current prices. All that would be on the website would be current prices. All the other stuff would be in the book. The website would have an order form for the book.
I like your thinking, Jay.
Yeah...and then don't invest a fortune into printing up thousands of copies of the book. Just upload it to one of those print on demand places. But make sure they don't use ink that melts when it gets wet...and make sure their hardcover binding is good...sewn rather than glued. And sell it without a dust jacket.
Then, use what money you have to print a dustjacket for the book in photo offset. Get some Bro-Dart covers and Bro-dart the dust jackets...and put a paragraph in the book that sez collectors can send you $10 plus postage and handling and get a nice full-color dust jacket for the book.
The profit on the print-on-demand isn't too great....but it is similar to what you'd get from a publisher.
But the profit margin on the dust jacket would be good enough so that you could make some kind of a profit.
Let me clarify the above a little. The print on demand place would sell individually ordered copies of the book and ship them from their webpage. You would never see the full retail price of the book. The print on demand place would just send you royalties on what copies they sell. However, the book would still be listed on Amazon...So that the average person could buy it thru Amazon. This would cut down on your per-copy royalty, but it would sell more books.
You would sell the dust jackets from your address, though.
It's the old razors and razorblades concept. The razor is cheap...but the blades are costly. Your profit is in the dustjacket. And to the collector...a book is of less value without the dust jacket. So since your audience consists of collectors....that's the way to do it.
With the print-on-demand places, would I have things like a copyright and an ISBN?
You'd have the copyright, and I'm presuming all major book-on-demand publishers can provide an ISBN, though that may be a separate fee. There's tons of research on these subjects via Google or Yahoo.
Good advice, Jay!
The only one I'm familiar with is Lulu. I just checked and it appears as though they do offer ISBNs.
Well, WELL thought out. I'm really liking the concept!!!
:congrats:
You'd get an ISDN (either from ISDN or thru the print-on-demand place)....You would print (c) 2009 Your Name somewhere on the first 3 pages of the book. When the book is published, You would fill out copyright forms and mail the form to the Librarty of Congress, Copyright office along with $60 , or whatever the fee is these days, and copies of the book (I think they will accept digital copies for something like this) You would use form TX., which is downloadable from the Copyright office website.
You would need an isdn in order to sell thru Amazon or Barnes and Noble or any of the websites where people order current books from.
Thanks, again, Jay!
This is all very encouraging. While I have an extensive background in copy editing and layout/design, I've never actually published anything before. For some reason, I assumed it was a lot more complicated and expensive, but after performing a cursory search, I see that it's not. I just have to make sure that the printer I choose does quality work.
Now I'm inspired to really get down to business with this. I have e-mails, letters, notes and databases scattered all over the place. It's time to start tying this all together.
I've already commissioned a famous someone to do the front cover, which I'm very excited about!
But if you go the dustjacket route, make sure you settle on the size and proportions of said dustjacket before the famous someone starts drawing the cover.
If he does the cover before the proportions are determined...and it turns out that the book will have to be printed in different proportions, you will have to adjust his cover proportionally in photoshop...and odds are it would come out looking strange.
....The thickness of the spine and thickness of the cover board would be a factor in determining the size of the dustjacket. So once you know the # of pages and the paper stock...have the outfit that is making the books send you a blank dummy copy the exact size and #or pages as the real book...and from that you can ascertain the precise dust jacket size.
It's going to be A4, though I'm not sure that I'm going to go the hardcover/dust jacket route yet.
I found a downloadable book (legal) that might be usefull.
Digital Prepress for Comic Books
http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=12210&affiliate_id=228463