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Post by fred on Feb 14, 2015 15:02:01 GMT -6
There have been some, but I have no idea how many so far. They notify me semi-annually and I think the December statement is due any day. I have no idea what sales have been like, but two very nice reviews just popped up on Amazon today. So who knows? What matters most to me is what you all think of it... and that pleases me a lot. Best wishes, Fred.
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Post by AZ Ranger on Feb 15, 2015 7:20:39 GMT -6
Did the NPS bookstore order any? Did the Trading Post? Last year Gordie's book was just out and not on the shelves at either location. So my investigative nature poked around at the trading post and found a carton of his book. I asked them it would like to have some signed by Tori Harper and Monte Akers. They got the case of books out and both signed them. They sold out in a few days. Not that it means much to total sales but its a great place to pick up a book and I think the signings add to the personal value.
What do you think Fred?
Steve
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Post by fred on Feb 15, 2015 10:05:46 GMT -6
Did the NPS bookstore order any? Did the Trading Post? Steve, When we were there in 2013, neither the Trading Post nor the NPS bookstore had Participants. Obviously, it burned me up and I mentioned it to McFarland. It was especially galling because both carried a McFarland-published book on Doc Porter. I even wrote the owner of McFarland and in typical publisher fashion, never got a response. When I raised hell with their marketing department, all I got was a, "Oh, we deal with the NPS all the time, but they make their own decisions what to carry." Uh-huh!Personally, this is my biggest issue with my publisher: I think they do a lousy marketing job. They have a fairly significant presence on Amazon, selling about 70% of their sales there, but I doubt they lobbied long and hard with the NPS. A fellow named Douglas Cubbison from Casper, WY, is the curator of the Veteran's Museum there, and he is in touch with various state historic sites like Fort Caspar and Fort Phil Kearny, and he has spoken to those people about both books (he has them both), so maybe they will show up there ( Participants was at neither place in 2013, nor was it at Laramie, an NPS site). So we will see... but it really is frustrating. Personally, I have little hope that when I show up in June of this year, either Participants or Strategy will be there. It will be just like 2013: "Do you have...?" "Sorry... never heard of it." That is the problem with small publishers... but, you live with it. My feelings are that if the book is good enough, it will get around despite the efforts of the publishers. Best wishes, Fred.
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Post by dave on Feb 15, 2015 12:17:21 GMT -6
Beth I the reason I did not order the e book version on Fred's book is that is so awkward to try and shift from section to section. I am unable to do it and would not waste my money on the e version because I know I will be looking from section to time line etc. I am old fashion I like a paper copy. Regards Dave
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Post by chris on Feb 15, 2015 12:38:40 GMT -6
Beth I the reason I did not order the e book version on Fred's book is that is so awkward to try and shift from section to section. I am unable to do it and would not waste my money on the e version because I know I will be looking from section to time line etc. I am old fashion I like a paper copy. Regards Dave Dave, Kindle has its problems, not the least of which is getting good resolution on the images. Another is the section problem. I can't relate a quote to a page for those who have the hard copy. I do a work-around of those things. Sent a query to Amazon and got squat. How did you know about the section problem without seeing the Kindle version? Best, c.
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Post by Beth on Feb 15, 2015 14:20:32 GMT -6
Beth I the reason I did not order the e book version on Fred's book is that is so awkward to try and shift from section to section. I am unable to do it and would not waste my money on the e version because I know I will be looking from section to time line etc. I am old fashion I like a paper copy. Regards Dave The ebook does have it's limitations. The time tables can't be enlarged which for me makes them very hard to read. Also as you mentioned the shifting from section to section. I do it with bookmark and search but it is awkward compared to a regular book. The advantages I find with an ebook though is that I can enlarge the print and the photographs. That to me is a huge advantage. Some days I need a larger print and backlighting to read. others not so much but I do need to be able to enlarge graphics and photographs to see details. I got around it by getting both an ebook and book. I know that isn't possible for everyone but when Fred explained the nature of his book I knew that was the best option for me. Beth
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Post by dave on Feb 15, 2015 14:58:24 GMT -6
Chris I have ordered other books which were history based such as one on "The Iron Brigade" and I could not go back and forth for maps or notes and I found the map resolution to be poor. E books are ok for novels etc but not studious tomes and Fred's has time lines and I knew I could not go back and forth as I could with the book. Experience does pay dividends. Regards Dave
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Post by Beth on Feb 15, 2015 15:07:20 GMT -6
You do know that you can enlarge maps and photos on an Kindle right? I find that very useful for reading maps. It's the going back and forth that is the pain in the you know where.
Beth
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Post by chris on Feb 15, 2015 15:11:19 GMT -6
You do know that you can enlarge maps and photos on an Kindle right? I find that very useful for reading maps. It's the going back and forth that is the pain in the you know where. Beth Yes Beth. Best, c.
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Post by Beth on Feb 15, 2015 15:40:46 GMT -6
You do know that you can enlarge maps and photos on an Kindle right? I find that very useful for reading maps. It's the going back and forth that is the pain in the you know where. Beth Yes Beth. Best, c. The reason I aske is because I had mine for probably two years before one of my kids showed me that it enlarged. True Duh moment. Beth
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Post by dave on Feb 17, 2015 16:31:07 GMT -6
Finally! Fred's book arrived today and the adventure begins! Fred I will follow your thoughtful suggestions and advice and start reading tonight. I will have to record NCIS so I can start right away. Regards Dave
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Post by Colt45 on Feb 17, 2015 20:13:50 GMT -6
Dave, you will love the book.
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Post by fred on Feb 18, 2015 6:45:13 GMT -6
Fred I will follow your thoughtful suggestions and advice and start reading tonight. Dave, If I may make a suggestion. Or two. Go through Appendix A first. Familiarize yourself with the place names and some distances so you have an idea of how these fellows traveled. Then go to Appendix D... real quick... so you can see how and why I chose the time standard I did. These guys knew when the battle began... writers don't. Lastly, go through the timelines. This may be a bit tedious and time-consuming, but I think it will give you a better idea going into the text, plus the text will flow a bit better because you will be more familiar with the timing schemes and may possibly not have to refer constantly back to the tables. I hope you enjoy it and I hope it meets with your expectations. And I thank you for your confidence in my writing And by the way, I just noticed the publisher is out of stock again, meaning the next books will be the sixth printing. For me, that's kinda cool. Best wishes, Fred.
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Post by tubman13 on Feb 18, 2015 7:14:57 GMT -6
Fred, as an aside, do you recall how many printings of "Participants" had happened in the same timeframe?
Regards, Tom
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Post by fred on Feb 18, 2015 9:23:13 GMT -6
... do you recall how many printings of "Participants" had happened in the same timeframe? Tom, It is a different set of circumstances. Participants is hardcover and I believe McFarland sent it to an outside printer. That is probably why errors popped up in the final edition that were not there in my final proofing. I guess because of the money involved, they printed about 500 copies and it has not sold out. (Some of that may have to do with what I consider a crappy marketing effort by McFarland's marketing department, i. e., they didn't even get the darned thing into the NPS' battlefield bookstore.) Strategy is different. Because of the complexity of the timelines, maps, etc., they made the decision to print it in paperback: again, costs involved. McFarland can print its own books in paperback, so they can print on demand and print-runs will be considerably less and they can base them on demand. The first run was 151 copies-- I think-- and it sold out immediately. The second run was 111 copies-- again, I think-- and that sold out immediately, as well. Now they are on their sixth run, but I have no idea how many they are printing. Because of their set-up, they could probably run as few as 20 and make it cost effective. With today's technology stuff like this is fairly easy. If this book sells more than 500 and remains in print, I will have had a big winner... at least in my mind. Oh, and by the way, even Walmart is selling it... for whatever that means. At least that was an ego-boost if nothing else. Best wishes, Fred.
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