Hello folks. I have addressed the rising cost of buying knives and the frustration at the number of copies flooding the market from India and Pakistan. I find photos of my knives all over ebay on paki sales sites. NONE of my knives are for sale and I am really tired of these people pirating my photos. But ebay doesn't care and I am probably only one of thousands of people being used/abused by these people. One of the reasons I am taking the time to write and illustrate my books is to help beginning collectors. That is why I include closeups of stampings and etchings, checkering etc.
All of this takes an incredible amount of time. And there is the eternal process of editing, reading and re-reading what you have written. Making sure that photos don't overlap text boxes or that text boxes aren't cut off. I discovered the page layout i was using has isssues with text and photos getting sucked down into the gutter between the pages. So, I had to increase my margins. This pushed everything out of place. This is all a learning process. Photos have to be of a certain file size or they lose definition. This makes the file size of the book huge! Especially when you use full color and large photos as I am. The second volume is about at the limit of my software program to handle it, even on my new-ish computer. And I think I mentioned that the software i am using and comfortable with is going away in the fall. I have to find a new software and learn how to use it! CRAP.
Now I am waiting for the delivery of the 100 books I ordered. Still waiting. Paid a bundle of money and still waiting. I have orders already and an upcoming book-fair to attend. One friend wants five copies. A friend in Australia wants a copy despit the stupid cost of shipping. The publisher offered to arrange global marketing for my books using my website, for two books I have already finished, and $4,800 of my money. What a deal. I have already spent over $200 on proof copies to make sure everything is okay before finalizing the order.
Some people think you ought to be able to sell a book for $19.95 and make a profit. Some people in my writers group are selling on Amazon and on a twenty dollar book sale they will get about three to four dollars. I went to Barnes and Noble the other day and treated myself to a magazine. One magaziine. It is 66 pages long and 50% of it is advertizing. It cost me Ten dollars. Its great quality printing and photos but that's 15 cents per page including the adverts. My first volume was 172 pages long for fifty five dollars or 32 cents per page, with no advertisments and limited printing. I cannot afford to print 250 copies to reach the next price break. A quick check at FEDEX printing for a color copy, one page, same paper weight is $1.31 each. Who says that inflation is down?
All of this takes an incredible amount of time. And there is the eternal process of editing, reading and re-reading what you have written. Making sure that photos don't overlap text boxes or that text boxes aren't cut off. I discovered the page layout i was using has isssues with text and photos getting sucked down into the gutter between the pages. So, I had to increase my margins. This pushed everything out of place. This is all a learning process. Photos have to be of a certain file size or they lose definition. This makes the file size of the book huge! Especially when you use full color and large photos as I am. The second volume is about at the limit of my software program to handle it, even on my new-ish computer. And I think I mentioned that the software i am using and comfortable with is going away in the fall. I have to find a new software and learn how to use it! CRAP.
Now I am waiting for the delivery of the 100 books I ordered. Still waiting. Paid a bundle of money and still waiting. I have orders already and an upcoming book-fair to attend. One friend wants five copies. A friend in Australia wants a copy despit the stupid cost of shipping. The publisher offered to arrange global marketing for my books using my website, for two books I have already finished, and $4,800 of my money. What a deal. I have already spent over $200 on proof copies to make sure everything is okay before finalizing the order.
Some people think you ought to be able to sell a book for $19.95 and make a profit. Some people in my writers group are selling on Amazon and on a twenty dollar book sale they will get about three to four dollars. I went to Barnes and Noble the other day and treated myself to a magazine. One magaziine. It is 66 pages long and 50% of it is advertizing. It cost me Ten dollars. Its great quality printing and photos but that's 15 cents per page including the adverts. My first volume was 172 pages long for fifty five dollars or 32 cents per page, with no advertisments and limited printing. I cannot afford to print 250 copies to reach the next price break. A quick check at FEDEX printing for a color copy, one page, same paper weight is $1.31 each. Who says that inflation is down?
Achnacarry Commando Training Center, Scotland
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