Anyone know why most carp fishing books only come in hard bck versions and not paper back.
Ive got a few books id like to read, but only time i would have to read them properly is while commuting or on the bank. The hardbacks arent particularly practical for that and would likely get damaged. A paper back version would solve this issue and im sure im not alone on this
Ive got a few books id like to read, but only time i would have to read them properly is while commuting or on the bank. The hardbacks arent particularly practical for that and would likely get damaged. A paper back version would solve this issue and im sure im not alone on this
In reply to Post #1
Your not alone as I am in the same situation, got a few books I've bought that are yet to be opened due to reading time being limited to similar situations as yourself. I assume it is economics. Carp and fishing books in general are printed in their hundreds, therefore in order for the author and the publisher to make a profit they need to charge more for a book. People are more willing to pay £35 for a pretty hard back book, whereas far fewer people would pay the same for a paperback. I have no idea how much more it costs to produce a hardback, but I am making an assumption that it is not as much as the premium a customer will pay therefore profit margin is far better
Your not alone as I am in the same situation, got a few books I've bought that are yet to be opened due to reading time being limited to similar situations as yourself. I assume it is economics. Carp and fishing books in general are printed in their hundreds, therefore in order for the author and the publisher to make a profit they need to charge more for a book. People are more willing to pay £35 for a pretty hard back book, whereas far fewer people would pay the same for a paperback. I have no idea how much more it costs to produce a hardback, but I am making an assumption that it is not as much as the premium a customer will pay therefore profit margin is far better
Writing an angling book is not worth the candle. A good friend was quoted by a well-known angling publisher an advance of only £1,500 upon signing the contract for a hardback. Less for a paperback. Depending upon how well the book sold he might also have received royalty payments. Very poor reward for all the effort.
In reply to Post #1
Nearly all carp books fall into the category of being 'coffee table' spec, i.e. big hardbacks, lots of colour plates and an expensive price tag, mainly due to small print runs and because publishers knew anglers would pay it. That market doesn't exist like it did 20 years ago thanks to phones and free video content. Lots of the carp book publishers have gone the same way as the magazines. Even so, £35 quid a pop for a hardback feels better value than the same thing in softback but it does make the book 'precious' and not something you'd want to smear in mud and fish slime. When I first published The Syndicate in 1999 I went the opposite route, paperback, big word count per page to keep the book slim and priced under a tenner (today it'll only cost you £7.95 Inc postage) the intention for it to be read on the bank or in a bivvy by torchlight . It had no colour photos and was all text, allowing it to be printed more cheaply. They're one of only a few similar designed fishing books, though, the money was in hardbacks and limited leather editions, books that were never intended to be read but more kept as an investment
Nearly all carp books fall into the category of being 'coffee table' spec, i.e. big hardbacks, lots of colour plates and an expensive price tag, mainly due to small print runs and because publishers knew anglers would pay it. That market doesn't exist like it did 20 years ago thanks to phones and free video content. Lots of the carp book publishers have gone the same way as the magazines. Even so, £35 quid a pop for a hardback feels better value than the same thing in softback but it does make the book 'precious' and not something you'd want to smear in mud and fish slime. When I first published The Syndicate in 1999 I went the opposite route, paperback, big word count per page to keep the book slim and priced under a tenner (today it'll only cost you £7.95 Inc postage) the intention for it to be read on the bank or in a bivvy by torchlight . It had no colour photos and was all text, allowing it to be printed more cheaply. They're one of only a few similar designed fishing books, though, the money was in hardbacks and limited leather editions, books that were never intended to be read but more kept as an investment
In reply to Post #4
You did it right
Better content, unputdownable story lines, skullduggery of the highest order, and you certainly knew your target audience.
I loved them all
You did it right
Better content, unputdownable story lines, skullduggery of the highest order, and you certainly knew your target audience.
I loved them all
In reply to Post #4
I have all the books on my kindle. I've lost count of the times I've thought, I'll reread the first one and before I know it I'm finishing the last one and then berating you for not writing them quicker.
My old man who is in his 70s and never read a book since his carpentry city and guilds in his teens loves them too. The amount of times we say something like ‘Rambo wouldn't stand for that' when we're fishing is quite amusing.
I have all the books on my kindle. I've lost count of the times I've thought, I'll reread the first one and before I know it I'm finishing the last one and then berating you for not writing them quicker.
My old man who is in his 70s and never read a book since his carpentry city and guilds in his teens loves them too. The amount of times we say something like ‘Rambo wouldn't stand for that' when we're fishing is quite amusing.
Authors probably plump for hardbacks and leather bound books as they believe their works of literature should sit high and proud with the works of Shakespeare and Tolstoy etc when in fact some of them should be just soft covers and be on the Mills and Boon and Jack and Jill shelf.
Hobby related books are very 'giftable ' - ideal birthday and Christmas present for that person who is interested. Angling, gardening, cooking etc.
Hard backs are seen as more giftable too. They're a more substantial present.
Hard backs are seen as more giftable too. They're a more substantial present.
Paperbacks must be viable as I've bought a couple fairly recently. 'The Brook' about Conningbrook and Tim Paisleys book on bait.
Both bought for reading on the bank.
Both bought for reading on the bank.