A Publisher's Perspective

What are You Reading?

2012-01-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

Most of my reading is in the American Civil War field, but I have already read widely in other areas, including ancient history and World War II. Right now I am reading three books actively, and a couple others passively (which means they are strategically located around the house, if you get my drift).

1. Robert Citino's The Death of the Wehrmacht, 1942. Nearly done--simply first-rate. I really understand now, for the first time, the full breakdown of German logistics from Operation Blue onward to Stalingrad and into the Caucasus. Can't wait for his new release The Wehrmacht Retreats: Fighting a Lost War, 1943, which I just ordered.

2. Brian Holden Reid's America's Civil War: The Operational Battlefield, 1861-1863. This is an interesting book, generally well done, but it is not keeping me up at night like Harsh's Taken at the Flood or Freeman's Lee's Lieutenants.

3. Stephen Fritz' Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East. Another "could have had a V-8" slap on the forehead epiphanies. An outstanding synthesis of existing research brilliantly written. The scope and breadth of this aspect of WWII, where 4 out of every 5 Germans who died in the war perished, is required reading for anyone with even a passing interest in this topic.

So . . . what are you reading?

-- tps

Some People Are Just . . . . [Fill in the Blank]

2012-01-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

X
We got this email this morning to our customer service box. It speaks for itself:

Boy, I am really tired of Savas pushing back the release of [TITLE] by [AUTHOR]. It was originally scheduled for release a year ago, but, according to Amazon.com, you've changed the date no fewer than 4 times! It better be released this April, as Amazon now lists, or the trade journals will hear. -- Paul

Our reply:

Hi Paul,
Thanks for writing. There was a death in the family, sudden and unexpected. And then the author's wife grew very ill and was hospitalized for an extended length of time. Feel free to take your threats wherever you wish. I am sure that will make the [AUTHOR] family feel just wonderful.

Have a great day.

-------

So let me get this straight: A book is delayed, and without knowing a damn thing about why you threaten the publisher and the author? Yes, Esmeralda, that man wins the jackass award.

But God my friends has a wicked sense of humor and justice and balance, does he not? Right above that nasty email came this one

Hello, SB and crew!

I am eagerly waiting the arrival of two new titles: Tom Clemens' second volume of The Maryland Campaign of 1862 and Cap Beatie's fourth volume of Army of the Potomac.

I just this evening finished Beatie's vol. 3 of Army of the Potomac. Couldn't put it down! I am fighting terminal colon cancer and hope to get these two books read before my time comes.

When will they be released?

Most sincerely,

[SIGNED]

I wrote back and told this man, who has been a customer for a long time, that I will do whatever I can to see that he gets unedited printed copies ASAP from the authors so he can at least hold them, read them, and enjoy them.

(sigh)

--tps

Savas Beatie E-Book Trailer

2012-01-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

X
We took the plunge into the digital world two years ago, getting in as early as we could to position ourselves on top of the growing wave rather than wait to get buried by it and raked across the coral.

CLICK HERE to see a brief trailer about our e-books and what we are up to at Savas Beatie. It takes a minute or so to load, so sit back let it rev up, and then give us a shout as to your thoughts.

As of the date of this posting, fully 9 out of 10 of our books are available in digital format (iPad, Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, and all android platforms.)

This will be up on YouTube and in all the usual places soon.

Thanks for your continued support.

--tps

A Third Major Award for Wynstra's "The Rashness of That Hour"

2012-01-21T13:52:00.000-08:00

X
Robert Wynstra's evocative The Rashness of that Hour: Politics, Gettysburg, and the Downfall of Confederate Brigadier General Alfred Iverson (2010) has garnered its third major book award. They are as follows:

1) Bachelder-Coddington Award for the year’s best new work interpreting the Battle of Gettysburg;

2) Dr. James I. Robertson Literary Prize for Confederate History Award; and now . . .

3) Gettysburg Round Table's Distinguished Book Award.

If you have not yet read Wynstra's first Civil War offering--which is perhaps best described as part battle history, part unit history, and part memory study, I highly recommend it.

Click HERE to see our press release about the earlier awards.

Click HERE to jump to our website and read more about the book, an interview with the author, an excerpt, and much more.

Click HERE to order an e-Book copy;

Congratulations Rob. These are well-deserved. Now get cracking and finish your study of Rodes' Division at Gettysburg. . . .

--tps

The CSS Hunley, in All Her Glory

2012-01-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

Confederate Civil War vessel H.L. Hunley, the world's first successful combat submarine, was unveiled in full and unobstructed for the first time on Thursday, capping a decade of careful preservation. I am proud to say I was on the 1994 11-day expedition with Cussler, Newell, and the rest of the (very fractured) team. There is still a lot of mystery surrounding the discovery. I will leave it at that.

Click HERE and enjoy.

(Thanks Kevin)

Merry Christmas. A Short Music Gift From My Godson/Nephew

2011-12-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

Nikkos Savas (l) and Alan Petterle (r) of JAXX playing jazz
and classical music at Veronica's Xmas Party, December 17, 2011.

Nikkos Savas is the guitarist in JAXX (you can search the site for posts on the band). He just sent this little beauty, performed on his new jazz guitar. Click and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATMKZ-vOWAE

Enjoy. See you all in 2012.

--tps

As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised

2011-12-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

“I feel the Fire is going to be a failure,” Mr. Nielsen, of the Nielsen Norman Group, a Silicon Valley consulting firm, said in an interview. “I can’t recommend buying it.”

The Amazon Kindle Fire is going to find a place next to the Apple Newton and New Coke in the junkyard of history's failures? I doubt it. But . . . time will tell.

Click HERE to read the entire story (which you will enjoy if you are into these sort of things, and all readers should be).

Costly Kindle fight hurting Barnes & Noble

2011-12-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

The battle for Middle Earth has, er . . . sorry. (Watched all three uncut HD Lord of the Rings the other night and can't get it out of my head. Let me start anew.)

The hardware e-wars are in full bloom, with gloves off as Amazon leverages its muscle by lowering its Kindle Fire price to a mere $199.00. That has really turned up the heat on Barnes and Noble, which has essentially bet its future on the success of the Nook. The Kindle Fire is cool, I admit, and I nearly bought one, but then read an interesting comparison with the Nook (which turns out is better e-reader for the money. Click here to read that comparison.)

The effort and cost to market the Nook against Amazon has cost B&N substantially, even though product sales rose 85% to 220 million for the fiscal second quarter. Not too shabby, and a good predictor of where we are heading.

Read the full article here, which I recommend if you are interested in this sort of thing.

--tps

New Project: "The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Final Official Reports Filed by Union Civil War Generals"

2011-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that Savas Beatie is kicking off 2012 with an exciting digital editing project.

We have tentatively titled this multi-volume series The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Final Official Reports Filed by Union Civil War Generals. It will be edited by Bruce Allardice and Theodore P. Savas. (Bruce is an adjunct professor at South Suburban College and Moraine Valley Community College in Illinois, and the author of Confederate Colonels, and More Generals in Gray, and co-author of Texas burial Sites of Civil War Notables.)

GENESIS:

Many years ago, Russel Beatie (he of Savas Beatie) discovered some 430 Civil War battle and campaign reports produced by 317 Union Army generals. Not only are they almost never used, but few Civil War historians seem to be aware of them.

The generals' reports of service represent an attempt by the AGO in 1864 to obtain more complete records regarding the service of everyone who held the rank of general. Think of it as a who-what-why-when-where, sort of request. Seeking both comprehensiveness and uniformity, the AGO requested each general include certain information, and as a result most of the reports consist of chronologically arranged narratives of activities associated with battles, campaigns, and other activities (including personal views on things from slavery to policy, strategy, blame for X, etc.). The lengths of these reports range from one paragraph (a stiff middle finger in the air saying "I am not doing this!") from Brig. Gen. Francis Vinton to Brig. Gen. Henry W. Benham's hundreds of pages in reply. Most reports are 30 pages or less. Some contain newspaper clippings, great maps, and even pamphlets.

Alphabetically speaking, the generals begin with John J. Abercrombie and end with Horatio G. Wright, with 315 more in between.

FORMAT:

Savas Beatie will be producing these reports in high quality digital format suitable for all eReaders. Each report will include a one- or two-page biography of each general, with specific insight into the report he filed, a photograph, cross references with the Official Records, and suggested further reading. The reports themselves are in the general's own handwriting, digitally adjusted for the best reading experience. This way there is no issue about who wrote what and whether the translation is correct. (I have seen many of the original reports that ended up in the ORs. The transcription errors are legion and sometimes significant.)

We will be issuing these reports alphabetically in separate volumes. Because of size and formatting restrictions, the number of reports contained in each volume will vary accordingly.

Hopefully you subscribe to our free monthly e-letter called Libri Novus. [No? CLICK HERE to jump to our home page, where you just type your email into the Libri Novus box and we can include you!] If you already get our newsletter, stay tuned because next month's edition will include a sneak peek at Brig. Gen. John J. Abercrombie's biography, and partial report, an update on the project, and much more. I will also be posting here on this blog, and our website will have a dedicated page with clickable links to purchase very soon.

Thank you for your continued support.

-- tps

The WORST Civil War Books?

2011-10-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

We have all been asked to discuss, list, recommend, nominate, select, or otherwise thrust onto others our list of favorite Civil War books. Let's take a different route.

List the worst Civil War book(s) you have personally read, and explain briefly why you would slate them in that unwanted category.

Have at it.

--tps

(And sorry for being so late with my posts. I had shoulder surgery and am just getting back to the keyboard full time.)

San Diego: A Wild Time at Camp Pendleton!

2011-08-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

X
My son Demetri (DT) is 15 and has been talking about the Marines lately. My good friend, decorated Marine (Silver Star, Purple Heart) and author Nick Popaditch (Once a Marine) accommodated my request for a favor by pulling strings and getting us onto Camp Pendleton this past weekend. His son Nick Jr. went with us.

The day before we went to the Recruit Depot and watched recruits learning to jump off towers and rappel, learn various maneuvers, and others who were now official Marines in their dress uniforms with moms proudly hanging on their arms. It was inspiring.

The next morning we drove 30 or so miles to Camp Pendleton, and then to a small area where a group of of reserve M1A1 battle tanks (six or eight) were parked and being worked on. We watched as mechanics and others cleaned, repaired, and otherwise maintained them and the support vehicles needed to keep them moving. We spent some time inside a tank learning the basics about each position, how the gun worked, where the shells were stored, and so forth. Each tank carries four people (Commanding officer, gunner, loader, and driver).

Gunnery Sergeant Pittsley (left) and Gunny Pop (right).

Gunny Sgt. Pittsley arranged for a ride, and it took quite some time and effort to prepare a tank to move. They didn't have to do it, but really did it for Gunny Pop. He is well known and a legend in the Corps--as more than one Marine told me without any prompting from Pop's proud publisher.

A very tired and aging publisher up in the Loader's hatch, taken by DT from his position in the Gunner's seat.

DT in Gunner's position with Com helmet and flak jacket on, thermal and regular sights next to his head, and gun and turret controller to his front. He is flashing the V for Victory sign after being complimented by Corporal Bath.

The view outside the tank from my position in the Loader's hatch.
In a word: wow.

Once all was ready, the tank fired up (they are incredibly quiet) and moved about 30 yards to a gate, where DT and I climbed aboard. Corporal Bath served as the Commander, and took a position in the Commander's hatch next to the 50-caliber machine gun mount. I assumed the Loader's position to his left, and instead of remaining inside, stood up through the open hatch to see outside. DT sat down in the right front of the tank to serve as the Gunner. He got to traverse the turret at speed, move the gun up and down, use various sites (thermal, etc.) and more. The driver is in the front of the tank and out of site, locked up tight in a small area that would have driven me crazy.

Corporal Bath giving orders to his 15-year-old Gunner.

The ride was about 40 minutes, up and down hilly terrain, through high weeds, etc. It was scary, exhilarating, and like a massive shot of adrenalin all at the same time. To show how the gun optics work, we sited on a truck on a freeway maybe 2 miles distant, tracking the vehicle with a laser that kept the tube locked on target even as we moved. It was incredible.

I tried the gun position for five minutes and could barely operate the thing. I also got very nauseous because everything is right in front of you and bouncing around like crazy. When I moved back to the Loader's position, Corporal Bath laughed and said that when that happens in the field, we hand them an MRE bag and spin the tank until new gunners puke, and puke again. And again. "Eventually they get over it," he laughed. "Can't have a sick gunner."

We had communication helmets on, and could easily speak back and forth. Video games have their place, I guess. Corporal Bath gave orders to DT (center the gun over the front, etc.) or "Fix on XYZ target." DT did it easily and quickly. Corporal Bath complimented him and said he was very surprised he could do it so easily and quickly. "You would make a great gunner," he told my son. DT looked up at me and flashed the V for victory sign. (see photo).

The final day (Saturday) we spent on the water. First, we spent an hour packing care packages for troops at Veteran's Memorial Hall in Balboa Park. That was a great experience as well. Every young American should try it. My niece Alyssa, who lives in San Diego, joined us for this part of the trip.

DT boxing it up. When all was said and done, he filled 10 boxes and taped up dozens more.

DT and Gunny Pop on Pop's boat getting ready to tube out on the ocean. Priceless.

DT holding on for dear life. Somehow he held on despite Pop's best efforts to throw him. Eventually he pitched headlong into the sea.

Ted Savas and Gunny Pop at "Club Pop" (read his book to understand that), enjoying steaks, cigars, and great beer.

Our day included fishing, tubing, and general sightseeing. It was a grand day all the way around. The night before we had a great dinner at the Popaditch house (thanks April!).

Thanks Popaditch's and USMC for a great visit to San Diego. It is one we will never forget.

-- tps

Borders Calls Off Auction, Plans to Liquidate

2011-07-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

A sad day in the publishing industry. Thankfully, Savas Beatie is well diversified. Other publishers, however . . .

Click here to read the full story. Book lover? Grab some Kleenex first.

QUESTION: Who if anyone will fill the void?

tps

Borders Heading for Liquidation?

2011-07-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is not good news. Worth reading:

--tps
------------
Uncertainty over exactly what Najafi Companies intended to do with Borders if they bought it led to the collapse of their purchase offer by the end of Wednesday, and now the chain is headed to liquidation unless another bidder comes forward or Najafi prevails during the actual auction. The bid from liquidators that Borders had submitted to the court at the same time as the Najafi offer has been made the "stalking horse bid" for the July 19 auction, which just received Judge Martin Glenn's approval this morning in court, pending filing of revised papers. Glenn, whose patience was wearing thin in the hearing, said, "Right now all we have is one bid, which is a liquidation bid. I have a busy calendar." The judge postponed the deadline for any objections from 4:00 today to 4:00 Monday, thus deferring any ruling on the myriad of objections. If a going-concern bid is put forth, revised notice will need to be filed with the court.

Borders attorney Andrew Glenn told the court there are currently no other bidders, but he indicated that there are "some inquiries" in which interested third parties might team up with the liquidators. He also mentioned that Barnes & Noble has offered for "certain assets." (Earlier in the process Bloomsberg said that BN had bid to buy Borders' web site, customer databases and about 10 store locations.) Najafi's representatives indicated they may still participate in the auction itself. Meanwhile, the representatives for the creditors' committee told Judge Glenn that they support the liquidators' stalking horse bid, saying they "got what we wanted."

Also in court this morning, Judge Glenn showed little tolerance for the landlord's many conditional laments. "I'm very unsympathetic to many of the objections made by landlords," Judge Glenn said, particularly since the situation remains fluid. He appears more inclined to not address the landlords' objections until the final path for Borders is clear--and indicates that issues related to going-out-of-business sales tend to be negotiated outside of court anyway. Borders has asked for the currently-scheduled July 21 hearing to approve a sale to be split in two, asking for a second hearing on Saturday, July 23 in the event that any "going concern" bids come forward, but there is no resolution on this yet. (These updates have been relayed live from the courtroom via Sarah Weinman, and the hearing was just adjourned.)

The strong hand of the creditors committee was a driving force in much of the drama of the past 24 hours. In Wednesday's day's preamble, the creditors filed an objection in bankruptcy court to Najafi's offer, which was so open-ended as to allow the possibility that he would still cancel leases and liquidate the chain while keeping "valuable intellectual property (i.e., the Borders name and related intellectual property rights) and other assets for less consideration" than the current bid from liquidators would yield. (As we pointed out previously, the liquidation bid provides more cash up-front, and still leaves the intellectual property and other assets to be sold separately.)

What the creditors wanted was for Najafi to make "a firm commitment" to keep operating the chain as a going concern, which the creditors said they "in fact would welcome." But Najafi used that demand to put forward the same request that Borders management had failed with multiple times--asking major publishers to resume normal trade terms, once again providing the real operational financing for the bookstores. (As we also pointed out previously, Najafi's offer was closer to "taking" the chain rather than "buying" it.) As the WSJ reported, "Najafi was willing to drop his liquidation option if publishers agreed to grant him normal trade terms, according to people familiar with the matter. Some major publishers agreed, but by late Wednesday afternoon a couple hadn't, the people said. At that point, Mr. Najafi signaled he wouldn't alter his terms."

In their filing, the creditors committee also presented some slightly revised estimates of Borders' current situation. They owe the DIP lenders $211 million, and are estimated to have $417.5 million in inventory, with the liquidation bid worth "no less than between $252 million and $284 million."

So the contingent bid from liquidators was made the sole and official stalking horse bid, setting the floor for the auction on July 19. In a note to employees yesterday evening from Borders ceo Mike Edwards, he wrote: "Late this afternoon, Najafi informed us that they have decided to withdraw as the stalking horse proposal and therefore we will submit the Hilco and Gordon Brothers proposal to the Court for the purposes of serving as the Stalking Horse bidder at the auction next week. While we regret Najafi's withdrawal as the Stalking Horse bidder, we remain hopeful that they or other potential bidders who are interested in operating Borders as a going concern will choose to participate in the auction process on July 19. "

In their own statement, Najafi Companies said that their "proposed agreement to keep Borders operating is no longer supported by the deciding parties. The deciding parties' legal team and financial advisors have elected another option which is in contrast to what we had envisioned for the future of Borders. However, we remain willing, ready and able to move forward should the deciding parties instead choose to work with us and our existing offer. From day one, our intention had been to keep Borders intact and to provide the best long-term outcome for Borders' loyal customers, publishers, employees and the entire book industry. We are disappointed with today’s decision." In court Thursday, it became clear that Najafi is no longer seeking approval of the $6.45 million break-up fee that was provided for when they were set for approval as the stalking horse bidder.

Digital Books Sales Continue Apace . . .

2011-06-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

Although the numbers are not in the same universe (yet), here are two disparate bits of information that have a nexus of commonality.

First, bestselling author Michael Connelly has now sold more than 1,000,000 Amazon's Kindle books. That is quite impressive. Click here to read more. He is just the 7th author to join this elite club.

Just yesterday I received a quick-hit email from one of our editors. Let's call him Robert. Here is what he wrote:

Ted --

Thought you might be interested to know the following, given the tenor of some of the recent posts on your blog: I just finished reading Hans Gobeler's Steel Boat, Iron Hearts, about U-505; am now reading Hunt and Kill, edited by some guy named Savas; and next intend to read Gary Moore's Playing with the Enemy. All on Kindle.

I never intended to get one. But when I retired from the CG, that's the gift my group of neighbors decided to give me, along with some Amazon credit. I didn't use it for the first couple of months, but then I found that for commuting back and forth to work on the train, it was more convenient than a print book. Often I have both a Kindle and print book (because I still have a lot of those...) going at the same time, and I read one or the other depending on the circumstances. Anyway, I thought you'd like to know, as an individual case study . . .
--Robert

------------------

eBooks are here to stay.

--tps

Amazon Sells More Kindle Books than Hardcovers.**

2011-05-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

This came sooner than I was expecting, but I was expecting it.

We are seeing a real spike in e-sales over the past three months--very strong and broad. What is more interesting to me than the steady uptick in e-sales is that we are not experiencing a concurrent drop in print sales. Many people in the industry were sure a rise on one side of the ledger meant a drop on the other. I wasn't convinced, and the data thus far suggest solid or increased print sales might be a beneficiary of the e-sale future. One indicator is that our strongest seller in both categories (print and e-book) for the past two months is the same title. The future looks bright for those ahead of the tidal wave. And we are ahead of that wave and riding it nicely.

For those of you who noticed the asterisks in the main title, there is a small "however" in that shout line. Amazon didn't disclose how Kindle e-book sales compare to its entire bookstore sales. With most Kindle books priced at $9.99, those e-books are often less expensive than the same title in hardcover, especially for popular new releases. But less-expensive paperbacks make up the vast majority of Amazon's book sales.

Hmm.

Click here to read the full article in Money Magazine.

--tps

JAXX--WINNER of 2011 Sacramento Jammies!!!

2011-05-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Jaxx playing the Crest Theater with a Jumbo-tron behind them.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR SOME GREAT PHOTOS)

JAXX, in which my nephew and God son Nikkos shares lead guitar duties, placed first out of 30 or so acts from the greater Sacramento region last night in front of a packed Crest Theater in downtown Sac.

After weeks of competition, the grand evening featured the final ten bands. Jaxx played second. The competition was fierce, and frankly I was worried after hearing the last four bands.

JAXX was tight and as on the money last night as I have ever seen them--especially considering the large audience and pressure-filled performance. Nikkos pulled out his bright yellow Ibanez and shredded on their final original "Tongues" before meeting guitarist Alan in the middle to finish with a dual lead. Alan played one of his leads behind his back while bassist Kyle Maxwell ran the stage and often jammed next to the drum kit being hammered by Alan's younger brother John Bonham--sorry, Jack Petterle.

Another big step in the progression of a great band and wonderful group of young men.

Alan Petterle ("I am so glad I gave up football.") Lead guitar. Age 16.

Jack Petterle ("Don't let me near a microphone. Ever") Drums. Age 14.

Kyle Maxwell ("This Ampeg stack sounds awesome.") Bass. Age 15.

Nikkos Savas ("I could do this forever.") Lead guitar. Age 16.

Nikkos shredding on "Tongues."

Nikkos on the opening song--Mean Machine.

Finale: Nikkos and Alan performing a dual guitar lead while Kyle rocks on. Jack (not in the photo) was busy eyeing a young groupie hanging off stage left.

Here are a few more earlier posts on JAXX.

JAXX at the Legendary Rock Club Boardwalk in Orangevale

JAXX at Blacksheep: Back-to-Back Gigs

Sunday Jam Session

For more photos and information on the band jump over to their Facebook page.

Congrats, guys. Like anything in life, you make your own luck through hard work.

-- Uncle Sugar Pops

Jacket Design: Five Tips for What an Author Can do to Help . . .

2011-05-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

I can't recall where I got these from (sorry), but here are a handful of tips authors can do to help sell their book (and by extension and implication, HURT their book sales). It centers around the jacket/cover design. At Savas Beatie, we almost always bring in the author for assistance, comment, opinion, and do our best to make him or her happy with the final product.

However . . . Do you know what a camel is? It's a quarter horse put together by a committee. We don't want camels here. And with so many people stirring the pot, the actual book jacket may suffer from the compromises of consensus. (It doesn't here, but it does in some houses.) So if you are an author trying to influence the jacket design for your book, here are five tips:

1. Try not to assume that you know what’s best for the book, even if it’s true. Cultivate good relations with everyone at the company and maintain a position of modesty, humility, and cooperation.

2. Don’t bring in your 9-year-old child’s cute little pencil drawing of her horse for the cover, even if the book is about how to ride bareback Western Style. The only exceptions to this rule are genius-level kids with their own TV show.

3. Muster empathy for the sales and publicity people who may seem to be marching to a different drummer but have mutual interests to share. Keep in mind that they have to sell your book, and without their enthusiastic efforts, you’ll be severely handicapped.

4. Remember that in the end, this isn’t a science and we don’t always know what ultimately sells a book. Books with less than fabulous jacket designs have become huge sellers anyway. Take a book I published, The Scarlatti Inheritance, by Robert Ludlum. I thought the cover was boring and that it didn’t say anything about the book itself. Nevertheless the historical thriller was such a hit that the design was used again for subsequent titles.

5. Once the jacket is designed and chosen, put aside any regrets and do everything you can to help sell the book, including your own strenuous on-line web marketing, blogging, twittering, and other brilliant new techniques that emerge in these rapidly changing times.

--tps

Borders Said to Be Seeking at Least $50 Million in Additional Financing

2011-04-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

x
More distressing (though not surprising) news . . .

Borders Group Inc. (BGP), the bankrupt book chain, is seeking at least $50 million in additional financing as sales trail expectations and publishers demand cash in advance, said two people who have seen the chain’s plans to reorganize.

The funds are needed to help Borders emerge from its in- court restructuring, said the people, who declined
to be identified because the process isn’t public. The retailer already has a $505 million debtor-in-possession loan, which offers sufficient capital for the next few months, the people said. The retailer may risk liquidation without further investment, easier terms from vendors or a buyer, they said.

Some publishers are spurning the reorganization the chain proposed to them privately, said a person familiar with the publishers’ strategy. At least one deems the revenue projections unrealistic because Borders no longer has enough stores to generate those sales, said the person, who declined to be identified because Borders’s presentations aren’t public.

Annual sales may drop to $1.5 billion, according to court papers, less than half what the chain generated two years ago. Borders, which is winding down about one-third of its more than 600 stores, has yet to file an outline of its reorganization plan in court.

“As a matter of ongoing company policy, we don’t comment on rumors,” said Mary Davis, a spokeswoman for Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Borders.

Company’s Origins

The book chain, which once operated more than 1,000 stores, lost business as customers switched to e-readers such as Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)’s Kindle, introduced in 2007. Larger rival Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) invested in its own Nook device to attract customers.

Brothers Tom and Louis Borders founded the company four decades ago, building the chain to almost 20 stores before selling to Kmart Corp. in 1992. Three years later the retailer spun off the business, which had locations under the Borders, Waldenbooks and Planet Music brands.

Jefferies & Co. is a financial adviser to Borders. Josh Passman and Tom Tarrant, spokesman for Jefferies, didn’t return calls for comment.

Borders is seeking to reorganize, raise more capital, or find a buyer for all or parts of the company, according to Bruce Buechler, a lawyer for the unsecured creditors. New York-based Barnes & Noble isn’t viewed as a potential buyer for Borders, according to two people familiar with the process.

The lenders financing the bankruptcy reorganization are led by GE Capital.

This same article link can be found HERE.

Ever Wonder Why Borders is Bankrupt?

2011-04-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

Another author signing at Borders, another fiasco.

Sarah set up a book signing for Dan VanHaften, co-author of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason. As I have written elsewhere on this blog (see here for but one example), Borders is rife with problems top to bottom. Here is the author's report of the event (with light editing, and my comments inside brackets):

Today I was at Orland Park (IL) Borders for the book discussion/signing. When I arrived I didn't see any signs, nor initially any books. I spoke with Sandra, the manager. She told me their shipment of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason books had been delivered by accident to Lowes. They'd been working for a week and hadn't been able to get their hands on this shipment. [Of course, did Borders consider calling the publisher and/or author so we could bring books to the event or send a second shipment? No.] Apparently Lowes sent it back to FedEx. Thus they had only three copies of the book (which I had already signed--they were brought down from the Oakbrook Borders--they were the last three copies Oakbrook had).

I talked with various people in groups of 1 or 2, and sold the three copies. About seven or eight other people talked to me. I described the book and they showed interest. I gave them my business card. They seemed happy to have my card, and hopefully will pursue a purchase over the Internet or from another store. I told them the book was available in various eBook formats. One of them told me he just got an iPad.

It was disappointing there were no signs up and only three books. [We have seen this over and over with Borders, who have routinely greeted our authors with, "Your signing is today?] They did seem to know Orland Park Borders had been publicized on the Friday WGN TV midday news. I'm hopeful some of the discussions with people who did not buy the book at Orland Park will lead to sales. On my way back, I stopped at the Oakbrook Borders. Even though there are now no books there, the two signs are still up. The manager (John Conger) told me that they would be getting more copies of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason for my April 30th book discussion/signing, and we would have even more space on the display at the front in the store (as shown in the pictures I took) after Caroline Kennedy's April 19th book signing.

Orland Park seems slipshod compared to Oakbrook Borders.

-----
TED: If I ran Borders, I can guarantee you sales would increase and authors and publishers would never encounter this sort of nonsense. Alas, Borders is about to go under and the reason is obvious: the help doesn't know how to help, the management doesn't know how to manage, and the bookstore doesn't know how to sell books. What a great business model.

New investors anyone? Looks to be about as safe as buying US Treasury bonds these days.

--tps

Kindle or iBook? An Author Discusses . . .

2011-03-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Kindle v. iBook

Co-authoring a book (Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason, with Dan Van Haften: see http://www.thestructureofreason.com/) puts one in a unique position to evaluate Kindle v. iBook.

Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason is $9.99 on Kindle. It is $16.99 as an iBook. That relative price difference seems generally within the range of other similar newly published books.

The price difference is even greater because for $9.99 one can load the Kindle version on three platforms: For instance, a free Kindle reader on a Mac desktop, a free Kindle reader on an iPhone, and a free Kindle reader on an iPad. I don’t own a Kindle machine but one could substitute the Kindle machine for an iPad.

There is no desktop iBook reader. So forget about displaying an iBook on a Macbook or a PC.

iBooks can be used on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and can be synched to all iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches you own. But most people do not need more than one cell phone; and if you have an iPhone you don't need an iPod touch. Nor does one normally need more than one tablet. But, it is useful (for limited purposes) to be able to view a book on a desktop computer. So, in my view, Kindle’s three loads that work on three different kinds of hardware (small cell phone, a book-sized reader, and a full-sized computer) are more valuable than iBooks’ infinite loadability on an infinite number of iPhones, iPads, or iPod touches. You probably have no more than two of those three that you use, and you are restricted to Apple hardware (nice as it is).

But what about features.

Kindle sparkles on Apple hardware. However, as one might expect, there are some little touch, look, and feel aspects to iBooks that make iBooks marginally superior to Kindle. Except for one such feature, most of these pluses, though real, are trivial. But there is one iBook feature that to me is significantly more than trivial. Both iBook and Kindle have a slider on the bottom of the screen to quickly move through a book. But the Kindle slider is kind of like the old UNIX command line game of "Find the Wumpus," being blind in a maze of caves. An iBook shows chapter names as you slide. This is a huge plus.

If Apple wanted to improve that advantage, it would be great if there were a click when the slider reached the first page of any chapter. Usually that is where you want to go when you use the slider. Then, even better, would be a human factor automatically going to that chapter’s first page if one’s finger is lifted within the appropriate fraction of a second (since one is nearly always going to go just past that click).

David Hirsch

Sunday Jam Session

2011-03-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

X
OK, I lied. This is the last music post (for a while). Then on to e-books and a few other odds and ends.

Uncle Sugar Pops (inside band joke) with Nikkos' full stack of Marshalls. He just got a bottom cabinet, and together it is a wall of sound that blows you away. That's my new Rickenbacker 4003. My 4001 (which I used in Abalone and Disciple in the late 1970s and early 1980s) was stolen some years ago. I know who did it, but I forgive him.

Enjoyed Sunday dinner with my brother Anthony and his son Nikkos (of JAXX) and then we moved into "the studio" (formerly the dining room--boy my brother has a great and understanding wife) for some real fun.

Nikkos and I jamming. Nikkos is playing his bright yellow Ibanez, which is a guitar built for shredding (speed). It is lighter than his Les Paul and has a much thinner neck. I think he is looking into new DiMarzio pickups for it. Nikkos--use this guitar for "The Jammies" competition! Thanks for making this old man happy.

Nikkos has a looper (see the pedal board on the floor), which allows you to play and record, and then play back out of your amp while you play something else. So he laid down some jazzy chord progressions, I picked it up, and then he played it back (with a drumming background) and experimented with some great leads. It was challenging because I have very little jazz experience. Even with all the piano I played it was 95% classical. Now I wish I had worked in the jazz arena more deeply.

(Sigh) God I wish I was 20 again. Nikkos has no idea how good his life his right now at 16. I have high hopes for this one.

JAXX at Blacksheep: Back-to-Back Gigs (OT)

2011-03-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

Don't Worry! Will be back to publishing matters tomorrow. Meanwhile, enjoy the fruits of youth . . . (Not sure about yours, but mine passed way too quickly.) Click on photos to enlarge.

Nikkos Savas out on the dance floor rocking out.

I have to say the past Thursday and Friday evenings were a riot. The first time JAXX played two nights in a row, and two big gigs. Made me feel (almost) young again.

Wish I had a better picture of Jack Petterle on his drum kit. Jack was beating up a storm that night, with the green laser lights cutting through the wisps of fog. Looked and sounded awesome!

Alan Petterle with his new black Les Paul. Alan blew something in his Fender amp that night. Hey Bart! (Alan's dad). Time to buy that matching stack of Marshall amps!

I brought my new Rickenbacker 4003 for Kyle to play (at his request). Here is the old guy himself holding it during warm-ups. Kyle was kind enough to ask if I wanted to light it up with them. I declined. No need to make a fool of myself in public when I can do it in private just fine, thank you. Still, that itch is getting worse . . .

Kyle Maxwell jamming on Uncle Ted's Rick on two special songs: Rush's Necromancer, and UFO's Rock Bottom. Gotta love that unique Rick sound.

Good job lads! I am very proud of all your success. Your achievements are the clear result of all the hard work you put into it. Keep it up!

--Uncle Ted

JAXX at the Legendary Rock Club Boardwalk in Orangevale (OT)

2011-03-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

JAXX, from their Sacramento Style Magazine article. Left to right: Alan Petterlee, Nikkos Savas, Jack Petterle,
and Kyle Maxwell (who needs a Rickenbacker full time).

JAXX facebook page

My nephew and godson Nikkos Savas plays guitar in JAXX, an amazing group of teenagers (14, 15, and 16) who write their own music and are developing a strong following in the Sacramento area. They played last night at the Boardwalk, and rocked out. A DJ / producer from a major classic rock radio station came to hear them and was blown away.

Here are a few photos from my Blackberry. The quality varies, but they suffice. Jack Petterlee (Alan's 14-year old brother) plays drums. Sorry, Jack, no decent photos of you last night!

Nikkos Savas playing his cutting lead on the original "Waterfall."

Alan Petterle with his new black Les Paul on the opening original "Mean Machine."

They play again tonight in a small rock club up the hill in Cameron Park.

Kyle Maxwell and Nikkos jamming on War Pigs (Black Sabbath).

No more war pigs have the power / Hand of God has struck the hour / Day of judgement, God is calling / On their knees the war pig's crawling . . .

Nikkos finishes. Now it's Alan's turn.

Nikkos soaking in the reaction of the crowd.

Savas Beatie Author Wins Best Book of 2010 Award

2011-03-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

The Richard B. Harwell Book Award 2010:

Failure in the Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign

David A. Powell

This prestigious award is given annually by the Civil War Round Table of Atlanta “for the best book on a Civil War subject published in the preceding year.” Consisting of $4,000 and an engraved plaque, the award honors the late Richard B. Harwell, nationally recognized librarian, bibliographer and historian, as well as the first President of the Civil War Round Table of Atlanta. The winning author is invited to appear as a speaker before the CWRTA, usually at the November meeting, during which time the award is presented.

Congratulations David (and to David Friedrichs for his outstanding maps in this title). You deserve the honor bestowed upon you.

--tps

U.S. Book Sales Up in 2010. Sort of.

2011-02-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

An interesting article on book sales for December 2010 vs. December 2009, with a brief discussion of e-trends. Worth a look: U.S. Book Sales Up in 2010.

The photo I used (with the blue sky) demonstrates our positive outlook. Growth through innovation, marketing, and cutting-edge technologies (with the same high quality titles you have come to expect from Savas Beatie) gives us a comfortable feeling of optimism.

--tps

Live from Military History Fest, Illinois, February 19, 2011

2011-02-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

X
X

David Farnsworth of Casemate Publishing, which distributes our titles, shot over this great photo of author Dan van Haffen "hard at work promoting his newly released book" (with co-author David Hirsch) entitled Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason (Savas Beatie, 2010).

Other than what can only be characterized as a gratuitously harsh "hit review" (wonder who arranged that?) in an online Civil War publication, every review has been uniformly positive and excited about what these two authors have accomplished. Some clicks don't like outsiders treading around their manure pile . . .

A few select observations:

" . . . a book for Lincoln enthusiasts." --The Daily Herald

"The Hirsch-Van Haften book is an impressive contribution to Lincoln scholarship. It helps us understand how Lincoln developed and applied his magnificent analytical and persuasive talents in his more famous speeches and writings." -- The Iowa Lawyer, February 2011

"Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason is an excellent addition to any philosophy or historical studies collection -- highly recommended." -- The Midwest Book Review

"All students of Abraham Lincoln and our democracy are indebted to David Hirsch and Dan Van Haften. This is a brilliant study and this book should be added to the library of every serious scholar of American Civil War history." -- The Lone Star Book Review

"This is a serious and complex book . . . and will appeal to Lincoln scholars and mathematicians, but is an informative read for our Civil War community." -- Suncoast Civil War Roundtable

"No one has examined Euclidian logic alongside Lincoln's rhetorical and written construction as thoroughly as Mssrs. Hirsch and Van Haften, and the results are startling. We continue to shed our shopworn image of Lincoln as a low-gear country lawyer as we learn more about his cases, and now with this study we see a wholly new angle of his brilliance -- which nevertheless must keep us wondering, How did Lincoln do it? Picking apart his Cooper Institute speech for its inner structure, for example, they reveal how deeply Lincoln had imbibed the classical principles of organization, and how it made him the lawyer and politician he was. Hirsch and Van Haften also offer a guidebook not just for attorneys bent on the same self-improvement, but the simple tools for anyone to do as Lincoln did: learn how to learn, and then demonstrate the rightness of your position."

-- James M. Cornelius, Curator, Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum

Borders Bankruptcy Now a Reality

2011-02-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

XXXX
The collapse of the book retail empire Borders, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday, is weighing heavily on the minds of many business leaders and observers. Though it came as a surprise to no one following the issue, the company’s stated plan to close 200 stores nationwide over the next few weeks kick-started a discussion of what went wrong and what it means for the publishing industry and business in general.

Click here to read more.

There has been something systemically wrong with Borders for a long, long time. I am tired of the pundit-experts telling us this company collapsed financially because Borders "was behind the digital book curve." Sure, that was part of the problem. However . . . we routinely experienced fundamental Bookselling 101 issues with this chain that we never experienced with Barnes and Noble. Here are a few examples:

1) Authors showing up for scheduled signings only to be asked by the manager, "Is that tonight?"

2) Authors going into a store to sign copies of their book, a sales clerk discovering several in-store per the computer system, and then waiting an hour as the clerk ran around unable to find them. "They are here somewhere . . ." was the constant refrain. "They are in the system." The books were never found.

3) Authors showing up for a scheduled signing only to discover that Borders had not ordered books for the signing even though they informed our staff they had done so.

4) Authors showing up for a scheduled signing only to discover that Borders ordered books for the event, had not put them out in advance, and then could not find them!

The list is longer, but you get the point. We had 3-4 authors who had these issues over and over and over in stores spread across the country. What are the odds this happened only with these few titles? Now, how many people looking for how many books over how many years have been unable to purchase them because of something rotten inside this chain?

Now, can you guess how this company is doing financially?

Stay tuned for more updates. And no, this is not good news for publishers or book readers.

--tps

Borders Won't Make January Payments, Either, And They Aren't Paying Rent

2011-01-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

XXXX
This Goes in the "Oh S**t" Category

(Hat tip Kevin Ahearn)

Borders officially announced Sunday night that it will not be sending vendors payments due at the end of January either. And they indicate that publishers are not the only ones being stiffed, saying they are also "delaying additional payments to landlords and other parties." Not paying rent is more drastic than holding off vendors, and indicates the company's liquidity crisis continues to worsen.

They say the non-payment (which they call a "delay" in the press release, but that's what you call it when you intend to pay someone in full a little while later, which is not what is proposed) "is intended to help the company maintain liquidity while it seeks to complete a refinancing or restructuring of its existing credit facilities and other obligations." The statement also adds, "Borders emphasized that it understands the impact of its decision on the affected parties, but that the company is committed to working with its vendors and other business partners to achieve an outcome that is in the best interest of Borders and these parties for the long-term."

From a practical perspective, anyone who was continuing to ship goods to Borders has likely learned their lesson, and it increases the likelihood of a bankruptcy filing--whether forced or voluntary--if the bookseller does not meet the many conditions of its new financing arrangement shortly.

The impact of not paying rent in particular may impose a timetable on how much longer Borders has to plead for concessions before seeking court protection. While we have no direct knowledge of their lease conditions and potential grace periods for payment of rent, and laws do vary from state to state, commercial landlords are generally able to petition for eviction within about two weeks after provided for non-payment deadlines.

According to a memo on an employee web site, Borders workers were told by management to expect inquiries from unpaid landlords and vendors as well as media and customers and asked to "politely but firmly state that all questions are being handled by the corporate office and refuse to offer any other comments." They were instructed to keep the media from photographing or interviewing within company stores, but the company also noted: "Do not suggest this, but it is acceptable for media to photograph/film the exterior of the store if they do so on public property, such as your parking lot."

Day traders are finally getting the message, too. This morning's share price plunge has taken the stock below 75 cents a share, its lowest point since early 2009.

Will Borders be Here in 2012? It Might be--If Amazon Steps In

2011-01-26T15:20:00.000-08:00

XXX

We have all heard the news that Borders is in serious financial straits. If we want to use a tired metaphor, the chain is RMS Titanic, the iceberg has been struck, and the captain is running the pumps to buy an extra hour or so afloat. According to Business Insider (and other recent news), Borders has stopped making payments to some publishers because it is simply cash-strapped and in a desperate condition.

Rumors are flying about what its ultimate fate will be. Will Barnes and Noble purchase the chain? If so, what will that mean for the average book buyer? How many stores would close? Will Borders be able to refinance its debt and pay its bills going forward? Will it simply be allowed to file bankruptcy, remainder its stock, and cease to exist? Who knows.

Here's an idea that might rescue the chain: A-M-A-Z-O-N.

You've heard of them, right?

The ongoing eendemic problems coursing through the halls of Borders represents an extraordinary opportunity for Amazon to make the leap from virtual to brick-and mortar-bookselling (and everything else it cares to sell). In my opinion Amazon.com has the leading brand in the industry. Its customers feel engaged with the company and there is deep brand loyalty. Still, the consumer cannot interact with Amazon beyond the computer monitor or the Kindle tablet. The demise of Borders might make that possible--and profitable.

What would happen if Amazon took over Borders and re-branded it as Amazon? What would you do if you saw a former Borders' store with the AMAZON logo affixed above the door? Would you go out of your way to pay the store a visit? I certainly would, and I bet you would, too. I think people would flood into the stores. Amazon is a well-run company; Borders is not. A smooth-functioning Amazon store offers amazing opportunities for cross selling between online and brick-and-mortar. And imagine what it would be like to browse ALL of Amazon's stock while in store on your Kindle. You could do that.

I hear some of your shouting at your monitor, "Savas, are you nuts? Brick and mortar is old school--a decaying way of doing business." Really? What about Apple? The naysayers were entirely wrong when some years back they said selling out of stores was a bad idea and would never work. How's Apple doing these days?

And who has a brand as powerful as Apple that also begins with the letter A?

Amazon was launched with the idea of being a virtual company. But the pending breakup and sinking of RMS Borders might offer Jeff Bezos and Company a fabulous opportunity to turn the world upside down yet again--and still be in the driving seat.

--tps

Psst! Authors . . . Here is How to Sell Your Book!

2011-01-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

XXXX
(The following essay appeared in today's Libri Novus, the official monthly e-letter of Savas Beatie. If you would like to receive this in your email box each month, go to our website at www.savasbeatie.com and enter your email address in the Libri Novus form box.)

Authors, Listen up! Sell Your Book!

by Gary W. Moore

No one cares more about your book than the author. No one. And no one should be working harder to sell your book than you. If you want respectable sales, you must play a major role in making that happen. It is especially true today, with so much competition for attention, fewer trade outlets, and chains purchasing fewer titles in smaller numbers.

Take my own experience as an example. If you want to know where I speak and hold events, just follow my Bookscan numbers. My sales numbers are largely clustered in areas where I have spent time working. Let's take a particular market: Indianapolis, Indiana. When I go there I promote my book and myself by meeting people, signing books, speaking to groups, and so forth. As a result, my book sells X copies directly that I can track. I can check my Bookscan numbers weeks and even months later (and with my first book, Playing with the Enemy, even years later) and track residual sales that trickle up in that market. When I examine major regions or cities I have not actively worked in, book sales are usually fair at best, and usually poor or nonexistent. Yes, in most respects it is really that basic. Now, I am launching my second book entitled Hey Buddy.

When authors ask me how I did so well with my first book, I tell them the truth: hard work, every day, for years. (And yes, I am employed full-time with my day job.) If you do not want to speak, sign books, lead tours, maintain an active website, blog, and take a very proactive role in selling your book, never complain about your sales numbers to your publisher or the small royalty check that comes with it. Instead, you should apologize to your publisher. In fact, why bother writing at all? So a publisher can spend thousands of dollars and 155 people can read your book? Sorry to be so blunt, but that is how I see things. And the excuses I hear back make me shake my head.

My publisher is Savas Beatie, and yes SB has a responsibility to do the best job it can to sell my book. And they do. Even though SB has a wonderful marketing director in Sarah Keeney, I consider myself the "Director of Global Sales" for each book that bears my name. No one cares more, knows more about it, or is more passionate about my book than me. Sarah has scores of titles to worry about. I have my book(s). That naturally makes me the best sales person or advocate for my work. And people LOVE meeting authors. People are several times more likely to buy a signed or inscribed book than an unsigned book sitting on a table without an author in sight. It is the personal connection with the author that helps sell a book.
XX
So here is a basic plan (in addition to the other 100 things you can do, like a website, blog, etc.) to help increase sales for your book:

SPEAK. Groups large and small in every city and county in America are looking for speakers. Lions Club, Rotary, United Way, Junior League, Chamber of Commerce, a public library . . . they all meet at least monthly and are desperate for capable speakers and especially authors! Call and offer your services to anyone and everyone who meets in a group. Speak and sell your book afterward. I have hand-sold literally thousands more books at events like this than at any trade bookstore signing. When was the last time you addressed one of these groups? Please don't tell me you spoke to groups like this once or twice when the book came out, but are too busy now. Speak and sell!

MEET AND GREET-AND SELL. Set up book signings at your local bookstores or battlefield visitor center or museum shop, etc. (Savas Beatie helps a lot here) but DO NOT sit at a table like a bump on a log. MEET and GREET! I know most authors find this uncomfortable, but I roam through the bookstore talking to anyone and everyone who is browsing, sitting with a cup of coffee, etc. "Hi, my name is Gary Moore, and I am the author of Playing with the Enemy (holding up a copy.) Do you know anyone who likes baseball or World War II?" Do you? No? Why not?

This breaks the ice. I give them a card and ask them to stop by my table. I stand at the front door and greet shoppers as they come in. Like a politician looking for votes I have held up babies for photos, exchanged business cards with strangers, and worked hard to build a relationship with everyone I meet. What else would you expect from the Director of Global Sales who also happens to be the author? Do some people brush past without speaking or grimace in my direction? Sure. But who cares? Sell your work by selling yourself.

FOLLOW UP. After the event I send e-mails to everyone I met (including anywhere I spoke, or to anyone who has reviewed my book) and received contact info from. I thank them for their time. I tell them how much I enjoyed meeting them. I ask them (again) to write a review for my book and post it at Amazon and copy it to Barnesandnoble.com. I remind them why my book makes a good graduation, birthday, or Christmas gift. Many authors fail to realize that it is easier to sell a second or third book to someone who already has it, likes it, and who has met the author, than it is to sell the first copy to a total stranger. Capitalize on your relationships and sell multiple books to a single person.

VISIT BOOKSTORES. No matter where I travel I take some time to visit every bookstore or any place that might carry my book I can find. I go in and meet the manager and the staff. If they have my book on hand I sign their inventory. If they do not have my book, I explain to the manager why he or she should stock it, and ask them to let whoever buys for the store know why! Many times I have told managers to order up a case, call me, and I will come back when the books arrive and sell them. And then I do! Be proactive. Be assertive. Work for the success you want.

NEVER QUIT SELLING! Playing with the Enemy was released in hardcover in September 2006. Less than two years later it was released as a paperback. Today, in early 2011 it is still in print and still selling. In fact, last month we sold more copies than we did the same month a year earlier! We are now in our 7th paperback printing and there is a big reason why: I am still selling. That's right, after all these years I am still promoting, still speaking, still signing, still pressing the flesh, and still talking to anyone and everyone about my book. In fact, I did a mass mailing in my state a few months ago and one of the recipients asked me to come and speak at a major event. I sold more than 1,000 copies! (They ordered 700 copies initially, and the interest grew and they reordered another 300 after I left. I promised to return and sign them all.)

By the time you read this, my new book Hey Buddy will be released and the process begins again. But now thousands of bookstore owners, managers, staff, and individuals know me, know how hard I work, hopefully like my work, and will stock more books and buy more books.

NEVER QUIT SELLING! If you do, why would you expect others to do the work you won't?

Dick Winters of "Band of Brothers" Fame Dies

2011-01-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

If we think of all 10 episodes as one movie, HBO's Band of Brothers is my favorite. Rent the series (or go buy it), savor it . . . and ponder.
-----

(Right) Dick Winters introduced President George W. Bush to a crowd of about 20,000 during a rally in 2007 at Hersheypark Stadium in Derry Township.

Dick Winters, the former World War II commander whose war story was told in the book and miniseries “Band of Brothers,” has died. Winters led a quiet life on his Fredericksburg farm and in his Hershey home until the book and miniseries “Band of Brothers” threw him into the international spotlight. Since then, the former World War II commander of Easy Company had received hundreds of requests for interviews and appearances all over the world.

He stood at the podium with President George W. Bush in Hershey during the presidential campaign in 2007. He accepted the “Four Freedoms” award from Tom Brokaw on behalf of the Army. He was on familiar terms with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, producers of the HBO mini-series, the most expensive television series ever produced.

Winters was always gracious about his new-found celebrity, but never really comfortable with it. He never claimed to be a hero and said that he had nothing to do with the national effort to get him the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor.

When people asked him if he was a hero, he liked to answer the way his World War II buddy, Mike Ranney, did. “No,” Ranney said. “But I served in a company of heroes.” That became the tag line for the miniseries.

In an interview shortly before the miniseries debuted, Winters said the war wasn’t about individual heroics. The men were able to do what they did because they became closer than brothers when faced with overwhelming hardships.

They weren’t out to save the world. They hated the blood, carnage, exhaustion and filth of war. But they were horrified at the thought of letting down their buddies.

On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Winters and his troops from Easy Company, 506th regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, parachuted behind enemy lines to take on a German artillery nest on Utah Beach. Winters made himself a promise then that if he lived through the war, all he wanted was peace and quiet.

His company fought through the Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of a death camp at Dachau and to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden. The war described in “Band of Brothers” is ugly, but the young men developed character under fire, Winters said. He was glad the miniseries showed war realistically, not either glorified or demonized as in so many movies.

He wanted people to understand that success in war depends not on heroics but on bonding, character, getting the job done and “hanging tough,” his lifelong motto. In combat, he wrote 50 years after the war, “your reward for a good job done is that you get the next tough mission.”

When the war ended, Winters kept his promise to himself. He married Ethel, bought a bucolic farm in Fredericksburg, raised two children and worked in the agricultural feed business. He didn’t talk about the war until the late historian Stephen Ambrose wanted to put Easy Company’s exploits on paper.

Following the miniseries, Winters turned down most requests for interviews because he said he didn’t want to appear like he was bragging.

But he did feel the story of Easy Company was an important one, especially for young people. He was more likely to accept invitations by local school groups and spent time with students at Cedar Crest High School, among others. A talk he gave at Palmyra Middle School drew hundreds of spectators.

People who knew Winters during and after the war said he is exactly what he appears to be. He could lead without ever raising his voice or swearing. His friend Bob Hoffman, a Lebanon architect, said Winters’ eyes could “burn a hole right through you.”

The men who served under him and people who only met him later in life call him a hero, no matter what he says. According to the book, one wounded member of Easy Company wrote Winters from a hospital bed in 1945, “I would follow you into hell.”

He received a standing ovation from 500 veterans when he spoke at the dedication of the Army’s Military History Institute in Middlesex Township in September. When President Bush was in Hershey in April, he called Winters “a fine example ... for those brave souls who now wear our nation’s uniform.”

Ambrose, the author of “Band of Brothers,” said in a 2001 BBC interview that he hopes young people say. “I want to be like Dick Winters.” “Not necessarily as soldiers, but as that kind of leader, that kind of man, with basic honesty and virtue and an understanding of the difference between right and wrong,” Ambrose said.

Forthcoming "Hey Buddy" Picking Up Traction

2011-01-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

Gary
Gary
Gary W. Moore, author of our previous bestseller Playing with the Enemy, has penned the soon-to-be-released (January 20, 2011) Hey Buddy: In Pursuit of Buddy Holly, My New Buddy John, and My Lost Decade of Music (Savas Beatie, 2011). Let's say it is a very personal, very moving, and very insightful "pursuit" of Buddy, his legacy, his death, and much more. It is not a biography.

I honestly had no idea of Holly's impact on The Beatles, Stones, etc., or how advanced he was in the musical world (wrote, sang, played lead, produced, managed, etc.). Had he lived, he might have been the Oprah of his day. He was that "vertically" visioned.

Although Gary had no intention of spending much time discussing the terrible way Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. Big Bopper Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson were killed just a few minutes after taking off from the Clear Lake, Iowa, airport, the crash sucked him in. Gary happens to be a former pilot and former charter service owner (the plane was chartered). Gary worked with a retired aviation crash expert and poured over the records relating to the crash and even interviewed Barb Dwyer, co-owner of the company that hired the pilot and leased the plane. Gary and the expert reach a startling conclusion about the last minute or two of the flight. Here is the first trailer on this issue:

The book release will coincide with a big sweep through the Chicago area, where a publicist we hired is working with SB marketing director Sarah Keeney to put together a strong opening that includes a premier book signing at Anderson's (one of the leading independent bookstores in the country), TV, radio, and special appearances at universities, clubs, music events, and more. This includes stops in Wisconsin, Iowa, and south to Texas (where Buddy was born). Other appearances as far west as Seattle and elsewhere east are also being planned for later in February and beyond.

Here is a tribute song / video by John Mueller called "Hey Buddy," after which our book is entitled. The lyrics are largely based on song titles written by Buddy. Give it a listen. It is addictive.

The Joiliet (IL) Tribune just ran a story, all the early reviews are glowing, and we are all excited about the tour, which will officially "conclude" the day after the anniversary of Holly's death (February 4) in Lubbock, Texas, at the Buddy Holly Center.

Here is what Jim Riordan, NY Times bestselling author of Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison wrote about Hey Buddy:

Hey Buddy is a page-turning pursuit of Buddy Holly’s legacy and his impact on others in and out of the music industry. It’s as American as apple pie and as compelling as Don McLean’s legendary hit about The Day the Music Died. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore and get two copies—one for you and another for anyone you know who listens to music.

And Gary achieved the pièce de résistance: an interview with recluse Don McClean. The interview appears as an Afterword. McClean, of course, wrote the smash hit "American Pie" in the early 1970s, which is about "The day the music died"--in other words, February 3, 1959.

Consider putting in a pre-order on Amazon, at your local bookstore, or contact Anderson's and reserve a personally inscribed copy!

Stay tuned.

--tps

Powell's Just-Released Chickamauga Confederate Cavalry Study

2010-12-16T16:38:00.000-08:00

Click HERE to watch the book trailer!

About the Book

Confederate cavalry has a storied and favorable relationship with the history of the Civil War. Tales of raids and daring exploits create a whiff of lingering romance about the horse soldiers of the Lost Cause. Sometimes, however, romance obscures history.

In August 1863, William Rosecrans’ Union Army of the Cumberland embarked on a campaign of maneuver to turn Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee out of Chattanooga, one of the most important industrial and logistical centers of the Confederacy. Despite the presence of two Southern cavalry corps (nearly 14,000 horsemen) under legendary commanders Nathan Bedford Forrest and Joe Wheeler, Union troops crossed the Tennessee River unopposed and unseen, slipped through the passes cutting across the knife-ridged mountains, moved into the narrow valleys, and turned Bragg’s left flank. Threatened with the loss of the railroad that fed his army, Bragg had no choice but to retreat. He lost Chattanooga without a fight.

After two more weeks of maneuvering, skirmishing, and botched attacks Bragg struck back at Chickamauga, where he was once again surprised by the position of the Union army and the manner in which the fighting unfolded. Although the combat ended with a stunning Southern victory, Federal counterblows that November reversed all that had been so dearly purchased.

David A. Powell’s Failure in the Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign is the first in-depth attempt to determine what role the Confederate cavalry played in both the loss of Chattanooga and the staggering number of miscues that followed up to, through, and beyond Chickamauga. Powell draws upon an array of primary accounts and his intimate knowledge of the battlefield to reach several startling conclusions: Bragg’s experienced cavalry generals routinely fed him misleading information, failed to screen important passes and river crossings, allowed petty command politics to routinely influence their decision-making, and on more than one occasion disobeyed specific and repeated orders that may have changed the course of the campaign.

Richly detailed and elegantly written, Failure in the Saddle offers new perspectives on the role of the Rebel horsemen in every combat large and small waged during this long and bloody campaign and, by default, a fresh assessment of the generalship of Braxton Bragg. This judiciously reasoned account includes a guided tour of the cavalry operations, several appendices of important information, and original cartography. It is essential reading for students of the Western Theater.

Next up: the first major review . . .

Should Borders Buy Barnes & Noble?

2010-12-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

Or as someone else wrote, it's a bit like a dead fish trying to swallow a whale. (Well, at least an ill whale.)

The book world is indeed in a state of flux.

Click here for the story.

A Forthcoming Title and a Housekeeping Matter (Part 1)

2010-12-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

So many of you have been emailing or calling and asking me about what is coming down the pike. I have been meaning for quite some time to mention a few of our forthcoming titles and discuss each at greater depth thereafter. Alas, life has intervened. For that I apologize but won't beg for forgiveness. I shall now take a brief stab at it (and hopefully follow up after the calendar wraps to 2011).

The Gettysburg Encyclopedia, by Brad Gottfried and Theodore P. Savas, editors. Yes, this is still in the works. Click here for an earlier entry that promises much the same thing you are about to read. Today, though, I really mean it. Promise.

The text is at least 95% complete (as are the maps) and simply awaiting editing. The primary holes left to fill are largely in the realm of cavalry operations. (J.D. Petruzzi, however, decided to ride with Jeb Stuart, violate the spirit of his orders, and was last reported heading for Maryland in a red Corvette with bits of hay flying out the tailpipe and a bridle slapping the side. If you spot him--or read this blog--tell him to phone home or at least send General Lee a comforting dispatch.)

We will post a list of contributors, topics, and much more in January. It will likely be one large volume, but we might publish this in two matching volumes in a 7 x 10 oversize format on 50 or 60-lb. acid free paper, and heavy cloth with a sewn binding. The double-column text will include everything from houses and landmarks to personalities, units, engagements, civilians, terrain features, controversies, weaponry, and much more. All entries will be cross-referenced, as needed. The Gettysburg Encyclopedia will also include full page / full color maps, color photos, and of course a complete bibliography/suggested reading list.

This effort is a true (and expensive) labor of love, and we want it to stand the test of time and functionality.

Watch for a web page soon. If there is something in particular you would like to see on this web page, please send us an email and let us know.

We are leaning toward a first edition boxed set (perhaps signed and numbered with a limited print run) available only through Savas Beatie. As always, we welcome your thoughts.

Publishing date? Almost certainly late 2011 or early 2012. Yes, we are excited too.

Housecleaning: I have stumbled across a handful of mint new copies of Lost for the Cause: The Confederate Army in 1864, by Steven Newton (Savas Publishing, 1999). This is an outstanding study. Would you like a free copy? When you place an order for ANY book we have in stock, just use LFTC as a coupon code or mention it on the phone, and we will throw one copy in at no charge. As in, no extra dollars. No extra shipping, either. But I think I only have 8 or 10 copies.

An Author and his Book. A Primer.

2010-11-22T08:57:00.000-08:00

Or, in this case, "Authors and Their Book."

David Hirsch (attorney) and Dan Van Haften (retired electrical engineer) are the authors of the just-released Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason.

Yes, I thought the same thing. Keep reading.

This is not "another" Lincoln book. I turned it down twice thinking that it was just that. I was so very wrong. So often we hear (and use) the word "groundbreaking" to describe a new title. It is overused. But it is also applicable to this book. I will post more on this title later, but for now, understand two things.

1) The authors discovered Lincoln's mastery of Euclidean Geometry, and discovered howt he used its precision and simple brilliance to write his best-known speeches--and then they prove it. Truly it is a jaw-dropping discovery. The authors are not household names in the Lincoln field, so traditional Lincoln scholars are scratching their heads in amazement.

2) The authors understand the elevator pitch and that carrying their book around and talking to people is important. David (the attorney) was in Boston at a Consumer Law conference when . . . well, I will let David tell his story:

I had my book with me at lunch and a stranger asked me whether it was good. I told him I was biased and why (I am one of the authors), and then described the book this way: "We broke Lincoln's code regarding how he wrote his speeches. He used a regular template. It is replicatable. Anyone can do it."

Then I stopped, waiting for the obvious question (which is usually, "How did he do it"). Instead, this guy pulled out his iPhone, went straight to Amazon, and purchased the book as we were talking.

So we have a new book about something no one else has every written, and authors who understand the importance of talking about their work and sharing it with others.

And of course this all came with a bonus: a perfect example of how people are purchasing books today and will be into the future.

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

--tps

Live from the West Coast Civil War Conference

2010-11-13T10:25:00.001-08:00

Conference is going great. Right now. Rick Hatcher, Chief Historian of Fort Sumter, is finishing a 2-part talk on the operations against the fort during the entire war. James McPherson, Craig Symonds, and other notables are on later. Good to see old friends again, as we have each year for about two decades. TBC...

KEEP Letting Tim Smoke. Congrats Giants!

2010-11-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

With arms like that, Timmy can probably lifts ten-pound joints. I thought it would take six, and (sort of) wanted to see it finish in SF, but that would have meant rooting against the home boys in Arlington. I just couldn't do it. If anyone ever doubted this game is all about pitching, this series really put the nail in that coffin. It was a fun season.

Alas, the Vikings are still playing . . .

--tps

Quote of the Day from my Favorite Vikings Blog

2010-11-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Stock Market Report, Week 8

What...the...hell. 2-5.

Two wins. Five losses. Eight stitches. 2 passes thrown to Moss. One idiot of a head coach. Zero sacks in three games---for the first time in franchise history.

The wheels are coming off, the bandwagon is as empty as a politician's promise, and after what happened today, as your Vikings financial advisor, I have one word: Sell.

The Rest Of The Defensive Line: You make more money than the entire GDP of Afghanistan, and you can't register a sack in three games? You almost have to try to do that. Maybe you should just donate your game checks to Whitney Houston. She'd at least put forth a better effort to hustle some crack than you guys are at hustling after the quarterback. And she'd be more entertaining.

Excuse me while I vomit.

--tps

"Well, maybe I will publish my own book . . ."

2010-10-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

An potential author called the other day.

"If you the publisher sells X copies of my book, I will earn about $Y and you will earn $Z. That is simply unfair."

"That is gross dollars, with no guarantee after putting up the price of a car on what is essentially a bet," I replied. "How is that unfair?"

"You publishers do alright," he continued. "I am thinking maybe I should just publish my own book."

I chuckled (silently). "Certainly you can do that, and for some authors it works out fine. For most, it does not," I answered as gently as possible while lighting an expensive Cuban cigar with a Ben Franklin. And then I explained to him what he will have to do if he does not want to store a garage full of books for the next decade. "And of course," I concluded, "you can do all these things and still have a garage full of books--and no money."

The graphic (below) is a good illustration of what I tried to explain to him. If they only knew. No one gets into the publishing business for money. It is a virus. And there is no real cure.

"Ah, OK, I see what you mean," he replied. "Can you explain all this in an email for me?"

"No," I answered. "I think you get the point. Good luck."

--tps

Giants Whip Phillies 3-0

2010-10-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

"What are you doing this coming Tuesday?" Frank inquired last Friday when he called

"Tuesday evening?" I asked. When Frank comes into town from wine country, it is usually to take me out for dinner.

Photo: [Ted Savas (left) and Frank Gaynor (right)]

"No. During the day."

"Ah . . . working?" I answered. He knows we have lots of books to publish. As he is fond of telling me, his kids need shoes. By now Imelda Marcos would feel comfortable at his house.

"Can you meet me in San Francisco?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Really?"

"Yes. 1:30 afternoon game."

"I'm in!"

I didn't ask about the seats because I already knew. Frank has seats on the third base line, not far from the Giants dugout, four rows off the field. Did I say you can hear the ball hit the glove during warm-ups? No? You can hear the ball hit the glove during warm-ups.

(I was smart enough to remember to ask Mrs. Savas, and she said "absolutely go!" I then added, "Will I pay for this later?" She assured me the answer was "no." We'll see . . .)

Frank is the notorious Frank "Jesse James" Gaynor, the West Coast sales rep for McNaughton and Gunn in Michigan, our book printer of choice for most of our titles. We have been working together for about 17 years. Frank is a great guy who likes his beer cold and his baseball orange and black. We have a standing joke between us: He has met my wife Carol on several occasions and has spent a night or two at our home. I have yet to meet his wife. He really does have one, or so he has been assuring me for nearly two decades. He likes to tease that he really doesn't have a wife, and merely lets the air out of his doll and puts her in the closet at night. (He needs to get out more.)

But I digress.

M cousin Ray was considering going down for the game, and he bought a couple tickets on Stub Hub in another section. We drove down together with Ray, Ray's associate Ron, and Ron's significant other Katy so we could use the diamond lane. Traffic was light, the day was 73 and sunny, and just perfect for baseball. Matt Cain was on the mound and we were home after splitting with the Phillies. What more could a guy want?

Cain was darn near flawless. It was more of a pitching duel than anything, and the Giants went up 2 games to 1 over the bat-less Phillies at AT&T Park with a 3-0 victory. The beer was cold, the garlic fries were perfect, and the Giants are leading the Phillies.

It wasn't a night out with Slash but it was a darn near perfect day. (But Sarah did just tell me Slash is playing with Ozzy in February 2011 in San Jose . . . hmmm.)

Still digressing. . . must the 10 buck beers.

Thanks Frank.

--tps

(Sorry Eric W.)

My Son DT at the Slash Concert.

2010-10-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

Since one of you long-term GNR and Slash fans doubted DT got that close to Slash and we could come and go as we pleased . . . here you go. Yep, right there at the front, snapped by his friend Kyle.

(Love those Ronnie James Dio "rock horns," DT.)

--Pops

Slash was amazing--front row

2010-10-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Let's just say this. The boys got in front, where I watched the first three songs five feet from the Slash man, and then went back to our table so my brother could do the same. At the end of the show, Slash handed his pick to my son, who also ended up with the bassist's pick. (He gave that to his cousin Nikkos. Slash is Nikkos' musical idol, so I expect by Christmas the $30.00 bucks he offered DT for Slash's pick will be north of a hundred. LOL) Kyle, a bassist in Nikkos' band JAXX, ended up with a drumstick which was signed and imprinted with "SLASH."

The picture here was snapped from my blackberry on the first song (Kill the Ghost). You can see we were within arm's reach. Haven't been this close to a major act since Rush at Arnold's Park in Iowa in 1975. Two hours and 10 minute set, 22 songs, and was just wonderful in an intimate venue. Could not have been better, and was easily as good as the Slash concert five weeks ago at the Warfield in San Francisco.

Thanks Slashman. You are a true virtuoso, and your recorded music does not begin to do you justice. On the stage you are simply in another world.

--tps

Live at Reno: Slash

2010-10-04T19:48:00.001-07:00

We are waiting for the concert to begin. The boys are at the front at the railing directly in front of where Slash will be! They are pumped! My brother and I are 30 feet back at a table, complete with a table
cloth and gin and tonics! Bad City is set to open in 10 minutes. This should be spectacular! Hooah!

--tps

OT: Tonight in Reno--SLASH

2010-10-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

Picking up my son DT at school at 1:00 p.m., running home to change, meeting up with my brother Anthony, his son Nikkos, and Nikkos' bass player Kyle, and running up to Reno (about 2 hours up Interstate 80) to the Grand Sierra Casino . The Grand Theatre is small (1,800) with horseshoe booths, etc. Will be a wonderful show.

Click on the following link to read a write-up of the last Slash concert (and great pic of Nikkos playing his Les Paul in the battle of the bands): Slash at the Warfield: The Best Live Guitarist Ever?

(Might not be recovered until Saturday, though.)

--tps

Above: Vocalist Myles Kennedy (left) and Saul Hudson (aka Slash)

Nick "Gunny Pop" Popaditch in New York City

2010-09-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our author Nick Popaditch (Once a Marine) flew into New York at the request of Fox's TV show Red Eye so he could do the entire show with them in studio (Nick has been on 2-3 times via remote). Picture to right has Nick with Greg Gutfeld and the rather attractive columnist/blogger S. E. Cupp. Lucky guy. (Yes, I can say that. This is my blog.)

When he heard he would be in NYC, Dennis Miller invited Nick to spend 30 minutes with him in studio. It was a perfect match and the show was lively and fun.

John Batchelor's popular syndicated radio show (KABC in NYC) also had Nick on, and has since called to invited him back next week.

I don't have the links to these shows yet, but when I get them I will post them here and Sarah will post on Facebook.

Filner's lying stunt with the foreclosure deal is proof his internal polls show a tight race. Nice work Gunny. We are proud of you.

--tps

Going Archival . . . Poll Results

2010-09-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Question: "How important is it to you that a Civil War book be based upon exrtensive [sic] archival research?

Very important. Otherwise, why write it? 36 votes (83%)

Important, but not that critical to me: 6 votes (13%)

I can look past that. Secondary sources are fine: 1 vote (2%)

Meh. I will read anything with Civil War in the title: 0 votes (0%)

This question generated a lot of interest, both in the comment section and in emails (and a few calls) to me. I think the verdict is about as lopsided as I expected given the readership of my blog. Someone made the distinction that archival research and primary research are not necessarily the same--a good point, although not germane to the poll question, which did not link the two.

(Only JD asked what I meant by "archival." OK, he really did not ask that.)

Thank you for participating.

tps

Going Archival . . .

2010-09-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

We receive on average one manuscript query each day, either via email or snail mail. They span the gamut from cringe-worthy to spectacular.

During the last two weeks I received a half-dozen on outstanding topics I would love to publish, from campaign/battle histories to brigade histories and biographies. Five from this group were (to my dismay) grounded in secondary sources and very light archival research. By "light" I mean one or two repository visits or a few letters here and there. What is obviously missing? Work in the National Archives, Library of Congress, Southern Historical Society Collection, newspapers, etc.

Savas Beatie does not publish work that has already been written by other authors, if you get my drift.

If I have an interest in a manuscript and see real potential, I write back and explain this to the authors and encourage them to finish the good work they have started. Below is an excerpt from one of the five who wrote back:

"Thanks, but I am finished with my manuscript. Another publisher will take it as-is. I don't need to pay for a trip to Washington DC just to satisfy a few readers who might get mad because I missed a letter from some obscure private."

I did not bother to respond. As far as I am concerned--both as a publisher and a voracious reader--if an author has never heard of the Compiled Service Record files in the NA and doesn't care, he is not worth the time or money to publish or read. Yes, it is that simple. It has taken me a long time to learn, but you really can't make a silk purse from a pig's ear. And we have too many good manuscripts to choose from as it now stands. Let's see what the other three authors have to say.

How important is solid and extensive archival research to you? Is repackaged work acceptable? I posted a poll on this subject at the top-left of my blog. Feel free to vote there, and weigh in on this blog post with comments.

--tps

Strategic Transitions: ePub Format

2010-09-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Good morning.

One of the most difficult things to do when running a business started from scratch (as Savas Beatie was in 2004) is to get out of the "shoveling coal in the boiler room" mentality and spend more time on the bridge. For it is only from that higher vantage point that one can see the seas ahead, the sky, determine wind speed, current flow, heading, and make damn sure Frederick Fleet is not dosing off in the crow's nest.

Even if the vantage point is not as high as Mr. Fleet's, it is easy to see the approaching digital iceburg.

But does this digital ice pose a threat, or an advantage? My guess is that the answer lies in how soon we recognize it for what it is and turn the rudder accordingly.

The book world is experiencing tectonic shifts. Print is here to stay, but so are digital books. (I believe the advent of digital books will increase print sales in the mid-to long-term, but that is fodder for another post.) Trade sales are falling, returns are increasing, the major chains are in severe financial distress, etc. Some of these problems are beyond the control of the publisher, but many of them pose new opportunities (I tend to see opportunity in every pitfall and exploit it accordingly.)

There is not a single publisher who has not at least thought about how to handle the digital issue. Some refuse to see it and like Mr. Ismay have ordered full steam ahead. Others remain frozen at the wheel, unsure what to do and so by default have adopted Mr. Ismay's position. A few, however, are busy turning hard to port or starboard in an effort to glide past the potential pitfall. Savas Beatie is in that latter category. It is my hope that within a short time I will be able to reach out and chip off some clear clean ice into a tumbler and follow it with three fingers of 20-year-old single malt and a good cigar. And from that glass both publishers and authors will sip. (You have to bring your own cigars.)

After spending an extensive amount of time reading and pondering the issue, I decided late last year that one of the three primary strategic goals for Savas Beatie in 2011 was the digitization of our title base for sales crossplatform. Many of our books have been available in Kindle format for some time, but I knew that would not be enough to get the bow of this ship around the berg.

I am happy to report that most of our available books (including our growing and vibrant back list) have now been (or are being) converted into the various ePub formats. The entire process should be done by the end of September.

In additon to the Amazon Kindle format, these include: Apple's iPad (available through the Apple iBookstore), Sony's Reader, Barnes and Noble's Nook, Border's ebookstore, and others. Wholesalers who also deal with digital editions (like Baker and Taylor) will also be carrying our titles. Each digital book also has its own eISBN number. Although Kindle sales have been modest thus far, they have been steadily increasing. Once the transition is complete and our titles are widely available, we expect to see strong growth in this area--but not at the expense of print titles. Growth in one area does not have to translate into a decrease in the other.

The digital age is upon us, and that iceberg is not of the "blue" variety. [Look up blue ice if you are unsure of my meaning.] Indeed, it has been visible for some time--even the coalers in the boiler room have heard about it.

Best to chip from that block and enjoy its advantages than hit it full on and go down by the bow.

--tps

Ever-Shrinking Borders: Sales Fall 11.5 Percent On Loss of Over $51 Million

2010-09-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

It was more enjoyable writing about the Slash concert . . .

Borders reported second quarter sales of $526 million, down 11.5 percent from a year ago (when sales were down 17.7 percent compared to 2008--when sales were also down.) For a little perspective, sales in this quarter were $617 million in 2009; $749 million in 2008; and $945 million in 2007.

The loss from continuing operations (to reflect the sale of Paperchase) was another $51.6 million, or 74 cents a share (perilously close to what shares themselves trade for), worse than $45.1 million a year ago. The operating loss of $37.7 million was also worse than the $25.7 million recorded a year ago. The loss came in part from "increased promotional discounts" required to prop up declining sales.

In the glimmers of "good news" offered, same-store sales fell by only 6.8 percent, which is actually an improvement, and their very small Borders.com business grew by 56 percent, at $15.5 million, reflecting the ebookstore they opened during the period and increased online physical book sales. Unfortunately, from a publishing perspective the store comp sales number is even weaker than it seems. The company said in this morning's investor call that the cafes actually increased while the declines were "largely due to our trade book category."

Overall debt of $262 million is actually higher than a year ago, by 2.7 percent, even though inventories continued to shrink, at $798 million this quarter, compared to $868 a year ago (reflecting some of those big returns that some publishers have been experiencing). The closely-watched trade accounts payable were $348.5 million, a little higher than six months ago but down from $401 million a year ago.

They proudly noted in this morning's investor call that one of their best strategies for improving performance is "opportunistically" negotiating early lease buyouts (like the one just announced in San Francisco). They have recently terminated seven underperforming leases before the end of their term.

With fresh financing, the company invested a little bit in capital expenditures this year, spending $7.7 million "focused on the development of the Borders eBook store." They say that "sales of the Kobo as well as pre-orders for the Aluratek and Velocity Micro devices have exceeded expectations."

The company says their consumer research "has indicated that most customers come to Borders to escape the pressures of everyday life." That's used in part to explain their "shifting our product mix to include additional non-book products that are both compelling and relevant, and providing an escape for our customers though an inspirational in-store environment and consistent customer service."

Slash at the Warfield: The Best Live Rock Guitarist Ever?

2010-08-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

OK, so this is one of those "Ted is in one of those moods again" postings.

I was never a huge Guns N Roses fan, as I wrote last May in the posting "My New Favorite Slew of Songs." Sure, I liked a few of their tunes, but I never bothered to see them live. And frankly, Saul Hudson (aka Slash) never impressed me as a guitar virtuoso. Good? Sure. Unbelievably good? Nah.

I could not have been more wrong.

Last January my brother turned me on to Slash's "Snakepit," a group from some years back Slash formed after GNR broke up. The songs were so-so, but a couple really stuck with me, as did his melodic guitar riffs. Just two months ago Slash put out a new album featuring different lead singers on nearly every song. And he wrote every song. The wide variety of music, from jazz to blues, from ballad to hard rock, is impressive. Sunday night my brother, his son Nikkos (my Godson/nephew), and a friend of ours caught Slash at the Warfield theater in San Francisco. His lead singer for the tour is Myles Kennedy (a talent I had never heard of until this new Slash album). Man can this guy sing! I had no idea what I was in for.

We were in the balcony (see the shot to the right from my Blackberry), the venue is small (some 2,000 people), and the view was magnificent. The band played for 2.25 hours. Here is the set list. You can click and see clips next to the songs. (Note the sound is not nearly the same, nor the effect. Hit his Godfather theme and watch and listen carefully especially after 1:30 into it. This is an old version--it is different today.)

My jaw still hurts because my mouth was open in abject shock most of the show. I have seen scores of concerts, from Gordon Lightfoot and Fogelberg to Rush, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden--you name it. I have never seen a guitarist perform so well, for so long, with so many styles (blues, classical, hard rock, jazz, et al.) and flavors as Slash did Sunday evening. I am STILL blown away.

His solo theme from the Godfather was a masterpiece. He transitioned into it, and soloed for ten minutes and it was so lovely, so magnificent I could not take my eyes off him. Every time I thought it would end he transitioned into something else that dropped my jaw open. And when he finished, he transitioned into "Sweet Child O' Mine."

If you get a chance to go see Slash on this tour--do so. You will not be disappointed.

PS: This is a photo of my 16-year old nephew Nikkos (from a phone, while he is jumping around, sorry!) playing GNR's "Civil War" the night before the Slash concert at the battle of the bands up here in Northern California. His band JAXX won against bands whose members are in their 20s. Ready for this? The JAXX members are ages 13 (drummer) to 16 (Nikkos and Alan, guitarists). The bassist is just 15. And they write almost all their own music. Go get 'em, Nikkos!

(OK, back to Failure in the Saddle, the forthcoming Confederate cavalry study on Chickamauga!)

--tps

A Farewell to Arms? (or, The Demise of Barnes and Noble?)

2010-08-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Clearance Sale: Barnes & Noble Didn't Evolve Enough

I think the writer is spot on when it comes to this particular business running a rat race well behind the proverbial curve. Who could not see this coming a decade ago? I did and I am not much of a clairvoyant.

The devolution has been painful to witness, especially given my line of work.

Thoughts?

--tps

Our Latest Book Trailer: New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah

2010-08-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Someone just spotted our poll about book trailers (see poll on the left) and called to ask where they can see examples.

Veronica Kane of our office recently created a cool viewing pad on our home page at www.savasbeatie.com. You can use your mouse to pick a different trailer, expand to full screen, adjust the volume, and so forth. I spend a lot of time there . . .

Our latest trailer is New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah, by Richard Lowry. See his website here.

The trailer is on our home page.

--tps

All Platforms Electronic

2010-08-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

In cooperation with our distributor, Casemate, we are submitting all our titles for formatting into every platform for electronic readers (iPad, Sony Reader, Kindle, Nook, and so forth).

We have already introduced a select number of titles in Kindle, and the results have been about as we expected: a handful of sales, but nothing overwhelming.

One of the discussions currently underway is whether the Kindle (or any e-book, for that matter) should be released simultaneously with the print edition. One school of thought says yes: hit it all at once because some people will purchase the e-book who would not otherwise pick up the traditional print edition anyway, and some will pick up both versions. The second school of thought (to which I currently subscribe) is that you wait about 60 days to release the e-book so as not to chip away at the print edition sales.

We are watching this dynamic unfold now. Stay tuned.

--tps

Hessler Sickles review--Great Opening Line

2010-07-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Midwest Book Review doesn't review every book it receives. And, depending upon the reviewer, the reviews can on occasion appear hasty and based upon the dust jacket. Still, they are always welcome.

This line from a recent review of Jim Hessler's outstanding (and award winning) Sickles at Gettysburg struck my eye:

"No one in the Civil War was a saint, but some were further from sainthood than others."

OK, someone was drinking their coffee that morning and hitting on all cylinders.

It concludes with, "Sickles at Gettysburg is not a read to be missed."

We agree. Hence the Bachelder-Coddinton Award for the best book on Gettysburg in 2009--and a selection by the History and Military Book Clubs.

This book is new in paperback (although we might have a dozen or so first edition hardcovers left with signed book plates--best pick one up if you want a book that will be a collector's item).

Congrats, Jim.

--tps

Gunny Pop Discusses "The Cartoon" and Meets PINCH on Fox's Red Eye

2010-07-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

I love watching and listening to Greg Gutfeld, the quirky and extremely sharp host of Fox's Red Eye.

Like a decent cigar or aged Scotch, he is an acquired taste, but once you "get it," you . . . get it. And you like it.

Click HERE to see Greg interview Nick "Gunny Pop" Popaditch the other night about "The Cartoon" that appeared in the Imperial Valley Times, and much more.

Click HERE to see a creative alternative view of "The Cartoon" by one of the readers:

Stick around to the end, and you get to see PINCH, a talking newspaper spoof of Pinch Sulzberger of the New York Times. It is hilarious--especially when the talking newspaper asks Nick, "Can we take a look at your eye for the science section."

Off mike after the show, Greg invited Nick for the entire hour as an in-studio guest/commentator, and since Nick and I both have business in new York and Washington D.C., it looks like we will be flying out to NYC and DC for a week in August.

Spending time with Gunny is always enjoyable. But . . . DC in August? With a former drill instructor? Let me rethink that . . .

--tps

Nice Interview with Tom Clemens, Editor of Carman's The Maryland Campaign

2010-07-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Click here to read an in-depth interview with Dr. Clemens, especially if you enjoy learning about the Maryland Campaign. Well worth five minutes.

Thanks Harry.

--tps

Newspaper Apologies, Filner Finally Condemns . . . and the Story Grows

2010-07-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I wrote a post about how The Imperial Valley News seemed to openly mock a veteran's war wounds through a cartoon, now known as The Cartoon. At least that was the opinion of nearly everyone who has viewed the cartoon. The carton was about one of our authors (and now my good friend Nick Popaditch, Once a Marine).

The news spread like wildfire, from the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Tribune, San Diego TV, National Review, Mick Huckabee, Michelle Malkin, Editor & Publisher Magazine, Redstate, and about 100 other sites. My Google alerts were coming in every few minutes. They are still coming in as I write.

Nick was inundated with radio and media requests, the editor of the paper called him to apologize and has now published the apology, and after stalling and hemming and hawing and telling callers he had "No comment" [NO COMMENT?], Congressman Bob Filner (who Nick is running against for a Congressional seat) finally found his cahones and condemned the newspaper for publishing a denigrating cartoon of a veteran.

Now there is a bit of back story. Imperial Valley (highest unemployment in the nation, large Hispanic population, agricultural, and suffering) has always been a strong spot for Nick's opponent, incumbent democrat Bob Filner. Nick, however, is Filner's first real challenger--ever. And he is an everyday Joe who served 16 years in the Marine Corps, earned a Silver Star, commanded a tank, and was critically wounded for his country. And people love him. He walks the agricultural fields, sits in the cafes, and goes door-to-door--waging the kind of aggressive "boots on the ground" campaign a Marine would undertake that Filner never has and never could. And Filner is now losing Imperial Valley.

The other night, right before The Cartoon came out, Nick spoke to a large townhall meeting out in the Valley. He invited Filner to attend and "answer questions with him." Filner initially agreed, and then backed out. Nick spoke for hours to hundreds of people, remaining until every single question was answered. He was applauded, congratulated, and the people there had never seen anything like it.

AND THEY LOVE HIM.

And the next day, the newspaper runs The Cartoon.

Are Filner's fingerprints on this? I don't know. We do know that in an earlier fundraising letter, Filner said that Nick has "absolutely no qualifications to hold public office." Now think about that: 16 years in the corps, extensive combat experience, as a gunnery sergeant he organized, executed, handled logistics, and commanded men in life and death situations--and he is not qualified for public office? What an elite snob.

Filner is afraid of Gunny Pop. And he has every reason to be.

If you have not read Nick's book Once a Marine, I respectfully suggest you do so. It will change the way you look at the world and your own life. I guarantee it or I will refund your money.

And if you want to throw a few bucks Nick's way, help him out by clicking here.

--tps

Media Makes Fun of Wounds suffered by Marine Nick "Gunny Pop" Popaditch

2010-07-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

The Imperial Valley Press (El Centro, California), which operates in the 51st Congressional District in California (right on the Mexican border, including part of San Diego), ran the cartoon reproduced here. Uncle Fester? A bald pirate? Drawing and than publishing an editorial cartoon like this is not only beyond contempt and sickening, but it screams out that someone thinks that Nick's campaign is serious, and that he might well derail the reelection of Bob Filner. Nick is the first real challenger Filner has ever faced.

CLICK HERE for a full article on Nick and the cartoon. Feel free to pass it along, and post on your own blog and/or tweet it.

Nick is also the author of Once a Marine: An Iraq War Tank Commander's Inspirational Memoir of Combat, Courage, and Recovery (Savas Beatie, 2008), and the recipient of the Silver Star.

Regardless of your politics, we believe that making fun of veterans who were critically wounded in the service of OUR country, is just wrong.

Arguing ideas and policy is one thing; making fun of the someone's loss of his eyes (yes, Nick lost one completely and 92% of the vision in his remaining eye and he is essentially deaf in his right ear after being hit in the head with a rocket after 36 hours of continuous combat in Fallujah), is simply despicable and demands a retraction.

Please let the The Imperial Valley Press know that you think the same thing.

Editor Brad Jennings: 760-337-3425

CLICK HERE TO EMAIL THE EDITOR

or copy and paste this address: editor@ivpressonline.com

BOB FILNER--WHERE ARE YOU?

We also call upon Bob Filner (D), who sits on the Veterans' Affairs Committee (which includes medical treatment), should immediately demand that that The Imperial Valley Press issue a public retraction and apology to Gunny Pop.

Contact Bob Filner here and let him know:

California Offices:
333 F Street, Suite A
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Phone: (619) 422-5963
Fax: (619) 422-7290

1101 Airport Road, Suite D

Imperial, CA 92251
Phone: (760) 355-8800
Fax: (760) 355-8802

Washington, DC Office:

Bob Filner
2428 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-8045
Fax: (202) 225-9073

--tps

E-Books--What's the Rush? A Contrarian's Take

2010-06-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

This fascinating article appeared in my email a few days ago, and I thought it was worth sharing with readers and publishers alike. Enjoy. --tps

--------

Dear Indies,

As a fellow independent book publisher, I can’t help but wonder why I haven’t been affected one way or another by the current e-book revolution that so many of the articles I’ve read assure me is underway. After considering all the hype I’ve read about, I realized that all the parameters for these e-book discussions are being set by those who have financial interests in servicing those indies who wish to jump into the world of digital book downloads. I’m certain that e-book evolution will become an important factor one day; but to my way of thinking, it isn’t today. Because of this, I wrote a column on the topic that was in this month’s issue of Book Business magazine. For those of you who would like to see a less biased take on the topic, I invite you to read my article below.

THE 500 POUND E-BOOK, by Rudy Shur

In many industries, there is a moment that changes everything. For the horse-drawn carriage manufacturers, it was the invention of the automobile. For the telegraph company, it was the telephone. For the music industry, it was mp3 downloads. And for book publishers, it appears to be the e-book—or is it? If I were an outsider looking in at our business, it would seem to me that the e-gorilla has indeed entered the room. All you have to do is read the continuing stream of news stories that deal with the “spectacular” growth of the e-book market—that herald the latest of the Kindle or the introduction of Apple’s iPad—and it would seem that the industry is being turned upside-down. Pity the poor publishers who get left behind clinging to their old-fashioned paper books, because their days are numbered. Or at least that’s what some prognosticators would have you believe.

As someone who has spent more than thirty years in this business, I have a rather different take on the subject. Now granted, if I had been building buggies, I might have considered manufacturing a few of those new-fangled horseless carriages, and if I had owned shares in Western Union, I would have hedged my investment by picking up some AT&T stock. But book publishing is a very different animal, and because of that, I don’t think that our future is as uncertain as many now claim it to be.

Let’s look at the facts. At this time, approximately 3% ($200 million) of total book market revenue ($80 billion) comes from e-book sales. Experts estimate that this number could double over the next two years. Let’s say that in five years, the number triples. This would mean that 18% ($1.2 billion) of market revenue would come from e-book sales, and 82% ($78.8 billion) would still come from books on paper. That certainly would impact our sales, but it would hardly spell the end of the book world as we know it.

To better evaluate the impact of e-books on our industry, it’s important to understand the types of books that are being purchased in electronic form. Strangely, few studies have detailed exactly what books are popular as e-titles. General estimates indicate that e-textbooks represent about 15% of the overall e-market attributing the balance of sales coming from trade titles. But what kinds of trade books are favored by e-book readers? After conducting my own very informal interviews of people who own e-readers, I discovered that almost without exception, e-book readers buy bestsellers. I could not find one person who routinely buys reference or scholarly titles in electronic form. So how does that answer impact the independents?

For argument’s sake, let’s be kind and say that 80% of all trade books sold are bestsellers. The fact is that only twelve publishing companies represent the bulk of all best-selling titles. That leaves a paltry 20% of sales to be divided among the remaining tens of thousands of mid-sized, small, mini, and self-publishers out there. In dollars and sense, that’s not really enough income to sustain a mid-sized house. What that does indicate is the necessity for a major shift in economic strategies for those twelve trade houses. For the rest of us, at least, the pressure is not that great to shift gears immediately. And exactly what do I mean when I refer to shifting gears? I’m talking about independents stampeding to get their electronic book files turned into e-books.

What irks me the most are the dozens of new technology companies and websites that have sprung up to help us poor indies deal with the coming demand for e-books. These folks apparently are the “experts” in the field. After all, they give forums, workshops, and seminars. And they all repeat the same mantra. Convert your books now, before it’s too late. What, you don’t have an e-book program? And you call yourself a publisher? Shame on you, but don’t worry. For a few hundred dollars or a big percentage of your book’s revenue, we will gladly bring you into the Twenty-First century. For me, at least, the answer is, “Thank you, but no thank you.”

Currently, a variety of different electronic platforms are being used by competing e-book readers. This is akin to the video wars that once raged among producers of Betamax, VHS tapes, and laser disk formats. Electronic book technology is moving so rapidly that it’s impossible to know where the dust will settle. And based upon my meager e-book income as described above, I see no major gain to jumping into what appears to be a Wild West show. Personally, I’m also not too keen on giving up 50% of my revenue to have my titles converted into e-books for free. To my way of thinking, that would cheat my authors and hurt my company’s bottom line. For independents, the existing e-business environment clearly gives preference to the converters and e-book distributors. I believe that it is just a matter of time that numerous publishing partners and services will emerge to shift the balance more in our favor. When it does come to pass—and it will—there will be better options to choose from and time enough to make informed decisions.

As I see it, independent publishers are spending too much time worrying about the future impact of e-books, and are spending too much money partnering up with companies that are more hype than substance. We all know that change is coming. By 2025, technology will be providing us with new gadgets to run our businesses and sell our books, and e-books will be a significant part of the book trade pie. But right now, we independents need not worry about missing out on the imaginary wealth that awaits us in the e-book market. What we need to do is keep our eye on producing titles for the 97% that comprises the traditional markets. When the time is right to make the move it e-books, we’ll know it.

So, is there an e-gorilla in the room? Sure, there is. But it’s a lot smaller than you think.

What do Manuscript Submissions and Iron Maiden Have in Common?

2010-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

A very interesting take on this "relationship" from a reader (hat tip to Kevin). Agents and authors, take note. As an acquisitions gatekeeper, I can testify that his observation has substantial merit.

--tps
----------

"It's got a good beat and I think I can dance to it," used to be the American Bandstand review.

But Savas says, "The vast majority of their songs are about historical events--battles, wars, explorations, philosophy, and so forth."

Indelibility becomes Metaphor = TRUTH. With their very first note, Maiden delivers 'Indelibility'.

So must a manuscript.

"It's very well written and thoroughly researched," is American Bandstand's way of thinking.

Maiden doesn't riff through a couple of songs before going where only they can go. Right off, from the first note, they take you to their THERE.

A manuscript must do the same.

"What's INDELIBLE about your proposal?" is THE question to ask.

The answer begins at Word One.

Iron Maiden Concert Review (since several people have asked. . .)

2010-06-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

I have seen Maiden several times, and they are my favorite band, period. The best concert they delivered, in my opinion, was on the 2008 Somewhere Back in Time tour. They were perfect from the first note, the sound was unbelievable, the guitars crisp and clean, and the tempo perfect.

Positives: Great set list, great stage presence, lighting was outstanding, and special effects were very strong.

Negatives: Last night's show at Concord was a mixed bag. It is always great to see Maiden, but from the very first measure the tempo was . . . off. At least half of the songs were played so fast that Dickinson had problems keeping up, and I could see Harris slurring some fast runs intentionally because on a few songs he simply could not play them. Even my brother, a diehard IM fan, leaned over several times and said, 'Jesus, are these guys all on speed tonight?!"

The sound was also iffy at times. For much of the show Dickinson's voice alternated from perfect to not audible at all--completely different from the 2008 tour. Our seats were great, so I can't attribute the muddy sound (it went from crystal clear to muddy in the same song, over and over--very odd) to our seating location. Also at times it was SO LOUD that you could not make out individual instruments--again that is not a Maiden trademark. They are always LOUD, but not a wall of mud ala Aerosmith in the 1980s. This was one of the first concerts I can recall where the opening act (Dream Theater) had better sound than Maiden in terms of balance and instrumental and vocal clarity.

Overall, how can you not love Maiden live? They give it there all on every song, and never let down. They work hard, please hard, and are perhaps the greatest hard rock band to ever grace a stage. Last night was not their best performance, but . . . I am looking forward to seeing them again, where ever I can.

Up the Irons.

Father's Day--IRON MAIDEN TONIGHT IN CONCORD!

2010-06-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, Iron Maiden fans, it is "Up the Irons" night in Concord, CA!! Finally. A dozen hours from now I will be rocking with thousands of others to the greatest, smartest, and most amazing rock band to ever take a stage. Thirty-two years they have been performing, and it is hard to believe some of them are older than me and move around like they are 25. (I suggest reading this entire blog post before going back to hit the links.)

I first saw Maiden in 1982, but then life (and law school, marriage, kids, and a mortgage) got in the way. I saw them on their Somewhere in Time tour (sort of a greatest hits extravaganza) in 2008 in Concord, and tonight it is The Final Frontier tour.

If you are unfamiliar with Maiden, they are an acquired taste, but nothing like most people think. Forget the speed metal pure noise crap so many heavy metal bands these days put out. The vast majority of their songs are about historical events--battles, wars, explorations, philosophy, and so forth.

The guitarists are amazing (and love to play in minor thirds), and their founder and bassist Steve Harris is simply jaw-droppingly good (as a bass player myself, I find it very challenging to come close to repeating what he does.) How six guys can play so tightly, so crisply, every song, song after complex song, is a real mystery. Listen to most bands live and you see immediately what I mean.

One of the Iron Maiden classics is Aces High, about the epic WWII air battle of Britain against Germany in 1940. Click here to see Maiden open with that song, kicking off the 2008 tour in India. It has some great behind the scenes footage as the band prepares to take the stage. They start with Churchill's spine-chilling speech about defending the beaches, etc. I recommend reading the lyrics so you can see how deep the band gets into this. Other great tunes include Alexander the Great, The Trooper (Crimean War), Run to the Hills (about American Indian Wars), and one they will play this tour, Passchendaele, about the terrible WWI battle.

One of my favorite live songs is one absolutely remarkable 13-minute opera-like masterpiece called The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (based upon Steven Taylor Coleridge's magnum opus poem) about a lost ship of souls. Maiden performed it in 2008 (they rarely do it live) and was a stunning spectacle (especially part 2). You can watch it here: Part 1 and Part 2 (at 2.00 minutes in Part 2, when Steve Harris starts the resurrection of the souls on his bass, I always get shivers. It is simply breathtaking to see live.)

They have only released one song from their new album (which won't come out until August) called El Dorado, about the search for the lost city of gold. It is the only song they will play on this leg of the tour from the new album.

The lead singer, Bruce Dickinson, is a commercial airline pilot and flies Maiden's 757 jet. In the picture below, he is in the Space Shuttle simulator at the Houston NASA space center. He got to fly it. One of the lead astronauts and many of the people there are huge Maiden fans, and they invited the band for a private tour. You can read about it here.

I might not be in Monday. . . . OK, I will be in, but I won't be at full throttle. But I am confident Maiden will be tonight.

UP THE IRONS.

--tps

Authors Take Note: Part 2

2010-06-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

Recall that in my last post about "Scott," I emailed him with a few options on how to proceed back on May 10. One of the choices was to shred his manuscript. Of course, I did not get even the courtesy of a reply.

Today, nearly one month later, I received a SASE for the return of his "manuscript." Were the enclosed instructions a carefully composed letter thanking us for our time and trouble?

No.

Did it say I am sorry I can't send you what you need to evaluate the manuscript at this time?

No.

Instead, it was a sheet of blank paper with a hand-scribbled note that read: "Please return the XXX manuscript priority mail. Thank you."

Handwritten. No "Dear Publisher," or "Dear Mr. Savas," or whatever else would suit the occasion. He did not even sign it.

I won't even tell you what I scribbled back across the bottom.

Authors--please do not emulate this person's social skills when asking to have sometime take hours and evaluate your work.

--tps

Authors Take Note: Yet Another "How Not to Get Published" Story

2010-06-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

An author (let's call him Scott--not his real name) sent a query to us through the proper channels about a Civil War manuscript he had been working on for quite some time. I won't mention the subject, but let's say it is on a topic long overdue. He claimed to have conducted extensive firsthand archival research from coast to coast, and that his work was, he hoped, as definitive as possible.

Realizing the topic had not been covered for decades, and that Scott's work would fill a giant void in the literature, I promptly replied and asked to see his manuscript. Truly, I was excited to read this one.

Scott thanked me for the quick reply and asked if I wanted a hard copy or digital. I asked for the former.

One month passed without a word or a manuscript.

I emailed and asked the status of the manuscript, always of course using "Dear Scott" and all proper etiquette as is appropriate in formal business communications.

His reply, without a salutation or a signature, read simply: "I've been really busy. Thanks for the continued interest. I will send it to you on Friday. Thanks again."

OK, I thought, a bit casual (it has long bugged me when people don't use a name or sign an email), and a month had passed, but this manuscript sounds worth it. Now . . . I know what you are thinking. No salutation or signature? Big deal! So what!

Well . . . having been around the block a few times, I can spot the tiny red flags in the distance that tend to signify small issues that invariably usher in larger ones. Seriously. At this stage of a business relationship, it signals a type of a personality that can be . . . challenging. At least, that has been my experience.

I sent back a slightly more casual reply to put him at ease (though always with a signature) that he should not sweat typos, and that we are simply reviewing the manuscript in a more general sense.

Five days later, this arrived (same format): "Manuscript in mail. Look for it Wednesday."

Again, too flippant and off-the-cuff for my tastes at this stage of the relationship, but . . . a good manuscript would make up for that. And, I tried to convince myself, I was reading too much into a couple emails. Still, something did not feel right. Somehow this was not going to end well.

The manuscript arrived. Suffice it to say I was shocked when I withdrew it from the envelope and found it rather . . . thin. What he had been touting as the Second Coming should have been several hundred pages. It was but a fraction of that. I glanced through it with grave disappointment, read a few pages here and there, and then checked the notes--or tried to. There were none. Nor was there a bibliography. Nor was the manuscript the full study (as best I could tell). And worse still, it was a polemic, not a balanced treatment of any kind.

So after all that, I spent my time reviewing a partial "I am going to set the record straight" manuscript with no documentation. Worse, much of what I did read was wince-worthy. I sighed, clicked open email, and replied by explaining that no publisher can evaluate a partial work in this field without seeing the notes and bibliography, and he did not advise us that he would be withholding them.

Instead of an apologetic reply and an offer to submit what he had, he shot back a rather terse (unfortunately I accidentally deleted it) answer that he was not willing to share his research in fear it would "get out," or words to that effect. He then asked where his physical copy was located.

Again, I took the time to try and help explain to him how this process works, and offered him a choice on how to move forward. My reply:

Dear Scott,

It is sitting on my desk and not going anywhere.

We don't evaluate manuscripts piecemeal, David. You have an outstanding opportunity to produce the book on Rosecrans that deserves to be written, but if you make it a polemic, the original research you performed for so long will be lost the negative reviews you will receive about forming an idea and then crafting a book to support your thesis.

At this point we can:

1) review your entire work;

2) Shred what you sent us;

3) You may forward a SASE and we will return it to you.

That was May 10. I have yet to receive a response. On June 10, the manuscript will go into the shredder.

--------------

Author Lessons:

Use the name of the person you are addressing in any and all correspondence--especially when you don't know them, and don't have a contract!
Don't waste an editor's time by promising or implying to send one thing, and then playing it cute and sending something else altogether different. This burned a few valuable hours of my work day, and I don't look upon that very kindly.
Finally, reply to all emails/correspondence politely, timely, and thankfully. The historical publishing world is a much smaller community than most people outside the industry understand or appreciate. If this author submits this work elsewhere, I will almost certainly hear about it or be asked about it--or even be asked to review it (I do that on occasion).

--tps

Another OT: Childhood Memories. What are Yours?

2010-05-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Six years or so ago I wrote a regular column for a local paper. One of them got a lot of interest, and I still get requests for copies. Since summer is nearly upon us, I thought I would reprint it below, and ask you for your recollections of how life has changed for kids. You can decide whether it is better . . . or not.

When We Were Free to be Kids

    My son asked an interesting question during the endless summer that ended this week: “Papa, when you were a kid, what did you do in the summer?”
How do you tell a 7-year-old who has almost everything that it was better way back when without almost anything? That we perfected the art of doing nothing for days on end—and loved every hour?
    How do you explain we enjoyed ourselves without Gameboys, Playstations, computers, TVs in cars, and portable cd-players? How journeys of exploration and adventure did not include a hand-held device on a sofa? That off-limit swimming holes were better than swimming pools in the backyards of homes we would have considered mansions available only in our dreams?
    Can he possibly comprehend that when we left the house at 7:00 a.m. in cutoffs and a T-shirt, mom never asked where we were going? That catching pond frogs and building tree houses with rope swings was better than having 471 TV channels? That staying out all day and doing whatever we wanted was (gasp!) normal?
That our summons home was the street lights popping on and not a call on a cell phone?
    Would he believe that we hoofed around town or rode our bikes (spray painted cool neon colors) with friends seated between the handle bars, holding on for dear life while trying to keep their toes out of the spokes as we flew down Virginia hill? Or that those same spokes made the coolest Atat-tat-tat” sound if you attached a playing card with a clothespin? That no one had heard of a bicycle helmet, and that we would not have been caught dead in one anyway?
    That digging for night crawlers so we could fish in a muddy creek for bullhead with a bamboo pole and a red and white bobber (with your brother yelling at you for tangling his line) beat the pants off sitting in an air-conditioned house playing Nintendo?
    Can you imagine the damage I might inflict on the psyche of a modern-day El Dorado Hills child if I told him our idea of pure drinking water was letting a garden hose in a stranger’s backyard run for several seconds before taking a warm sip? Or that “organic food” was eating Mr. Weydert’s corn raw off the cob before washing it down with milk straight from a cow’s utter?
    That nothing was more fun than a roundtrip sneak attack on Mr. Bogart=s apple tree, hiding amongst his leafy branches happily munching green apples while stuffing another half dozen in our pockets and planning our getaway? That spine-tingling terror could be had by crawling on our hands and knees into old lady Taylor’s backyard (we thought she was a witch), pushing aside a large piece of slate hiding a well, dropping in a rock, and being brave enough to stay put long enough to hear the splash?
    Today, kids can’t play in their own front yard without adult supervision. We played king of the hill on the large dirt and rock piles left in someone’s driveway blocks away. When we got hurt, we went home for a band aid and iodine (and a good and well-deserved old fashioned belt-to-bottom spanking) instead of to the lawyer’s office with dad to sue the homeowner.
    Can today’s children conceive that we waged war from behind stacked up Culligan salt pellet bags with REAL WWII rifles our dads brought home from Europe or the Pacific, decked out in authentic German and American helmets and canteens—and it was more fun than playing Age of Empires or Call of Duty on a PC over the Internet with a stranger? Would they believe that every 9-year-old had a BB gun, every 12-year-old a .22 or 12-gauge, and responsible use was shooting cans off a fence or an egg-stealing blackbird—but never a robin?
    Would he appreciate that sleepovers meant Jiffypop popcorn on the stove (burned black), kick the can in the backyard and, if you were lucky, a scoop of vanilla ice cream with Hershey’s syrup? Or that bed time meant squeezing into the hot top bunk with your buddy (no one had air conditioning) while his two brothers crammed into the bottom bunk?
    How could I explain all this in a way that made sense?
    “Long ago,” I began . . .
    “You mean back in the olden days?” my son interrupted.
    "Yes, way back when,” I smiled.
    “When what?” he asked.
    My smile melted away and I sighed heavily. “When we were free to be kids.”

OT: My New Favorite Slew of Songs (Slash's New Effort)

2010-05-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me know I enjoy good heavy rock, with Iron Maiden at the top of that list (I will see them again June 20 at the Concord Pavilion with my son and brother and his son).

A musician I never fully appreciated is Saul Hudson (i.e., Slash), the former guitarist for Guns N Roses. His former band Velvet Revolver did some good work, but his new solo effort is outstanding, with each song featuring a different lead singer. (Hat tip to my brother Ants, who has been pummeling me with Slash's music for a few years now.) Some of Slash's new songs are hard rock, some blues, some instrumental. Here are three very different songs. Listen to each one twice (click the title to get to Youtube), and you will be hooked.

1) Starlight (featuring Myles Kennedy--best singer on this collection; his range during the chorus is amazing. Myles was selected as lead vocalist for Slash's tour this year.)

2) I Hold On (featuring Kid Rock, who sounds a lot like Rod Stewart here.)

3) Beautiful Dangerous (featuring Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas--a band I cannot stand and would not see if they paid me to attend; didn't know she could actually sing. She can perform this sort of soulful rock at this level, and chooses to stand a look like a fool with BEP?)

A prior Slash musical act, Snakepit, produced some outstanding music as well. Here are two songs:

1) Serial Killer (listen carefully to the words, and the guitar solo--hauntingly good . . .)

2) Landslide (takes a few earfuls, but it catches on.)

Enjoy

tps

Advice for Authors: Persistence

2010-05-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

In today's installment of Media Beat, bestselling novelist and attorney Scott Turow recalled his early days as a struggling novelist before he published Presumed Innocent. He revisited those characters in his newest novel, Innocent.

He recalled his early failures as a novelist: "Presumed Innocent was written over a six to seven year period with intervals in between where I was figuring out the end of the book and writing other stuff ... My life as a writer was carried on against the odds. I had written four unpublished novels by then ... as a writer of fiction I hadn't gotten very far. I just wanted to do it. It was my dream as a kid to be a novelist and I wanted to carry on with it. And I did. The truth of the matter is that the people who succeed in the arts most often are the people who get up again after getting knocked down. Persistence is critical."

Indeed. It is in all walks of life.

--tps
(hat tip to Kevin A)

"Schooled" by Another Clueless "Aurthor"

2010-04-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted on this subject for a while because I have not experienced any real odd balls recently in this department. Is there a full moon out there?

John Smith (not his real name) submitted a manuscript proposal via our website, and followed most of the instructions as set forth.

The idea was not at all what we are looking for, and I rejected it--kindly, of course, with some additional information that might help him publish it elsewhere. That is what I always do. I try to help authors (and everyone, frankly) as best as I am able.

He shot back an email: "Mr. Savas, are you kidding? You are turning down a project like this? Maybe you were replying to someone else, and this is a mistake. Please check your records and get back to me!!!"

I made it clear in a return email I was rejecting his manuscript and wished him well.

He called. I thought the name sounded familiar and I took the call. (I need a better memory.) Below is what transpired, to the best of my ability to reconstruct it.

JS: This is Savas? You rejected me yesterday? I sent the manuscript about XXX."

TPS (inaudible groan): Yes, it's me, and your submission does not offer us what we are seeking. I sent quite a long email with other suggestions. I suggest---

JS: Do you realize what a magnificent opportunity you are turning down?

TPS: I suggest you read my email, and see if there is--

JS: Do you have the manuscript proposal there in front of you? Let's go through it together! I think you are making a big mistake!

TPS: . . . and see if there is anything that can help you, Mr. Smith. I am afraid I don't have the time to continue talking about this, but I ---

JS: And I have heard you guys are author-friendly! What a joke. Fine, I will take it elsewhere and you will be sorry when it wins about 10 awards!

TPS: ...but I hope my email provides you with some assistance. . .

[slammed phone]

(Sigh)

--tps

And In the OOPS department . . .

2010-04-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

Some 7,000 copies of an Australian cookbook were destroyed because of, well, you read it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36621678/ns/world_news/?gt1=43001

--tps

Recent Poll Not Even Close . . .

2010-04-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have seen or own The Complete Gettysburg Guidebook, by J. D. Petruzzi and Steven Stanley, you know this volume is very special. (Check out the reviews on Amazon--thirty-two 5-star reviews out of thirty-two) and see more on the book here.

Since there are more volumes in the works, we have been discussing what campaign deserves similar treatment. I posted this question last week on this blog: What is the next "Complete Guide" battle or campaign history in the Eastern Theater you would like?

Here were the results:

Maryland Campaign: 11 (44%)

1862 Valley Campaign: 6 (24%)
1864 Valley Campaign: 4 (16%)
Chancellorsville: 3 (12%)
1863 Cavalry Battles (Aldie, Brandy, etc.): 1 (4%)

Looks like the guys know where they will be spending a lot of time in 2010.

--tps

Another Take on e-Books

2010-04-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Clouds on the horizon? There are so many issues going forward with e-Books we can't even begin to know the future (costs, royalties, digital rights management, copyright issues, pirating, sharing, etc. . . .)

The smooth road forward is not as well paved as many believe.

Read the article here.

Hat tip to Kevin.

--tps

A Reader Response to e-Book Costs (Posted for Your Comments)

2010-04-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

I received this email from a reader, and asked for and received his permission to publish it here for public comment.

Dear Mr. Savas---

I’m a fan of “A Publisher’s Perspective” (particularly when you blog more often than every two weeks). But I’m writing today because I worry that you may have missed the point on your March 29 post, a quick observation on “Print Books and E-Books”.

I certainly acknowledge (given my own experience) that researching and writing a quality non-fiction book is expensive. You know the cost ratios far better than I, but I grant the expense in acquiring that book, developing it, editing it, designing it, marketing it and producing it. “How many publishers can do that for an e-book that retails for the cost of a trade paperback (or less?), you ask. “Not many, I fear,” and I would agree.

But what if the buying public doesn’t care about the services you offer? Or, worse yet, what if buyers are unable to discern the value you and the authors bring to book?

I’m a former sales and operations executive of a nationwide commercial printing company. As manufacturers of fine offset lithography, we produced dot-to-dot color resolution, color matching closer than a human eye could perceive, and scoring that never broke a paper fiber. National companies and their advertising agencies paid a fair, cost-based price for the service we performed.

Starting in the 1990s, however, we began to sniff what I termed a “degradation of expectation.” The color laser printer on the client’s desk was churning out color pages (and doing so in minutes, not weeks). Sure, the blue sky in the digital images wasn’t the CMYK cerulean we could produce on a Heidelberg, but it was blue, wasn’t it? And digital imaging was faster. And available in more convenient quantities. And faster. And able to be personalized.

As the quality gap between digital printing and traditional lithography narrowed, more buyers opted for the cheaper/faster/more flexible alternative, and willingly lowered their quality expectations. You (and every other publisher) did the same thing when you abandoned hand typesetting for the benefits of digital. If you could find an old-school typesetter today, he’d give you an earful about the poor kerning and unattractive baseline positions in your books today. Simply put, you made the (reasonable) choice to sacrifice high(est) quality standards for digital economies and efficiencies.

Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Savas. I’m a lover of quality books, and I’d be sick at heart to think we’d lose the value that a fine publisher like Savas Beatie brings to them. As an author, I love working hard to produce an interesting, accurate, worthwhile story, and I worry that readers may someday be satisfied with retread research and cut-and-paste writing.

But please don’t make the mistake of thinking that the future looks just like the past. You, of all people, should know better.

Cordially,

Rusty Williams
author of My Old Confederate Home: A Respectable Place for Civil War Veterans (University Press of Kentucky, May 2010)

How Hard is it to Sell Large Numbers of a Given Title?

2010-03-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

How hard is it to sell a book?

"To get a sense of the odds, in a random analysis of 1,000 business books released last year, Codex Group, a publishing consultant, found that only 62 sold more than 5,000 copies."

--New York Times, March 30, 2010

Now, which pool is larger, business readers or niche history?

It never ceases to amaze me when an author (almost always a new one), submits his manuscript and then tells me to make sure and print at least 50,000 copies for the first run. I usually smile and attempt to temper expectations. "Remove one of those zeros, Sam, and you might be in the ballpark."

Then again, that reduced number might be twice the number you actually sell.

--tps

Print Books and E-Books (A Quick Observation)

2010-03-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

We hear much these days about how e-books are going to overtake print books and eventually make print books . . . obsolete. Perhaps.

And perhaps not.

A lot depends upon the cost structure, including royalty levels. The issue is thus far built on a foundation of shifting sand and how it plays out remains to be seen. But let's face it: how many successful e-books can you name that are not the outgrowth of a print version? I can't think of many (or any). There might be a few, but if so they were special deals driven by a big name like [fill in the blank]. What about the rest of the author universe?

The point I am inartfully trying to make is that authors still have to research and write (expensive), find a publisher, and publishers still have to evaluate, develop, edit, format/design, market, and produce. As one recent literary agent recently announced, "Welcome to the future. It looks a lot like the past."

How many publishers can do that for an e-book that retails for the cost of a trade paperback (or less?) Not many, I fear.

--tps

Fallujah--The Real HURT LOCKER

2010-03-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

Posted by Richard Lowry, the author of the forthcoming New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah (Savas Beatie, May 2010).

To the cast and crew of “The Hurt Locker,” congratulations and thank you for bringing this powerful message to the American public about an heroic EOD team working in Baghdad. This film provides a microcosm of what it is like to be fighting a 21st Century war in the Middle East. Imagine The Hurt Locker on an epic scale.

I suggest you read the rest here.

New Dawn is a very important book--consider the extensive operation as the Gettysburg of Iraq. I commend it to everyone who wants to experience modern warfare through the eyes of those who have to fight it: door-to-door, house-to-house, and street-to-street. Just reading the manuscript made me anxious, occasionally angry, and always proud.

--tps

Tomorrow's Wars

2010-03-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite historians, Victor Davis Hanson, penned a very interesting (and very long) piece about the cyclical nature of warfare.

Enormous, massively destructive engagements may again be on the horizon.

Have we not seen, then, in our lifetime the end of the Western way of war?”

Two decades ago, I concluded The Western Way of War with that question. Since Western warfare had become so lethal and included the specter of nuclear escalation, I thought it doubtful that two Western states could any longer wage large head-to-head conventional battles. A decade earlier, John Keegan, in his classic The Face of Battle, had similarly suggested that it would be hard for modern European states to engage in infantry slugfests like the Battle of the Somme. “The suspicion grows,” Keegan argued of a new cohort of affluent and leisured European youth—rebellious in spirit and reluctant to give over the good life to mass conscription—“that battle has already abolished itself.”

Click here to read the entire article.

--tps

Edit and Organize BEFORE Submitting Your Manuscript

2010-02-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

I have written about this in a variety of ways, but think it is worthwhile to mention again--especially since I received several emails over the past two weeks seeking my assistance in this regard.

It is very difficult to get published in the traditional fashion these days, and it is not getting any easier. Did you know that the vast majority of manuscripts are turned down without being read or if they are examined, they receive no more than a casual 60-second glance before being tossed aside?

Why?

Because a high percentage of manuscripts are not properly organized and edited BEFORE they land in the hands of agents or acquisition editors who are desperately looking for quality work.

If you have a manuscript on a topic agents and publishers are seeking, you're halfway home. It is at that point when authors make the mistake of submitting what they believe is a solid manuscript for review. Guess what? Acquisition editors and agents see "solid" manuscripts day in and day out. (I sure do and we are a small independent company.)

Agents and editors are not seeking "solid" manuscripts. They are looking for manuscripts that GRAB them and demand that they keep reading. I would guess 95% of the manuscripts floating around out there don't grab anyone.

As a result, decent manuscripts are often--to an editor's eye--poorly organized and/or have too many grammatical issues to encourage someone with little time to continue reading them. They are not crafted to immediately catch someone's attention, first with a cover letter, and then with the main body of work submitted. Make that mistake once, and forget landing a publishing contract with that company.

I routinely consult and provide editing services for authors, agents, publishers, ghost writers, etc. worldwide. Many "good" manuscripts are sent to us for "help," but often only after they have been seen and rejected over and over again. Why burn bridges and then seek help?

Seek help before you submit your work, polish it up, and increase your odds of at least being read. You can't get published unless someone is willing to read your work.

Click here if you need to email me.

--tps

Reader Feedback on e-Book Pricing

2010-02-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

A reader to a different blog commented thusly:

Kelly said (in part): I think you may be missing the biggest price point issue for consumers — the price of the mass market paperback. Publishers need to give readers a reason to pay more for an e-book.

Well worth reading the reply. Click here to do so.

--tps

A Letter from Macmillian re: Amazon

2010-02-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

To: Macmillan Authors and Illustrators

cc: Literary Agents
From: John Sargent

I am sorry I have been silent since Saturday. We have been in constant discussions with Amazon since then. Things have moved far enough that hopefully this is the last time I will be writing to you on this subject.

Over the last few years we have been deeply concerned about the pricing of electronic books. That pricing, combined with the traditional business model we were using, was creating a market that we believe was fundamentally unbalanced. In the last three weeks, from a standing start we have moved to a new business model. We will make less money on the sale of e books, but we will have a stable and rational market. To repeat myself from last Sunday's letter, we will now have a business model that will ensure our intellectual property will be available digitally through many channels, at a price that is both fair to the consumer and that allows those who create and publish it to be fairly compensated.

We have also started discussions with all our other partners in the digital book world. While there is still lots of work to be done, they have all agreed to move to the agency model.

And now on to royalties. Three or four weeks ago, we began discussions with the Author's Guild on their concerns about our new royalty terms. We indicated then that we would be flexible and that we were prepared to move to a higher rate for digital books. In ongoing discussions with our major agents at the beginning of this week, we began informing them of our new terms. The change to an agency model will bring about yet another round of discussion on royalties, and we look forward to solving this next step in the puzzle with you.

A word about Amazon. This has been a very difficult time. Many of you are wondering what has taken so long for Amazon and Macmillan to reach a conclusion. I want to assure you that Amazon has been working very, very hard and always in good faith to find a way forward with us. Though we do not always agree, I remain full of admiration and respect for them. Both of us look forward to being back in business as usual.

And a salute to the bricks and mortar retailers who sell your books in their stores and on their related websites. Their support for you, and us, has been remarkable over the last week. From large chains to small independents, they committed to working harder than ever to help your books find your readers.

Lastly, my deepest thanks to you, our authors and illustrators. Macmillan and Amazon as corporations had our differences that needed to be resolved. You are the ones whose books lost their buy buttons. And yet you have continued to be terrifically supportive of us and of what we are trying to accomplish. It is a great joy to be your publisher.

I cannot tell you when we will resume business as usual with Amazon, and needless to say I can promise nothing on the buy buttons. You can tell by the tone of this letter though that I feel the time is getting near to hand.

All best,

John

HarperCollins Levels its Big Guns Against Amazon

2010-02-03T12:13:00.000-08:00

Another publishing/media giant, Rupert Murdoch (HarperCollins) has weighed in on Amazon's pricing policies. This is in the end good news for everyone, buyers included in the long run. Without a foundational price point that allows widespread survival, there will be precious little left to sell down the road, and what is available will be produced by fewer and fewer publishers.

Read more here.

Amazon Revealed: It Hates You, and it Hates Publishers

2010-02-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

More on the Amazon vs. Macmillan dust-up.

You decide. Click here to read the story.

The Battle Over the Agency Model Begins, As Amazon Pulls Macmillan Buy Buttons

2010-01-30T15:38:00.000-08:00

Fascinating. Good for Macmillan, I like this shot across the bow. Well worth the read.

From Publisher's Lunch:

As originally reported last night and many readers know by now, sometime yesterday evening the buy buttons for apparently all of Macmillan's books--including bestsellers and top releases, and Kindle editions--were removed from Amazon's site. Macmillan books remain listed but can be bought only through third-party Marketplace sellers, while Macmillan Kindle titles all lead to pages that read, "We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site." It is the first shot across the purchasing bow in big publishers' efforts to reset ebook pricing above the loss-leader $9.99 price point and retake control over that pricing by moving from the wholesale selling model to an agency selling model (first reported exclusively in Lunch Deluxe on January 19), at least for ebooks published simultaneously with new hardcover releases. Kindle customers further reported on Amazon forums that any Macmillan books that were on their "wish lists" disappeared from those lists with no explanation, as apparently did Macmillan sample chapters that had been downloaded previously.

Macmillan has commented by way of a paid message to authors, illustrators and agents, reproduced below this story. Amazon has declined to comment thus far, either to the media or directly to their customers.

Among the books subject to the greatest potential short-term effect of Amazon's buy-button removal is Andrew Young's just-released THE POLITICIAN, which curiously still ranks at No. 9 on Amazon's bestseller list (and has been between No. 4 and No. 6 today at Barnes and Noble.com). Hilary Mantel's WOLF HALL was at 69 on Amazon last night, falling steadily today and now at No. 128. Atul Gawande's THE CHECKLIST MANIFESTO: How to Get Things Right was at 34 last night on Amazon, now at No. 66,--and has risen from 112 up to 86 at BN.com in the same time period. (These numbers change slightly every hour we've been checking them.)

We were able to reach a couple of agents for some of Macmillan's current bestselling authors. Co-head of the William Morris Endeavor books department Eric Simonoff, whose clients include Douglas Preston (author of the January Tor release Impact), told us: "The current model of Amazon selling Kindle editions as a loss-leader is fair for publishers and authors in the short-term but as we have told Amazon we don't believe it is sustainable in the long term. Something had to give to prevent the ongoing devaluation of e-books. Macmillan is the first to draw a line in the sand but we expect not the last."

Tina Bennett at Janklow & Nesbit, agent for Atul Gawande's new bestseller, comments: "This development is very unfortunate for my author, but it's also troubling for public health. The checklist approach that Gawande describes in his book is a major life-saving advance. It has been demonstrated to reduce harm to surgical patients by more than a third, but has yet to be widely adopted in US hospitals. To make THE CHECKLIST MANIFESTO unavailable for sale is the equivalent of blocking the distribution of a book announcing the discovery of penicillin."

Agent Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group offered this view: "The agents I know feel the $9.99 price for new releases is not good for the business. They want the publishers to work with all the retailers in a peaceful manner. I don't think it is in any book retailer's interest both short and long term not to do business with companies like Macmillan and at the same time Macmillan needs Amazon. What will Amazon do if S&S moves in this direction or Hachette? If consumers can't get the books they want from Amazon they will move to other retail sites for what they want."

One senior publishing executive called the move by Amazon "fairly draconian" but added that their company had not received any threats of similar action from Amazon. As we've said before--though consumers have not yet gotten the message--the agency model that publishers are trying to implement with Apple and across their customer base actually lowers the publishers' proceeds from each ebook sale and gives more profit to sellers versus the current loss-leading model behind the $9.99 price point.

Another senior publishing executive said that "Amazon may 'spin' that the consumer is at the heart of the decision, but really their goal is a monopoly position in books. Publishers don't want a monopoly - they want consumers to have choice through a number of partners and channels. They want digital pricing which allows bricks and mortar retailers to survive and thrive alongside a growing digital market." That person added, "This reaction proves what Amazon's true motives are. It is a signal to any other publishers not to change the model and weaken Amazon's pathway to a monopoly. I hope authors, agents and publishers see what these motives are and stand by Macmillan."

Among remarks from Macmillan authors posting online, perhaps one of the most curious came from Sherrilyn Kenyon, who posted to Facebook and then later in the day removed her entry, which read in part: "All of you asking why you can't find my books on Amazon Kindle? It seems that Amazon is the one to blame. They are in a disagreement with my publisher and to prove a point, they have removed Macmillan books from their Kindles.

"You know, as a Kindle owner, I have problems with this. They're not cheap and I bought it so that I could download the books I wanted to read. I don't like a store taking something from me like this without warning. It's just like when Amazon removed books from my Kindle that I'd paid for because they didn't have permission to sell them."

In comments over at John Scalzi's blog, bestselling Simon & Schuster author Scott Westerfeld writes, "The real power we authors have is removing links to Amazon from our websites and such.... Random blackouts do not make customers happy."

Amazon's own forums have been quite busy with postings today, with customers expressing a wide range of everything from support to dismay with the etailer's move. The most damaging aspect of their action in the short-term may be the removal of Kindle "wish lists" and sample chapters. For some posters that action has echoes of the incident last summer when Amazon deleted copies of certain books from Kindle owner's libraries, in violation of the site's own terms of use. As one person writes, "we do feel vulnerable, even if Amazon is right to fight. Wishlists disappeared, with no backup of what the titles were. Sample books we chose to download lead to links that say Error. It reminds us that we do not have control over the situation, even if we backup, since what is offered today may not be available tomorrow." (Amazon apologized for that earlier incident, provided refunds to customers, and eventually settled a customer lawsuit.)

While many customers support Amazon's efforts to provide low prices, one "open letter" suggests that the company let customers decide for themselves what is the right price. "Here's a thought Jeff: You list them and I will decide if I want to buy them or not. How's that sound? I agree with you they should not cost more than $10, but I can enforce that with my pocketbook. I don't need you to make a big hairy freakin deal out of it on my behalf and I certainly don't need you to limit my choices based on this principle."

And now . . . Barnes and Noble?

2010-01-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Barnes & Noble (BKS), the largest book store company in the US, recently disclosed that sales from November 1, 2009 to January 2, 2010 were down 5% to $1.1 billion. Same-store sales were off 5.1%. BKS is up against a rapid increase in book sales over the internet which is dominated by Amazon (AMZN) and includes large retailers such as Wal-Mart (WMT). The rise of the e-reader and e-books is also in the process of undermining “bricks-and- mortar” book buying traffic. BKS peer Borders (BGP) recently closed 200 of its Waldenbooks outlets and fired 1,500 people. Barnes & Noble has 775 outlets and 636 college bookstore. BKS will have to push online sales, marketing of it Nook e-reader, and close at least 100 stores.

Read more here.
. . . Which explains why (most) Savas Beatie authors understand when we tell them, if you really want to sell niche history books and expect a royalty check larger than $100.00, you better be active, aggressive, involved in social networking, etc. . . .

--tps

Outlook for Waldenbooks / Borders is Bleak

2010-01-25T13:56:00.000-08:00

Waldenbooks/Borders

2009 Store closures: 110 (Q4 2008 to Q3 2009)

Outook: Amazon.com continues to wreak havoc on traditional booksellers. The Borders unit says it will close an estimated 200 stores during the three months ending January 31, for a total of roughly 300 Waldenbooks stores over the past 13 months, close to 70 percent of all outlets. Retail analysts at Davidowitz & Associates give Borders Group, plagued with losses three years running, a 50-50 chance of survival.

Had 'Em, Let 'Em Up.

2010-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

Well, with five turnovers it is tough to win, and yet we took the game to overtime. And could have won it in regulation several times. Did not close the deal, so . . . they go to Miami and the Vikings (5 NFC Championship games in a row for them over 35 years) . . . go home.

I am getting used to this.

tps

Pants on the Ground! Who Dat! Saints? That Be the Norsemen Coming to Town

2010-01-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

What a victory Sunday. I was worried about the Cowboys, but the Vikes showed up and dismantled "America's Team." And then they whined about an extra touchdown near the end of the game. Whaaaa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNMzWKn3OCE

Pants on the ground, baby.

-- tps

Writers are in the "No" Game. Good Advice From the Sporting World

2010-01-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

Take it to heart. (Hat tip to Kevin)

------------------

By Jason Boog on Jan 07, 2010 02:23 PM

As the NFL playoffs loom this weekend, sports writers around the country are dusting off metaphors and polishing their action verbs.

Today's guest on the Morning Media Menu was Matthew Shepatin, the sportswriter and author of the new book, "Madden Said to Summerall...The Best NFL Stories Ever Told." We discussed sportswriting, upcoming football games, and the stories behind the NFL playoff games this weekend.

Here is Shepatin's advice for aspiring sports book writers:

"I encourage anyone to get into sports writing and the publishing world. It's one of the things I hated when I was younger. People would tell me, 'You know what your chances are?' No matter what you pick in life, it's tough. So why not pick something you love? ... It takes a lot of patience and determination. Just like a football player. If it's a passion of yours, don't be discouraged by what other people tell you."

Barnes & Noble Holiday Sales Down 5.4% Over 2008

2010-01-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

More bad news. Stores now order fewer books, don't even put all of them out for sale, AND return them early for credit. And sales are down. Again. Significantly. When I go into our local chain store and see how poorly trained the staff members are, how uncaring they appear, how little they really seem to want to sell books, it drives me to distraction. If I ran the store, sales would explode. I guarantee it. Note where their sales improved.

Read on:

The nine-week holiday selling period at Barnes & Noble was another rough one, with same-store sales down 5.4 percent at $1.1 billion (and bear in mind that the comps a year ago were down 7 percent from 2007). Sales at BN.com rose 17 percent however, at $134 million, in large part because of nook revenues recognized in that period. (BN.com had sales of $114 million in the same period a year ago. When the company reported second quarter earnings in late November, BN.com was up 9 percent for the period. So figure that recognized nook revenues are roughly between $10 million and $20 million."

Holiday sales were "lower than expected," and the company lowered their guidance on earnings for the full quarter from $1.30 to $1.50 a share down to $1.20 to $1.40 a share. BN already reduced full-year earnings guidance in November based on holiday doldrums and extra costs of ramping up the nook.

CEO Steve Riggio indicates in a brief statement it will take them another few months to catch up with nook demand: "Orders for nook remained strong throughout the holiday season, and, in fact, accelerated after we announced that we had sold out our initial supply. Demand remains strong in the New Year and greater than our supply, however, we expect production to catch-up with demand and be fully stocked in our stores in the next few months."

And books?

--tps

Happy New Year. 2010 Should be . . . Interesting

2010-01-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

I hope your Christmas was good and that the turn of the calendar passed smoothly, happily, and healthily for you and yours.

2009 is now in the books (no pun intended--well, maybe a small one), and 2010 is upon us. Thankfully, we escaped the devastation suffered by so many publishers in 2009, although the last month of the third quarter and the first month of the last quarter witnessed dramatically higher trade book returns--something Savas Beatie has largely avoided throughout our history.

Happily, our marketing department's efforts paid dividends in 2009 by opening new sales outlets and increasing specialty sales. Sarah, Veronica, Kim, and Tammy also worked closely with our hardworking authors and opened many new opportunities for them. The result was significantly increased media exposure (ABC Nightly News, Fox News, CNN, and major syndicated radio talk shows) and increased opportunities for personal author sales. These author efforts, in turn, help drive people into the bookstores.

As we have been preaching year in and year out, author efforts translate into increased trade sales and reduced returns. In nearly 100% of the time, a book that experiences heavy returns does not have an author working Facebook, Twitter, on the speaking circuit, etc. In one case this year a very popular author suffered staggering returns in a single month, and the author is hardworking and does everything right. As it turned out, the books were returned in cases unopened as a means of paying down debt owed to the distributor, and all the returns were resold into the trade in orders received over the next sixty days. Since publishers carry the paper for these books (publishers do not get paid for four months after the month of sale), the returns are at the least very frustrating for both authors and publishers alike. They in payment directly affects the bottom line of any royalty statement.

Our 2010 Spring line-up (which will be set forth in a coming post) includes a wide assortment of titles and authors. We are very excited about each one look forward to presenting them to you.

In my next post, I am going to answer a question sent to me by a reader about changes in the book trade over the past decade or so, and how this affects our authors.

Many thanks for your support and all of us wish you well in 2010 and beyond.

--tps

Results of Recent Poll

2009-12-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

Here was the question:

Which Savas Beatie Civil War battle-related title is the most original and influential?

I asked it because I received recently two messages, one via phone and the other on email about two different books (both listed in this poll) and how "influential" and "original" each book was for the reader. Of course, that got me thinking . . .

Here were the four books I selected, and how people voted:

Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862, by Cunningham (edited by Joiner-Smith): 7 (31%)

Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg, by Wittenberg-Petruzzi: 6 (27%)

The Maps of Gettysburg, by Brad Gottfried: 3 (13%)

Those Damned Blackhats: The Iron Brigade at Gettysburg, by Lance Herdegen: 6 (27%)

Shiloh, which was behind for the entire poll, won on the last vote cast. The manuscript, written as a Ph.D. dissertation 45 years ago, was decades ahead of modern interpretation of the battle. It was Main Selection of the History Book Club and the Military Book Club and 2.5 years later is still selling strongly there. Although we are out of the hardcover, you can now get it in paperback. I commend it--and all these books--to you.

Crafting books that are both "influential" and "original" has been my intent since forming Savas Beatie. The last thing I wanted to do was spend my time putting our books that add nothing of substance to the ongoing study of the Civil War. It is not an easy task, and we are all appreciative of the enthusiastic support readers have shown for our books.

And in case you do not get our monthly e-letter, our Christmas special this year includes FREE PRIORITY SHIPPING for any book purchased through our website. Just use the coupon code: freepriority.

--tps

Merry Christmas from . . . All of Us

2009-12-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

Sarah, Veronica, Kim, Alex, and Ted.

Click here to see what our traditional office party looks like.

Yes, I am in that sort of mood.

-tps

Dust Jackets: The Inside Back Flap

2009-11-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

I am heartened by the response these posts about dust jacket have generated, not just with comments but by phone calls and emails. I was unsure this series would be received well. Thank you.

The back inside flap is important in a way the front and back covers and spine are not. While the former are all readily visible (one way or the other), the back flap is never seen unless and until a potential reader opens the book. In other words, the other exterior elements have done their job and the book has been cracked open.

[RIGHT: Inside back flap of Confessions of a Military Wife, by Mollie Gross.]

Oddly, some publishers leave the back flap completely blank (!) or consider it little more than a spill-zone--an area that allows for text on the front flap to spill over onto the back. This is very short-sighted.

We generally use the back flap, from top to bottom, this way:

1. Description Carry-over: Text about the book is continued here.

2. Author biography: We explain to the reading world who the author is, and why she is qualified to write the book;

3. Promotion: We use the remaining space to promote other books by this author, or other related titles we have published that will also be of interest to the reader.

4. Company and Illustration Info: Here we place our logo, company contact info, jacket credits, and design credits.

AUTHOR LESSON: Make sure you bio is tightly written and includes suitable credentials to establish your expertise.

PUBLISHER LESSON: You are going to pay for this space anyway, so you might as well use it to advantage.

--tps

Dust Jackets: Spines--More Important Than You Think

2009-11-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

Most publishers treat spines as the ugly stepchild of jacket design. It's the smallest part of the jacket and thus the easiest to ignore. All a spine needs is the title running along it, the publisher's name/logo on the bottom, and the author's name on top.

Right? Well . . . not so fast.

Think of it this way. How many books in a bookstore are face out? One percent? Two percent? In most cases, Publishers/distributors PAY to place these books face out. (Didn't know that? Another post I need to write.) Whatever the number, it is a very small one.

[Pictured on the right is the spine of Sickles at Gettysburg, by James Hessler. Click to enlarge.]

The vast majority of books are shelved spine out. When a customer walks through a store and is faced with hundreds or even thousands of books and the only thing he sees is a spine . . . that ugly little stepchild suddenly takes on an entirely new meaning, doesn't it?

We strive to add a little spice to our spines. We do so with a mixture of color, font style, and arrangement of components. Can you read the title from six feet away? Can you tell what the book is about? These are important questions we consider when designing the spine.

But there is a more important (and usually ignored) aspect to spine design you should think about. When we use a set piece graphic on the front cover (a painting or photo, for example), our designers often place it on the spine (assuming there is room width-wise). This little touch of class not only looks nice, but it jumps out at a potential reader because it is so different than most of the spines around it.

AUTHOR LESSON: If your publisher asks for your advice on cover design, suggest that the spine be paid a wee bit more attention. Adorning it with a photo or painting that mimics, as far as possible, the front cover is often all it takes to stand out in a crowd.

--tps

Dust Jackets: The Flap Text

2009-10-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

In my estimation, dust jacket flap copy ranks right up there with a great cover design as a key marketing component for a book. Potential readers have to see and want to pick up the book first, but once they get to that point, it is usually the flap copy that convinces them to buy it.

So . . . what exactly is flap copy? Flap copy is the text that appears on the inside flap(s) of the dust jacket wrapped around a book. Its sole purpose is to inform the reader what the book is about--beyond what is obvious from the front cover--and in doing so, "hook" the potential reader in a persuasive way.

[Right: Once a Marine inside front flap.]

Think of it this way. When you (as in you, personally) open a book to glance through the flap copy, you are thinking the same basic things everyone else is: Will I enjoy reading this book? What is different or special about this book that sets it apart from another book on the same topic? Do I want to own this?

A potential author asked me recently how flap copy is created, i.e., do we write it, does the author write it, or does an outside agency / editor write it?

At Savas Beatie, we almost always ask our authors to pen a first cut on the flap copy, and provide them with some basic points to cover within a certain length. Very few come back in usable form. (I always find it odd how hard authors find it to write flap copy.)

Invariably, authors ignore much of what we ask from them and instead tell readers their book is the greatest piece of literature ever written on "XYZ" topic (a PR conclusion that means little or nothing to a potential buyer and usually puts them off), while forgetting to tell them what about the book is special, different, unique, etc. Communicate that to the reader, and he will reach the right conclusion about whether the book is worth reading. Still, in most cases the return work product nearly always contain the rough gems we need to polish the text stones to perfection.

When we finish our first round of edits, we return it to the author for review and comment. We want, nay, DEMAND their feedback, corrections, and further suggestions. As those of you who have worked with us know, we strive to reach complete or (at worst) substantial agreement on every aspect of the final book.

AUTHOR LESSON: Flap copy is the second most important marketing tool for your book, so you better know what the publisher is putting there.

Many publishers do not even ask authors for input. Instead, they pass the dust jacket writing assignment to some editor to craft a couple hundred words and slap them on the flaps. If you are not publishing with Savas Beatie, make sure your publisher offers you the same courtesy we extend to our author/clients.

In fact, demand it.

--tps

Dust Jackets: Front Cover Design

2009-10-21T08:51:00.001-07:00

This will be the first of four posts about dust jackets, based upon a poll I did last week when I posed this question:

"What element of the dust jacket is the most important to you in making a buying decision?"

There were 44 responses. Here is how they broke down:

The front cover design: 10 (25%)

The flap text information: 17 (42%)

The endorsements: 3 (7%)

I never make a purchasing decision based upon a dust jacket: 14 (35%)

Long before I was in publishing I was a lover of dust jackets, but I was not nearly as critical of the design as I am now. This is largely true because I didn't fully appreciate the importance of the various elements and how, taken together, they advertise, communicate, educate, and ultimately sell a book.

FRONT COVER DESIGN

From my perspective, this is the most important element. A design has to do most of the things mentioned above (advertise, communicate, and educate) within about five seconds. If it takes longer than that to convince potential buyers to pick it up, they usually won't. If they do, and then like it, read more, flip through the book, etc. and ultimately buy it, then the front cover design was the gateway hook that achieved that end. (This is important primarily in the general book trade. The digital age and sales on line make this a tad less important.)

I like to visualize covers even before a manuscript is complete. With the genre locked down (Civil War, Revolution, Current Events, etc.) I like to get a full understanding of the feel, pacing, substance, and depth of the writing itself. Once I do, then I know which designer gets the book.

Primarily, we use two jacket designers with very different styles and approaches. I would like to introduce these two graphic designers to you.

Ian Hughes of Mousemat Design Limited lives in London, England. Ian does a wide variety of covers for a number of publishers, most of whom live in the UK. You can see Ians's outstanding work here: www.mousematdesign.com. We usually use Ian for our 19th-century book covers. For example, he designed our covers for the Savas Beatie Military Atlas Series, Saratoga, Sickles, Shiloh, etc.

Our second designer is Jim Zach of Zgrafix. Jim is a graduate of Iowa State University and a graphic designer par excellence. I met Jim when I lived in Iowa for a short time in the late 1990s. His remarkable and original dust jacket designs and interior design work have been turning heads for many years. We like to use Jim for our "modern"-style titles, like our basic training series, Once a Marine, Confessions of a Military Wife, and so forth.

I often hear from other publishers about how expensive good jackets are to produce. My response to them is exactly the opposite: It is too expensive NOT to produce a good jacket.

If you carefully study our jackets, you will see (in most cases, depending upon available artwork) a layered, complex design that creates a striking element that (hopefully) grabs potential readers. (Personally, I also do that for the authors, because authors work hard to produce a great manuscript. If I gave them a fast and inexpensive design job to save a few bucks, I am demeaning their work. I will never do that.)

The next time you get a chance, study a jacket design carefully. Is it just type on an image? Can you set it back six feet and read it, knowing what it is about? Does it grab you? Does it make you want to pick it up and flip through it?

Think about it.

Next installment: The flap text information.

--tps

Ted Savas Radio Interview: All About Publishing

2009-10-15T19:51:00.001-07:00

Many people ask me questions about publishing in general, and Savas Beatie in particular. How do you do this? How do you decide that? Why did you publish so and so? Are you moving into Current Events? What do you think about the Google settlement? The list is long and varied and, unfortunately, the time to answer them is always limited.

Last week, Mike Noirot, webmaster extraordinaire of This Mighty Scourge, was kind enough to want to take the time and trouble to interview me about all things publishing. Certainly I appreciated the offer.

A few days ago, Mike posted 13 radio clips on his site, broken down largely by the topic of discussion. If you want to know more about publishing, book acquisition, working with authors, and everything except the skeletons in our closets, have a listen here.

PHOTO: A shot inside the belly of the beast, from left to right: Sarah Keeney (marketing director), Veronica Kane (account manager), and Nick "Gunny Pop" Popaditch, author of Once a Marine, signing books earlier this year in our office in El Dorado Hills.

Book Jackets: What Do You Do With Them? (Part 1)

2009-10-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

I personally love dust jackets, and if you buy our books, you know Savas Beatie spends a lot of time and money crafting them. We do so for many reasons, and many publishers ignore this step of the publishing process at their peril.

Before we get to those reasons (a different poll, top left, and a different blog post), I asked a completely different question (more for fun than for anything else) in a recent poll.

Question: What do you do with your jackets when you are reading the book?

Here were the responses:

I leave them on when I read and rarely take them off. 18 (58%)

I take them off when I read and put them back on. 11 (35%)

Sometimes I leave them on, sometimes I take them off. 2 (6%)

I take them off when I receive my books, store them separately, and shelve the books without jackets. 0 (0%)

(That last one was a nod toward a friend of mine in Richmond (Paul S.) who strips his books naked and shelves them that way, storing his books separately from the jackets. I don't know, either.)

I did not vote in this poll, but I almost always remove the jacket, keep it in my nightstand, finish the book, re-jacket it, and then shelve it. I can't stand it when I snag the jacket corner or bottom, scuff it, bump it, etc.

Please check out the current poll question (top left) and answer it. That one I will discuss that jacket subject at greater depth.

Be well.

--tps

Poll Question Response

2009-10-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: What Western Campaign Should We Cover in the Next Savas Beatie Military Atlas Series?

Here is how the responses broke down:

Shiloh 5 (26%)

Chattanooga-Knoxville 3 (15%)

Atlanta Campaign 7 (36%)

Kentucky Campaign 4 (21%)

A half-dozen more called or emailed for other reasons, mentioned the poll, that they hadn't yet voted (and then told me how they would vote). I did not include them. And I did not vote, nor did anyone who works here (as far as I know).

I was surprised the result was spread as evenly as it was, but I was not surprised that the Atlanta Campaign triumphed. There has always been much more interest in that campaign than the scholarship reflects. I also believe that Russell Bonds' new and outstanding book War Like the Thunderbolt will increase that interest. (I don't say this about many books, but that is one I wish we had published.)

We will take all this under advisement.

Just to reiterate, here are the first three volumes in this series:

The Maps of Gettysburg, by Bradley Gottfried (text and cartography)

The Maps of First Bull Run, by Bradley Gottfried (text and cartography)

The Maps of Chickamauga, by David Powell (text) and David Friedrichs (cartography)

Dr. Gottfried is currently at work on The Maps of the Maryland Campaign.