Publishing Poll

[labricoleuse]

It's not generally my practice to conduct polls, but i figured that this would be the best place to get relevant feedback regarding a few textbooks i have in the pipeline, which i'll be publishing by 2008. Please forgive my blatant market research, but it's in the interest of putting out the best possible textbook. The first two titles will focus on parasols and straw hats (which, if you have ever researched those topics at all, you know that it's particularly hard to find decent resources that cover them in-depth; i want to change that). I know what I like in a textbook, but i don't know that my preferences are everybody's preferences.

I've made the poll with boxes instead of buttons so you can choose more than one option.

[Poll #1035127]

Comments

[naeelah.livejournal.com]

I always prefer hardcover text books, because paper covers don't last a year, for me. Textbooks should be built to last, and that's not possible when the cover is easily bent and damaged.

In a fashion book, color I think is definitely preferable. I'm not a design student, but black and white can obscure details, it seems.

As a student or professional, I'd probably buy a copy, for the professional binding. As a hobbyist, being able to download it at 5 would be awesome, because it would make the information accessible without having to pay textbook prices. (Although, I think $35 is incredibly reasonable for a textbook.)

[naeelah.livejournal.com]

I meant to clarify -- downloading is great when you aren't using something as stringently, because you can put it in a cheap binder and not worry as much about wear and tear. I would happily pay $10 for a download, but you're right $30 seems a little steep -- unless the printed book is, like $70.

Personally, I don't favor spiral bound books, because the spirals end up getting broken in time (especially when they end up on the bottom of boxes filled with books) and pages inevitably tear out. Also, there's no title printed on the spine.

However, in some cases, they're easiest to work with. If the book will have a lot of practical instruction that you'll need to follow while constructing something, spiral binding is probably better. Especially if it's a book that will need to be propped up on a stand. Spirals lay flat, solid spines never do. Definitely do them with hard covers, though, because paper covers always end up tearing off.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

That is exactly why i am planning to offer the book in more than one format (how many and what formats are the real questions here, i guess)--because i know that what's good for the career costumer isn't necessarily what's good for the hobby costumer. I like the idea that someone forming a professional library could get a durable print copy, but someone wanting to cover a single parasol for a Victorian costume party could choose the PDF instead.

Re the price, bear in mind that $35 is not getting a giant 500-page encyclopedic reference book, but that i'm talking like workbooky-sized technical production manuals.

Thanks for your input!

[naeelah.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I figured it was probably a smaller workbook. I still think $35 is definitely reasonable for a durable, hardcover book with plenty of color illustrations.

[easyalchemy.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on all points.
I'm surprised to see so many people voting for spiral-bound - I understand the whole 'book lies flat' thing, but I find spiral-bound books get wrecked a lot more easily than traditionally-bound books. I don't buy spiral bound.

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

I also really like clear b/w drawings & sometimes prefer that over photos bec. it shows construction better. I'm thinking of the Hunnisett books, which have drawings of several famous historical portraits & you can see all the little details to figure out how the garments were made. And, of course, nothing beats drawings of patterns & some construction techniques.

[naeelah.livejournal.com]

I agree, line drawings are great. It's good to see photos, but they really do show construction better.

[jauncourt.livejournal.com]

I voted for spiral for a print edition because it's more usable in a workshop environment, which is desirable if assignments are given as step-by-step instructions. Also, CLEAR b/w images - well-screened bw/photographs and clear b/w (or even some grayscale) line art/illustration diagrams for the physical edition. It should probably have laminated covers, too... I know I spill things.

As for the PDF/electronic version, I might up the cost to 8 or 10/ea, because, honestly, it is still your work, and the work itself is worth something. Also, the downloadable version should have color photos due to the lack of printing limitations.

I might also, if it were me, offer a color-image appendix to the hardcopy work, available as a download PDF. Just color versions of the photo illos for those who'd like to have both. That might be worth 5-10 for a downloadable supplement.

Edited to make sense (I was interrupted by toddlers)

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is an interesting suggestion i hadn't thought of, the downloadable color-image supplement! (This is why i figured it was a good idea to solicit input--stuff that never would have occurred to me.)

And, i'm with you. If it were entirely up to me, i like my manuals to be spiral-bound, because it's convenient for them to sit open on the table for reference while i use both hands to work. I was so irritated to discover this past spring that the new edition of From The Neck Up, which i was using as one of my textbooks for millinery class, is perfect-bound softcover--my old copy from 15 years ago is spiral-bound.

But, i also know a lot of people who are anal about their personal costume library being hardcover if at all possible, etc.

Thank you for the input on the pricing of PDFs--i have never bought a reference in download form before, but i've seen some in the $30/download range which i thought seemed excessive.

[jauncourt.livejournal.com]

I'm looking at Lulu.com for my stuff that I'm working on (a few patterns for baby things, my doll pattern, my 12th century costume book) and also to host my free pdf downloads. I'm thinking of selling some art prints though them, too, because I'm less than pleased with the options available through Cafepress.

They have a pretty flexible price/fee (http://www.lulu.com/help/index.php?fSymbol=book_pricing) structure, and do on-demand as well as small-run printing and e-books (http://www.lulu.com/help/index.php?fSymbol=download_pricing_ex).

There are others, but this is the one I was best impressed with when I was researching it - It's more an on-demand printer and less a vanity press.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Lulu.com is the service i had already decided to go with!

I've been planning this for quite some time and put together a chapbook sort of deal full of my poetry and short stories--not available for public purchase or anything, but in the interest of doing a test-run, to see what their product was like. I was happy with the quality of the paper and binding and printing that they did on that volume, and i appreciate their business model. (Plus, they are nearly local to me, so it's nice to support my regional economy as well.)

Let me know when your 12th c. costume book comes out. I'll be in line to buy it!

[euphistic19.livejournal.com]

To me it is important that the text book is very usable in the hands on application. I chose the spiral bound for ease in following instructions or a pattern as I am working on a piece (the book can just be open on the table) and I chose the clear black and white pictures over the more expensive color copy book because I am more likely to use a book if I am not worried about it getting damaged in a shop setting. If I have a really expensive book, even if it is a really good resource I am not going to bring it into a shop for fear of it getting damaged. I also find well documented black and white sketches and diagrams more helpful when dealing with the technical elements of an item than trying to deduce certain things from process shots. If on the other hand your textbook plans to delve into period colors and dyes and realized stage shots it would be silly not to have color photos. I also like the suggestion for supplemental color downloads, or even having a website that you get a password for when purchasing a book or something like that - a place that you can always add the new things you wish you had put into your first addition are not enough to warrant a reprint yet.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

See, there's another thing i had not considered, but am totally going to include now: stage shots.

Or at the very least distance shots, like "here's a parasol close up, and here it is from the back of the house," because that completely changes how something looks, particularly with prints/patterns. Something that's eyebuggingly busy at close range can look balanced and lovely from the 3rd row (or the back row).

And, i too prefer a diagram or line-drawing to a photograph in terms of process documentation--color pix of finished products are pretty to look at, but i'd rather see a pen-and-ink if the image is supposed to show me how to attach piece A to rod B at point C.

[maggieb.livejournal.com]

I chose Spiralbound for ease of use (Recalling my metalworking text by Tim McCreight, which I added index tabs to). I've actually seen craft books lately which are spiral bound with an outer, fold-back hard cover to protect it and also help prop it up. How about that?

Yeah, If my textbooks had been only $35 a piece when I was sludging through school, I would have been ecstatic!

(oh, wait, I finish my second degree next week. I AM still in school, I mean denial)