Can't you self publish through amazon?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/seller-account/mm-summary-page.html?topic=200260520
I'd buy a copy.
Can't you self publish through amazon?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/seller-account/mm-summary-page.html?topic=200260520
I'd buy a copy.
DILYSI Dave wrote: Was it worth it? Did you get enough commission off of the book to make it worth the PITA of writing a fairly niche book?
It basically paid for the car. So yes, it was a fair trade. I'm sure I would have made more money if I'd written something more mainstream, but the attention the book got through Car and Driver and GRM sure helped.
I can't self-publish this. The publisher owns the reprint rights. I can look at the contract again and see what it takes for me to regain them.
Any minute now, this will turn into a discussion about self-publishing versus dealing with a publisher 
I'm happy with how it played out. Books usually have a lifespan. This one's done well for me, and it's at the point on the long tail where mass production of physical copies doesn't work. I was given the option of putting in a big order myself (or at FM) to justify another print run, but I couldn't justify it. I'll do what I can to help it transition to a different format, but since it is a niche publication there's only so much attention it will get. The book's been for sale for 5 years or so, so anyone who says "I'll buy a copy" has had a chance!
If I write another - and after putting together High Performance Mazda Miata, that's not going to be for a while - it will likely be for a larger audience. Maybe expand High Performance Mazda Miata into a more generic book that will suit any kind of car. Maybe complete that "getting unstuck" 4wd book that I toyed with for a while. Or write a murder mystery cop drama with a title that can be stretched out to cover a cute series of titles, and sell mass market paperbacks in airports 
Keith wrote: Or write a murder mystery cop drama with a title that can be stretched out to cover a cute series of titles, and sell mass market paperbacks in airports
DING! Winner
Keith wrote: Or write a murder mystery cop drama with a title that can be stretched out to cover a cute series of titles, and sell mass market paperbacks in airports
The miata did it! Right? That is how it works: Who Dun it? Miata!
Those books would be boring. The answer to everything would be Miata. The book would be over in 4 pages, unless Chuck Norris owned a Miata. And then it would be done in 3.
If you are willing, you can have a PDF available for Print on demand or download through lulu.com or amazon at a reasonable price to recoup any conversion costs to PDF, mobi, epub, etc.
heyduard wrote: If you are willing, you can have a PDF available for Print on demand or download through lulu.com or amazon at a reasonable price to recoup any conversion costs to PDF, mobi, epub, etc.
This raises and interesting question, Keith: does your publisher have the electronic distribution rights to the book?
(Warning: I'm gonna talk out of my ass a bit. Feel free to school me.)
If not, let me say this; in the next few years, the Locost and cars like it will be much more of a factor. I see a combination of economic recovery and fast-rising gas prices pulling people towards light, modestly powered trackday weapons like the Atom, as opposed to having ever larger and more powerful GTs (your Corvettes and P cars and such) as a "second" or "track" car.
On the other end, you have things like that three-wheeled Cam Am thing that are trying to bring a "motorcycle" experience to people that have been for whatever reason are interested in riding yet intimidated by the (admittedly frightening) nature of sportbike riding. The elemental nature of the 7 is a nice analog for the sportbike experience for those who happen to like 4 wheels better, and hell, you can even put a bike engine in it if you want.
I know I'm rambling . . . Anyway, I'd like to put forward the hypothesis that the book sales have dropped off because people are too worried about having a job tomorrow to even contemplate building a car, and not due to a lack of interest in the idea. Finding a financially feasible way to keep the book available would be a benefit to the community, as well as an awesome sales tool for the Westfields.
(As an aside, have you noticed the two trending with each other, i.e. Westfield sales and book sales? I understand a book is a bit more of an impulse purchase, but I figured the two would trend with each other.)
LordTurbonia wrote: (As an aside, have you noticed the two trending with each other, i.e. Westfield sales and book sales? I understand a book is a bit more of an impulse purchase, but I figured the two would trend with each other.)
Before Keith answers your question, I'll chime in with my $.02.....His book covers a lot of stuff that anybody building a car will deal with. That's true regardless of whether they are using a pre-built chassis, following the McSorely plans to fabricate their own, or designing and fabricating a chassis from scratch like the LaBala or my "Datsun". I'm talking about things like
There are other examples, but that's off the top of my head, and I don't have the book here while I'm typing. The point is, though, that it is useful to anybody building a car, not just someone building a "locaterfield"[*] from a prebuilt chassis.
--
[*] - Staniforth's word for seven clones...I love it, and wish more people would use it.
No, I don't have the ebook rights. Nor can I publish on the moon, I seem to recall that the contract specifically covers "the universe" I am going to have a look at the contract again and poke the publisher about an ebook version. But I don't have a great sense of urgency, as I have seen the declining interest in it.
As for a correlation between Westfields and my book - there doesn't seem to be one. Partly because Locost people find Westfields much too expensive (although that's because they don't have a legitimate idea of what it will really cost to build their own) and partly because buying a book is the first step in the process and buying a Westfield is the last. There can be half a decade in between. In my case, I bought my Ron Champion book in something like 1997 and started building in 2003.
The book sales tapered off from what I remember, they didn't crater. Not everything is due to the economy :) I think the biggest problem is that it's not a "cookbook". People seem to want a book that tells them exactly how to build a car, step by step. That's what Champion tried to do. Of course, every single person then deviates from the cookbook and tries to use a different engine, redesign the suspension, etc so the cookbook becomes less relevant. I tried to write mine to take that into account. But folks don't realize that until after they've started!
I also seem to have a tendency to write books that cover fundamental concepts as Joey pointed out - but then I add niche specific info such as the Locost or the Miata, and take away the mass appeal. Oops.
Looks like Google Books has the Locost book as well as my other three. Interesting, I didn't know about that.
http://www.google.com/search?q=keith+tanner&btnG=Search+Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1
My book arrived a couple of days ago and I went through much of it this morning (when I should have been getting ready for work). Great book! Lot's of information I hope to apply to my 1800ES resto-mod project.
It is a shame that company stopped buildign the locost/Miata chassis...
Ah, Locost manufacturers come and go on a regular basis. Trying to make frames/kits to the absolute lowest price is a road to insolvency unless you are magicians like FFR. There's always some source somewhere.
oh no... add me to the list of people who would be a copy if it was printed again!
In reply to monsterbronco:
RossD wrote: I have Keith's Locost book and I'm looking to trade for Keith's Miata Performance Projects book, or one of the other two of Keith's Miata books.
Keith wrote: Looks like Google Books has the Locost book as well as my other three. Interesting, I didn't know about that. http://www.google.com/search?q=keith+tanner&btnG=Search+Books&tbm=bks&tbo=1
Well, isn't that just awesome?
P.S. I love the book, and having it is making me rethink some of my plans, especially the ones where I have my welder friend MIG up a frame from steel stock.
RossD wrote: In reply to monsterbronco:RossD wrote: I have Keith's Locost book and I'm looking to trade for Keith's Miata Performance Projects book, or one of the other two of Keith's Miata books.
I totally missed this the first time around. I think we can work something out! I will shoot you a PM!
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