Writing a book on the Bundeswehr

[Ralph P]

Jens - CONGRATS and thanks for the heads up. I will be interested in reading reviews about your book, once it has been released...

[yossarianlives]

i keep voting in the monthly poll on the Osprey Publishing hopepage, more often than not for a dedicated title on the Bundeswehr (and one on the NVA too) - if members of this forum do likewise then hopefully we will get Bundeswehr and NVA books soon... I would like Ron Volstad to illustrate both too

[hoover]

Yes, Ron Volstadt or Kevin Lyles...

I vote for it. Title vol I "The German Bundeswehr 1956-1989" and vol. II "The modern German armed forces"

[yossarianlives]

sounds good to me - i hope everyone here will suggest this or a related title on the Osprey site now

[Gordon Craig]

Gentlemen,

I didn't know that one could "vote" for a book on Osprey. I must do this soonest. Although, in their small format there is not much they could cover. I'd prefer another book like Schuster wrote bot on the Luftwaffe and Bundesmarine.
Another thought would be to visit the Concord Publications Company. Their book "Modern German Panzergrenadiers" is now 20 years old and perhaps they would be interested in doing another book on the Bundeswehr. Both these firms want authors with ready to go material as they don't write their own stuff.
Perhaps Jens will have his book in print for Christmas and I could add it to my "wish list"?

Regards,

Gordon

[Asbjoern]

Did I hear my name....?

The date "around christmas" is still the date my publisher is talking about... last information is that most of the stuff is already scanned. Maybe there will be the time for some nightshifts soon....

@Gordon: I fear that a book on Luftwaffe or Bundesmarine will be of no interest for most publishers as the number of collectores interested in these branches is quite a lot smaller then the number of Heer collectors ... and even there the numbers are limited. We would be lucky to sell 1.500 of the picture book ...

Regards,

Jens

[yossarianlives]

Jens, i would be interested in your book so be sure to post a link to it here when it is available I have the Concord book, it is a good reference but then there isn't much on the BW in English...

[Gordon Craig]

Jens,

There are two routes one could follow for these two books. Write them and make them avaiable free on line or do a digital book and only print on demand. That second way is becoming more prevellant these days. Saves printing books which take up a lot of space and an expensive cash layout for the printing and shipping to the authors location. The other option is to combine both into one volume. If I could sell half the 1500 you envision for the picture book I would be very happy indeed. The recently published Est German dagger book only 200 in the first run and they sold out almost instantly. The second run of 100 was soldbefore I knew they had been printed.

Regards,

Gordon

Did I hear my name....?

The date "around christmas" is still the date my publisher is talking about... last information is that most of the stuff is already scanned. Maybe there will be the time for some nightshifts soon....

@Gordon: I fear that a book on Luftwaffe or Bundesmarine will be of no interest for most publishers as the number of collectores interested in these branches is quite a lot smaller then the number of Heer collectors ... and even there the numbers are limited. We would be lucky to sell 1.500 of the picture book ...

Regards,

Jens

[Bob Hritz]

Gordon,

Please do yourself a favor and look into 'print on demand' publishers. The book is on a disc, at the publisher, and only printed as copies are ordered. Your initial investment, in doing the writing and photography, will be returned with via payment, to you, for each book sold. Your cost is at a minimum and you do not have to have any print run or shipping issues; it is all done by the 'print on demand' publisher.

I truely look forward to your project and would be ordering two copies immediately upon the publishing of your tome.

I also suggest incorporating BW Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine into the book as tghe interest will soar, as do any collectible does once there is real information available.

I would further suggest keeping the volume from 1956 to 1966. After 1966, things became much more standardized.

Good luck,
Bob Hritz

[Gordon Craig]

Bob,

Thanks for your comments. If I ever do complete a book the "print-on-demand" is the way I would go. I have discussed this with other knowledgable in this process and not doubt I could afford this method.
Limiting the scope of the book would limit the prospective market. I realize that early stuff has an appeal to many but accurate information on area you have mentioned is difficult to get. Besides, for most collectors, early uniforms etc. would be unobtainable due to rarity and coast. I own too many books that show uniforms, hats etc. which I could never hope to own. I'd rather cover the many variations of uniforms within a collectors reach than spend a lot of time illustrating things beyond their reach. That doesn't mean that I would ignore the early stuff. It needs to be included for historical purposes if for nothing else.
Thanks again for your suggestions. Everyones thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Gordon

[RedCatcher1986]

I would definitely buy a copy of a book on the Bundeswehr in English. As others have said probably itemize it into sections regarding the Bundeswehr's separate agencies

- Heer
- Luftwaffe
- Marine
- Streitkräftebasis
- Zentraler Sanitätsdienst

I think then there'd definitely be a larger following in North America and other English speaking regions.

Best regards.

Sincerely,
DeWayne

[Gordon Craig]

DeWayne,

Thanks for your suggestions. The list of sections you have covered is interesting. It would be difficult to keep it to one book and include everything that you have mentioned. If you have seen Schuster's book, which focuses primarily on the Heer, you will understand what I mean. However, it is an interesting concept and one worth considering.

Regards,

Gordon

[yossarianlives]

The recently published Est German dagger book...

never heard of this - tell me more

[Gordon Craig]

yossarianlives,

You can find the book descussed at the url below from the DDR forum on this site.

Regards,

Gordon

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=433260

never heard of this - tell me more

[yossarianlives]

thanks gordon, will have a look now.