Larry, I think a 12% decline is being conservative. It's a shame the publishing industry is doing so poorly, aside from horrid postal costs since the US no longer has book rate postage overseas.
A lot of what people seek or want to know is available in books that have been around around for years, but many seem to balk at paying $30 for a book after buying a $5,000 item. Photo books still do well since many people don't like to actually read.
I'm surprised people still write actual research/historical texts at all (not militaria books), considering the massive time invested and cost to compile them against the return. It can be a bit frustrating to take 2 years to write a book, then get a mail from a collector who spent 10K on a grouping asking for info on the fellow. You reply a book you did has 10 pages of biography and photos.
But the collector wants you to scan the pages he wants and just send them because he doesn't want to buy a book. I get a mail like that at least once a month. Like I said, it's a wonder sometimes that anyone writes anything.
John Moore and I have been friends for 20+ years, he's one of the top end SS researchers.
A lot of what people seek or want to know is available in books that have been around around for years, but many seem to balk at paying $30 for a book after buying a $5,000 item. Photo books still do well since many people don't like to actually read.
I'm surprised people still write actual research/historical texts at all (not militaria books), considering the massive time invested and cost to compile them against the return. It can be a bit frustrating to take 2 years to write a book, then get a mail from a collector who spent 10K on a grouping asking for info on the fellow. You reply a book you did has 10 pages of biography and photos.
But the collector wants you to scan the pages he wants and just send them because he doesn't want to buy a book. I get a mail like that at least once a month. Like I said, it's a wonder sometimes that anyone writes anything.
John Moore and I have been friends for 20+ years, he's one of the top end SS researchers.
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