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Originally Posted by ingwe
No. but it would be easier to lay flat on the loading bench for easy reference. grin

Which is exactly the reason I had mine wire bound.

I believe it was 7x57Steve who gave me the idea initially.


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RiverRider,

From what I hear from readers, the vast majority are fine with the present version. Let's say 10% aren't, which is a far higher percentage than we've heard from even after asking here. Any sort of manufacturing (including printing books) always results in a lower cost the more units are made in a single run. If we took 10% of our average print run and had it spiral bound, the cost would be hiugher per book.

We decided early on to get our books printed in the U.S. rather than overseas, even though it costs more, and to offer a delivered price up-front, rather than adding "shipping and handling costs" afterward, as so many Internet companies do. We've also been printing and selling books for more than a decade now, and haven't raised prices. Both printing and shipping costs have gone up considerably, to the point where we're going to have to raise prices sometime in the next couple of years.

Am pretty sure that if we offered spiral-bound copies AND raised our prices to adjust for the past decade's cost increases, spiral-bound of copies of GACK would have to be priced around $45-50 delivered, a big jump over our present price of $32.50. So most likely we'll keep printing them the same way, though with a larger back-margin to leave more room for customers who get them spiral-bound.


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MD : OK my 2 Loonies -

Love the book, but hated the shipping cost to Canada.

For me, I'm especially impressed with the coverage of some of the obscure ( to me ) calibers, with the insights that you present so succinctly.

I was, and still am focused on the sections dealing with the .280 .338s and .22-250 ; My personal favourites.

If you are planning on a Bigger ( & Better ) Book of Gack, I would highly recommend a pdf type format with printable loading pages.

Updates for new sections, like Pet Loads, but new age e-format OK

Don't know how you would control distribution, but the savings on shipping alone would be well worth it - ;-)

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338Rules,

All interesting ideas--which we've considered!

We feel your pain on shipping to Canada. When we first started the riflesandrecipes website a decade ago, mailing a book to Canada was almost as cheap as mailing it in the U.S., but it now costs almost 10 times as much to mail a book to Canada as it does inside the U.S. In fact, we have several Canadian customers who live fairly close to the border who rent post-office boxes in the U.S., just so they can get stuff they order from U.S. companies without paying an arm and a leg.

But there are several problems with e-printing. One for us is that it tends to garble data--and data is a major part of our publishing, whether handloads or recipes.

The other problems are how to keep it from being pirated, and how to make any money. The last is part of the reason e-books have dropped considerably in popularity over the past three years, when they once looked like the future of publishing: Major book publishers must actually charge pretty close to their prices for new printed books to make e-books worthwhile.

At the same time, many readers started going back to paper books. Surveys have found most of these report "screen burn-out." Much of their day is spent on computers or their smart-phone, and when they get home and want to read something, they're tired of looking at screens.

This may be even more true of hunting/shooting writing. I had an interesting talk with the owner of a major hunting/shooting publishing company at the Safari Club Convention last month. He started e-printing several books a few years ago, when it started to become a hot deal, and reports sales have dropped--and even at their peak, revenues from his e-books were never more than a tiny percentage of his company's profit.

We've had e-printing books on our radar for several years now, but haven't done it for all of the above reasons, plus the fact that the number of our readers who've requested e-books can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Our own small venture into e-publishing, our quarterly "magazine" RIFLE LOONY NEWS, has never grown much since we started it almost a decade ago, despite only costing $8 a year. We sold more copies of GUN GACK in its the first month than we have RLN subscribers, which indicates our readers prefer paper.



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Folks have preferences for nearly anything and everything, I think. I am the same. I prefer vanilla ice cream, but you won't see a bowl of chocolate melt in front of me. When I shop for something to read, the binding of the reading material is probably the very last thing I would think of, but I might opt for hardcover if it's something I want to keep. I'd suggest that what you're doing now is working fine, MD.


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John - I have some thoughts on the whole thread (naturally). First off, as I've said before, it's a great book.
On the binding issue, I am fine with the current system, but I do see the point of being able to keep the book flat in use. As to wire spirals, I have seen too many of them become flattened through abuse to the point where it is very difficult to turn the pages without damaging them. The large, plastic spirals are better in this regard, but less desirable in others.

I salute your desire to have books printed here in the U.S.

I also salute your decision to present the book in an "out the door" price, with no shipping or "handling fees" which in reality are just "hey, give us some extra money fees". Those commercials where they are so kind as to give you a second product FREE (just pay a separate - secret - handling fee) are transparent robbery.

I think that your assessment of e-books is spot on. I think that it is not only myself and my fellow dinosaurs who prefer to hold a book in our hands.

Finally, it is refreshing to find a producer of any kind who not only listens to his customers, but actually solicits their opinions.

Best, John


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John,

I have to agree with the "screen burn-out". I figured this out more than 20 years ago when the world wide web became the hot new thing. I didn't like reading on a screen if I could get the same material in a book. Less eye-strain, more comfortable chairs, what have you. I even like the smell and tactile feel of a book. I am still this way and prefer to get my copies of Handloader magazine in print form. The only thing I prefer to have in electronic format is technical documentation as it makes it easy to search and find what you are looking for rather quickly. While "Gun Gack" straddles that line I will continue to order the print form of your books regardless of whether you offer an electronic edition.

For our Canadian brethren, would it be possible to contract publishing to a second publisher that resides in Canada? I don't know if you have a contract with the original that would prohibit this, but perhaps it would alleviate some of the rising shipping costs? But then again, maybe that would be more trouble than it's worth...


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5sdad,

Thanks for your post. One other little bit of evidence concerning e-books and our customers is that we've sold more of the paper copies of RIFLE LOONY NEWS: THE FIRST FIVE YEARS than we have subscribers! And the book costs a lot more than a year's subscription to the e-version, especially when considering that every back issue comes with a subscription.


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Azar,

One thing I forgot to mention is that one book store in British Columbia carries some of our books, and stores can amortize shipping costs by order a number of books. As I recall, that connection occurred because a reader suggested hunters would buy 'em. If we could find a distributor in Canada it would really help, but so far no luck.


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I don't know about everyone else, but I like to have a book in my hands. I have a desktop computer, two tablets, and a smart phone. I still prefer paper pages! Yes, I'm old fashioned.

I have most of the books Eileen and John offer and have sent them as gifts. I'm sorry, but an e-book gift doesn't cut it!

I'm not older than dirt, but I remember when mud was invented.


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Originally Posted by Azar
I even like the smell and tactile feel of a book.


^^^^^^^^^
This

Though I am enjoying using my Kindle Paperwhite with Kindle unlimited ($120/yr). It allows me to "rent" many books which I could not afford to purchase. I can read 8-10 books a month easily. Including some reloading manuals such as the ABC's of Reloading.


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Originally Posted by Jerseyboy
I don't know about everyone else, but I like to have a book in my hands. I have a desktop computer, two tablets, and a smart phone. I still prefer paper pages! Yes, I'm old fashioned.

I have most of the books Eileen and John offer and have sent them as gifts. I'm sorry, but an e-book gift doesn't cut it!


Agreed and as I was fooling around in the shop another + to spiral binding came to mind since my copy often sits on my workbench open to an article or section and gets read a few pages at time. Sure, I can easily stick a bookmark in John but you ask! grin




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Received my copy the other day and am enjoying it. Great job Mule Deer.

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Thanks!

Am planning to publish GACK II in 2018 or 2019, some of the decision depending on when Eileen gets her next game cookbook together. This year we're publishing THE BIG BOOK OF BIG GAME HUNTING, which will be just about exactly the size of GUN GACK and contain a mix of advice and hunting adventure.


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Originally Posted by Mule Deer
Thanks!

Am planning to publish GACK II in 2018 or 2019, some of the decision depending on when Eileen gets her next game cookbook together. This year we're publishing THE BIG BOOK OF BIG GAME HUNTING, which will be just about exactly the size of GUN GACK and contain a mix of advice and hunting adventure.


DUDE! I will look forward to both!


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Originally Posted by ingwe
Originally Posted by Mule Deer
Thanks!

Am planning to publish GACK II in 2018 or 2019, some of the decision depending on when Eileen gets her next game cookbook together. This year we're publishing THE BIG BOOK OF BIG GAME HUNTING, which will be just about exactly the size of GUN GACK and contain a mix of advice and hunting adventure.


DUDE! I will look forward to both!


^^^^This!!^^^^


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+3.

What's Eileen's new cookbook focused on?


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One-dish meals. She developed a dynamite venison stew last week, but it will also include birds. They tend to evolve as she works on 'em.

Since she also hasn't done many fish recipes since writing two fish cookbooks in a row a while back, and is starting to get idea for at least a booklet on fish rubs and brines. Which would also get us out fishing more!


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Sounds excellent!


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Yeah, I particularly like the idea of fishing more. :-)


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John Steinbeck
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