Last summer was the planned time to create each chapter into a downloadable PDF so that each Chapter could be bought on it's own - you only buy the chapters you want or need and there is no shipping required - make the whole thing more affordable. Unfortunately last summer saw all my focus go to rebuilding my website myself (no, I'd never built a website before so it was a wee bit of a learning curve for this "getting old" brain) and it was an all consuming task that lasted until well into the fall, so this summer is now going to be dedicated to getting the chapters onto the website - yet another learning curve!
I'm teaching several classes and kids sewing camps this summer, so my time is limited, but I hope to get the first chapter up in the next week. If I succeed I'll send out an e-mail blast to announce it. I'm not starting with Chapter 1, in fact, I'm starting with Chapter 15! I chose to start with this chapter because it's not as big as some (some are around 60 pages), it's 24 pages and it's an interesting chapter that's not as much "how to make a corset" as it is a record of my journey through reproducing a vintage corset; hence the title "Reproducing a Vintage Corset".
The image below is the end result
There are 20 chapters in all and it will take a few, if not several months, to prepare and post them all. I've not yet decided if I will post the other chapters in their original order but that is a likelihood. Other chapters include "Five Ways to Put in a Busk", "All About Bone Casings", "Striped Corset", "Making a Corset Pattern using a Sloper", all the chapters on corsets give all aspects of the build and I suspect will be $10 or less.
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I'll patiently wait for you to find a publisher or self-publish. I don't care for E-books or similar, and I highly doubt that the whole book would cost $200 ($10 per chapter for all 20 chapters).
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid it would be a very long wait as I cannot look for another publisher; as my contract with the publisher for the first book does not allow me to do so. They did not refuse the book, I withdrew it, so I can't take it to another company. Their concern was the cost of publishing due to the size and % of colour images and then the cost of shipping such large books. Farthingales has difficulty selling "The Art of the Tailor" due to the cost of shipping - that experience gives me reason to think, there would be the same hesitation with any similar sized book. The cost of self publishing is not within my budget - I've been that route before and it was a huge initial outlay (and this book is 4 times the size), which is why I sought out a publisher.
ReplyDeleteI've tried to find the most reasonable method of sharing this information and so far those who have purchased the chapter have been happy with the ability to to instantly download the information they want/need. I doubt anyone will purchase all chapters - only the ones that interest them. Like you I'm not a fan of e-books and want paper pages for reference books like this so the downloadable PDF seemed like the best answer.
I sympathize with your dilemma around publishing. It's one of the difficulties of such a specialized interest. I am a lover of beautiful books and consider them an investment in growing my skills, especially those that offer practical knowledge that can help produce an item more efficiently or more authentically. I hope a self publishing option that works for you comes along at some point. In the meantime I am going to enjoy the PDF information. Thank you for your devotion to the art and sharing with us.
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