Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

Well Eric

The problems become even worse if you intend to go with too many translations. I am not sure how you count, but I am pretty certain that if one already have bought the "wrong" version (i.e. me buying a book about a German subject in French), that person would be quite reluctant to buy a book in the "right" version (i.e. me buying a translation in English). I even think that person would be extremely reluctant to buy it even in a "semi-right" version (a German translation). Reason is that most of us are seldom millionaires and we might afford to buy one book and that's it! The above rights and wrongs are of course depending on which language you are most fluent in, and in my case rather obvious:) . A typical case are the Schiffer books published about JG 53 and JG 3. They all came long after they had been published in Germany and I wouldn't personally dream of "wasting" money on a translated version when I already had paid a lot to get the German version. If you know they would be translated, as we did with the two volume set of JG 300, then it is a very different story and in my case I waited!!

Ruy
Don't know if it is a good idea or not, but what about having a gallup done on book topics like this? Anyone interested in buying a certain book can give his vote. I would certainly buy a translated 3 volume set of JG 2 and JG 26, and I am also willing to commit myself doing it, in public! So what about it, setting up a vote list on the book forum??

I am quite reluctant to buy both JG 2 in JG 26 in French since for me it is the language I understand the least. I am positive to a German translation, but would of course be jubilant for an English version, BUT I would not buy either once I have bought it in French, which I might have to do just like Ruy:( , if no commitment is forthcoming...

Cheers
Stig

Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

I'd love to have a comprehensive book on JG 2, but the French language is putting me right off. My holiday knowledge of French simply isn't enough to fully appreciate such a book. Hopefully you will release it in English at some point. 500 sales should be relatively easy to achieve.

As an alternative please consider releasing an English text-only edition, to compliment the French book. Perhaps even in PDF format? This way you'd bypass all publishing problems. Just a thought? :)

Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

Hi,

Thanks a lot for these interesting reactions! They really help to have a better view of the situation.
Of course shipping is one of the worse points: here it is getting harder and harder to find a company with acceptable price to send parcels. And to Australia, it becomes un-payable.

Franek, what is your solution?

Thanks Stig, you are right to publish the same book in different languages is certainly not a good thing. Nevertheless my experience with JG 2 in French has confirmed me that only a few English-spoken are ready to buy a French book. As far as I know there must be only max. 10 copies of JG 2 in the English spoken world. You’re among them Jim and Del.
Your idea to vote is great. Would you accept Ruy? The question could be : “Who would purchase a copy of JG 2 vol. 1 in English?"
Knowing that this book is covering the years 1934 – 1940, thus the rebirth of the Jagdwaffe, creation of JG 2 until the end of the Battle of Britain”. 300 pages, + 400 photos (most of them unpublished before), many first-hand accounts, colour art-work, losses and claims tables…
Of course that would not give a definitive idea on the figure (maybe some "jokers" would vote several times), but this would maybe interest many of us.

A book in Pdf ? That is an idea, but I think that we all like to have something in the hands else that a computer.

I’ll take my decision in April and let you know. In all cases, the vol. 1 is already translated by Neil.

Best regards

Erik

Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

Erik,

I am one of your very few native English speakers who bought Vol. I of your JG2 book in French (during a visit to De Krieger in Belgium). I would ALSO buy it if you release it in English, which I strongly encourage. However, financial reasons are less of a consideration for me than probably most of your readers. Like it or not, English has pretty much become the language for educated people around the world, and I think your general market will be far better in the long run publishing in English. This applies to Vol. I of your JG26 book as well.

Regards

Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

I can manage French, the issue for me is shelf space (it's a small house) and that makes me careful about buying multi-volume histories. I tend to stick to my main period of interest, 1944-45, as a result.

Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

Eric and others ...

Did you consider somewhat called Print on demand?
the cost is maybe a bot higher...but as I read translation is not a bog problem...if there is one languare version, layouting the other languages text with photos may not be such a problem...and if someone wants the book, asks the publisher and the book is printed....you may set your profit from each piece of book sold...without having stock problems, delivery problems etc...you just offer web page where this book may be ordered...

What do you think? I tried lulu.com....it was just a paperback, but turned out very nice for what I needed...

regards

Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

As the official European procurement officer of the NELM (New England LW Mafia as dubbed by Rabe Anton - membership 3) I actually bought 3 copies of the JG 2 volume. While I certainly would prefer an English version of this and many other titles from European authors, the sad truth is it probably ain't gonna happen, so with my paltry 2 years of high-school French and 1 year of college German whiled stoned and the appropriate dictionary I figure it out. Heck, I even got through the losses in one of Hanni Valtonnen's books with a Finnish-English dictionary. If I can do it, anybody can.

Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

Did you find that the "while stoned" bit helped more than the dictionary?

Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

*raises hand*
(in het Nederlands mag ook hoor, hehe ;))

Of course, I totally agree, but it's better than nothing :)

Fantastic!!



Great suggestion indeed. I also have used Lulu, and although basic itdid the job! An English print-on-demand option + the original French edition together would do the job. But of course I'd prefer to see a proper English release.

Re: A new JG 26 Chronicle?
 

Hi Erik,
I would, in a heartbeat.

You can put me down for a copy of everything you ever do in English or German. (I'm willing to buy your works in French if there is no chance of them ever appearing in English, but then reading them becomes a chore instead of a pleasure.)

Thanks and keep up the great work!
Leon Venter