Quote:
Originally Posted by FalkeEins
...that's most of them (not counting German-language books). JG 53/JG 300 and JG 4 have been covered in English of course. I'm not including the three-part Classic softback on JG 1. Softbacks are not 'real' books. Only a couple of Jochen's JG 3 books have made it into English. If Erik (Mombeeck) can't sell more than a couple of hundred copies of a JG 2 history (which includes the Battle of Britain) - not enough to finance any further volumes- what chance is there of seeing any of the other units? Big unit histories don't sell. JG 300 apparently (allegedly) sold so few copies the authors received little in the way of royalties (or hadn't when I published an interview with Lorant in 2018, some thirteen years after publication) 'Little' unit histories don't sell either if Osprey's schedule is anything to go by..sad to say it strikes me that much of this five-page thread is just wishful thinking. I think it's a certainty that no publisher will ever produce the 'Hs 126 in 1940' in hardback....although Rabeder might perhaps do something on Nahaufklärung...or even 4.(F)/123 ..but that last 'title' is 109s again. |
Neil, I am afraid that using Mombeeck's success with his books as an example is a very poor choice. Firstly, his marketing is utterly poor in all aspects. Second, had he made the decision to do those books ONLY in English, they would have sold much much more. I can understand him doing books in his native language, but not in German. The number of such German buyers who read only German and simultaneously are interested in the topic has been probably very mininal for many years now.
As for the English JG 300 set, as far as I know, the print run was very substantial (perhaps Judy Crandall wishes to comment?) and as far as I know, the books are out of print now.
Today good marketing is absolutely essential. And marketing must be understood in the widest sense possible, from making the book known among buyers and to making ordering easy. A part of the latter includes reasonable shipping costs. For example, a market-wise seller sends parcels to Europe (esp. EU) from Germany with its very fair postage costs instead of robbers like Belgium or Holland.