JG 2 - Volume Three

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Lagarto

Anyway, I consider the argument "if you don't like the price, write the book yourself" rather cheap. Are you missing the point?

No, it's an entirely pertinent argument and on reflection I hope you'll accept it's not a "cheap" one. If you haven't written the work you would like to see then I am sure you have your reasons, although you haven't given them. If you have reasons, you might consider whether those could likewise explain why nobody else has written such a book either.

As I understand it, neither of the examples you gave of less expensive books (Chris Shores and Don Caldwell) is self-published, they come from Grub Street and Frontline respectively. You also noted that Arthy and Jessen's Fw 190/Sicily book was more expensive than either — this again is self-published (to a very high standard); Jan Horn's self-published "Das Flurschaden-Geschwader" had a run of 500 copies and costs €88.

Working with a publisher necessarily entails the author surrendering a degree of control (it's their money you're risking, not your own) and some "battles" along the way are all but inevitable. Self-publishing gives the author far greater control at the price of greater financial risk and (I imagine) fewer economies of scale. Result: you get the book the author wanted to present but at a higher price.