SG10: Is there any sort of written history of this unit?

[Bombphoon]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

My NSG 9 book was obviously too specialist since I'm still having to do the day job!

There is one sense in which writers aren't at the mercy of publishers: get a website and you can write about anything you like. Plus you don't make any money, so it's almost exactly like beng a "real" author!

I'm afraid to say that - bar one or two = APAB (All Publishers Are Bastards). They have you by the short and curlies because they know you want your book published. The gentlemanly publisher/author relationship, of old is sadly now a thing of the past.

Whereas authors do it as a labour of love, devoting inordinate amounts of their own time, money and effort, from experience, publishing houses are staffed by staff who are just doing it as a 9 to 5 job and have no real interest in the subject matter, resulting in mistakes, slovenly work (which the reader automatically assumes is the author's fault).

Unless you are a big name author you will not make money out of having a book published. Chances are, once you assess all your expenses, you will have made a loss. So the only real reason to write nowadays is a passion or labour of love.

Bitter? Yes, probably. But speaking to fellow authors, this is a general experience of many writers and we seem to share a low opinion of publishers.

[veltro]

Originally Posted by Bombphoon

The gentlemanly publisher/author relationship, of old is sadly now a thing of the past.

Whereas authors do it as a labour of love, devoting inordinate amounts of their own time, money and effort, from experience, publishing houses are staffed by staff who are just doing it as a 9 to 5 job and have no real interest in the subject matter, resulting in mistakes, slovenly work (which the reader automatically assumes is the author's fault).

Unless you are a big name author you will not make money out of having a book published. Chances are, once you assess all your expenses, you will have made a loss. So the only real reason to write nowadays is a passion or labour of love.

Bitter? Yes, probably. But speaking to fellow authors, this is a general experience of many writers and we seem to share a low opinion of publishers.

Sorry to have to quote almost all the message, but I cannot agree more. And it is not simply useless whining, it is a thing tried and tested on the bare skin of many of us... with some scars remaining...

The saddest thing is that those few publishers working like craftmen (or artisans, if you like) have been more and more pushed within the arms of big companies which ends dictating timings, sizes and costs, virtually deciding how a book should be to fall within "cost parameters", notwithstanding if this will need the deletion of "n" pages or photographs, maybe mutilating a work... all usually passing well above authors...

Maybe Nick is right, a nice website could solve all and you won't have your leg pulled when ironic royalties checks came to you...

[Andy F-P]

What saddens me is that the ideal time for publishing histories of Luftwaffe units is drawing to a close. The gates are shutting. All those who could contribute from first hand experience have either passed away or are too old to contribute. I know we are at the end of an era and like the era of cheap fuel.......we will never get those times back.

However, we have some fine and honourable authors who will, I am sure, squeeze the orange dry.
Regards,
Andy

Ps I know what I mean and I hope that you do as well!