PFIC 3rd Edition?
- Thread starter CatchinKelp
- Start date
The material is done but the question is if people want a large book like PFIC, 2nd. Ed today given the many changes that have taken place. Was thinking of publishing county by county editions but some advisors feel people just don't want to read through such text today. That's why I've lately been working on shortened pier by pier eBook articles. Would really like to hear feedback on what people would prefer.
I would enjoy reading a large book like the Second Edition. I found that reading a printed book adds a more personal and official touch to the information presented, as information presented in a published work demonstrates that it has been reviewed by a publisher, and adds more credibility, versus reading the information on an online blog. With updated information, changing habits of fish and shellfish, regulation updates, and the addition (and unfortunately, subtraction) of piers, I feel that a PFIC 3rd. Ed would be an excellent resource for anglers seeking to understand California's piers, and for curious non-anglers who want to learn more aspects of California's piers, such as their history, or information about fish and shellfish that are found in California.
The problem with the full sized book is simply its size. Pier Fishing In California, 2nd Ed. is 516 pages long and has 460,235+ words. Most publishers today want a book about 200 pages long with lots and lots of pictures. The perception is that most people do not want to read a lot of text. In addition, there is a perception among some of the distributors that provide books to book stores and tackle shops that pier fisherman are simply not interested (or too illiterate) to read such big books. It was a reason why it was hard to get the original book into some markets. I did not agree but it was their decision to make.
Since the original book I have added additional information and many more pictures. Thus I considered breaking it up and having a 10-book PFIC library:
1. General Introduction and History of California Piers.
2. California Pier Basics—Bait, Tackle, and Equipment.
3. San Diego County Piers.
4. Orange County Piers.
5. Ventura and Santa Barbara County Piers.
6. San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz County Piers.
7. San Francisco Bay Area Piers.
8. Northern California Piers.
9. Inshore Fish of California.
10. How to Preserve, Clean, and Cook the Pier Fish of California.
But again, would enough anglers buy the books to at least break even let alone show a profit? Publishers are naturally all about making money and though I originally saw this information as educational, and was willing to invest my own money and risk a loss, I no longer am in that situation. Unfortunately, as seen even in PFIC,where a ot of anglers have moved on to Facebook or other sites, people's attitudes and wants change (and the younger folk like the instant information and pictures). I think I could produce a really interesting series of books but probably only the dedicated anglers would want to read them.
Thus the conondrum and question about the best way to go (and truly hate to see all the information I have accumulated over the years simply to be lost). In the meantime I am preparing those eBooks and hope to have them for sale one of these days.
Since the original book I have added additional information and many more pictures. Thus I considered breaking it up and having a 10-book PFIC library:
1. General Introduction and History of California Piers.
2. California Pier Basics—Bait, Tackle, and Equipment.
3. San Diego County Piers.
4. Orange County Piers.
5. Ventura and Santa Barbara County Piers.
6. San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz County Piers.
7. San Francisco Bay Area Piers.
8. Northern California Piers.
9. Inshore Fish of California.
10. How to Preserve, Clean, and Cook the Pier Fish of California.
But again, would enough anglers buy the books to at least break even let alone show a profit? Publishers are naturally all about making money and though I originally saw this information as educational, and was willing to invest my own money and risk a loss, I no longer am in that situation. Unfortunately, as seen even in PFIC,where a ot of anglers have moved on to Facebook or other sites, people's attitudes and wants change (and the younger folk like the instant information and pictures). I think I could produce a really interesting series of books but probably only the dedicated anglers would want to read them.
Thus the conondrum and question about the best way to go (and truly hate to see all the information I have accumulated over the years simply to be lost). In the meantime I am preparing those eBooks and hope to have them for sale one of these days.
Maybe consider keeping the historical aspects of the PFIC book as an informational guidebook and history book,
and possibly releasing it as an e-book as well. Maybe minimize the how-to aspects (ie methods and gear) to
re-imagine it as more of a 'coffee table' type book. Digital edition is optional but would just be extra sales. Not
sure if you can do high-quality self-publishing print on demand books.
For all of the other types of books, you don't necessarily have to publish them physically at all (or perhaps use
Amazon's 'print on demand' publishing services). You also don't have to have a novel-sized book in order to
publish, but rather can publish as booklets for a significantly lower (for digital) price...
and possibly releasing it as an e-book as well. Maybe minimize the how-to aspects (ie methods and gear) to
re-imagine it as more of a 'coffee table' type book. Digital edition is optional but would just be extra sales. Not
sure if you can do high-quality self-publishing print on demand books.
For all of the other types of books, you don't necessarily have to publish them physically at all (or perhaps use
Amazon's 'print on demand' publishing services). You also don't have to have a novel-sized book in order to
publish, but rather can publish as booklets for a significantly lower (for digital) price...
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21st Century Ken, I would definitely consider consulting with other authors and seeing how they publish books. I like books that you can touch but my credentialing courses were all online books with the iPad we had to purchase. It's a new day, and depending on who is your primary consumers, the way they shop and do business is entirely different just as the way they interact on message boards and YouTube, etc., is much different. Some want to know what's new and different about the new edition (other than a bunch of piers closing). I believe your YouTube presence is a way to lure in new readers.
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Excellent, well reasoned advice rather than just "I think" unfounded opinions. If I might also suggest something more but specifically target younger authors that are financially successful in asking for advice. I think that their opinions would be most relevant when it comes to specifics on how to effectively target younger and entirely different demographics than your current base audience. Not sure how to network with such authors (or even find them since I'm likely not a member of the demographic they target). Good point about YouTube, but I think asking them about social media in general and how they use it would be better. I think that TikTok is currently massively more popular than YouTube with younger audiences (The security or political issues concerning that platform, many of which are really concerning from a technical standpoint, are a completely separate issue from it's value as a marketing tool).