10-27-2013, 05:51 PM
Perhaps this project will require a rich and very generous eccentric to get it off the ground and onto bookshelves.
The idea of a pledge system has been used to good effect by several game publishers (most notably GMT out of Northern California http://www.gmtgames.com/s-2-p500.aspx ) however, production costs on this particular project seem more like those encountered on a feature film shoot.
Several film makers are turning to IndieGoGo to find financing for their pet projects, usually films that studios are reluctant to touch because they see no profit in them. Occasionally, such "pet project" film becomes a big hit (Spielberg's Schindler's List or Lincoln, both of with studios felt would lose big money) but more often than not the films do little more than find a niche audience and perhaps some critical praise.
A comprehensive book of Roman helmets could be a great book, welcomed on almost every ancient historian's bookshelf, even at $100 a copy. However, I do wonder if this would be a big money maker -- more a labor of love than of commerce.
Perhaps an adventurous publisher will undertake a Crowd Funding approach to raising the initial capital to fund research and pre-publication costs. One of the 'perks' for donating to the cause would be a deep discount on the finished book. Other incentive items could be magazine subscriptions, T-shirts, catalog titles, or discount coupons for the purchase of other books. All of these cost money too and must be factored into the total production costs.
This is not a simple or easy undertaking. The real questions: Is a comprehensive book about Roman Helmets worth the effort? And if so, when all is said and done, will we be in the 'black'?
:|
Narukami
The idea of a pledge system has been used to good effect by several game publishers (most notably GMT out of Northern California http://www.gmtgames.com/s-2-p500.aspx ) however, production costs on this particular project seem more like those encountered on a feature film shoot.
Several film makers are turning to IndieGoGo to find financing for their pet projects, usually films that studios are reluctant to touch because they see no profit in them. Occasionally, such "pet project" film becomes a big hit (Spielberg's Schindler's List or Lincoln, both of with studios felt would lose big money) but more often than not the films do little more than find a niche audience and perhaps some critical praise.
A comprehensive book of Roman helmets could be a great book, welcomed on almost every ancient historian's bookshelf, even at $100 a copy. However, I do wonder if this would be a big money maker -- more a labor of love than of commerce.
Perhaps an adventurous publisher will undertake a Crowd Funding approach to raising the initial capital to fund research and pre-publication costs. One of the 'perks' for donating to the cause would be a deep discount on the finished book. Other incentive items could be magazine subscriptions, T-shirts, catalog titles, or discount coupons for the purchase of other books. All of these cost money too and must be factored into the total production costs.
This is not a simple or easy undertaking. The real questions: Is a comprehensive book about Roman Helmets worth the effort? And if so, when all is said and done, will we be in the 'black'?
:|
Narukami
David Reinke
Burbank CA
Burbank CA
