Encyclopaedia of Spring Air Pistols

[Abasmajor]

70-80 new pistols, updated info and new colour photo’s? at £60 and a limited run I’d probably buy two.

Cheers,
Matt

I would agree that a slimmer update or update and CD package would be a very welcome option. I admit a full colour second edition would be preferable but may not be a practical proposition. I'm sure a second edition would sell well, but maybe the niche market take up would not justify the commitment and expense necessary to make it happen.
I bought the first edition of this book and both editions of the John Knibbs book.so for me it would be a no brainer.

Brian

[Phil Russell]

Thank you John for the printing information.
As for options: Personally I prefer a hardcopy version to read and look at rather than a CD or ebook or whatever. If an updated new edition including all the old content was produced I would certainly buy it at £60 or so and would regard it as a bargain given the cost of modern academic texts. I think I would buy two. I would also buy another copy of the first edition, as is.
If a supplement was produced: 'A supplement to an encyclopedia of Spring Air Pistols, Vol. 1' then I would also buy it, again most likely two copies.

Note: the Vol 1 is not obligatory

Cheers, Phil

[45flint]

I think you underestimate how many current owners would buy the new book? I own the first and would be happy to buy the updated one no matter what the cost! I paid over $200 for the first one!

[micky2]

Hi John, l was one of the buyers of the book although l thought it was a bit expensive at the time, it turned out to be the best airgun book that l have. l am sure that most of the buyers of the first book would buy a new edition with the extra 20% info and in colour even at £60+ l would. and given the prices that the first edition goes for now and they are soon snapped up. you would sell more than the original 300 copies.

[slug-gun]

There have been quite a few points raised in this thread about a new edition/reprinting of the Encyclopedia of Spring Air Pistols, so I thought it would be helpful to say what my current thinking is. I have always wanted to produce an updated version of the book, and so I have continued to research and record all new information with this in mind. I have now accumulated over 5000 files of new information since the book was published in 2008. Obviously this will have to be sifted and condensed, but even with high selectivity, it will inevitably lead to a significant increase in the size of the book, perhaps as much as 20%. I would also only consider the second edition worthwhile if it could be in full colour, like John M’s book. This naturally raises cost issues, as self-publishing is expensive (as John will confirm), particularly when the book is for a niche market and only very short runs are needed. I doubt that many of the current 250 or so owners of the first edition would relish paying, say, £60 for a second edition that only added 20% more data, and I also doubt that there would be more than a hundred new first-time buyers prepared to pay that price for a new book. So only a short run of about 100 -200 books could be anticipated, and as a result the cost from the printers and binders could be way too high.

I have no real interest in making a profit, but also I do not want to be out of pocket. I must admit that I do need to look into self-publishing costs in some detail, as things have changed a lot over the last 13 years. For example, on the plus side, I know from John that colour printing costs have actually come down a lot.

A cost-effective option might be to produce a much slimmer book in the form of a supplement to the first edition, covering only new information post 2008. The first edition could be made available to first time buyers as a CD, as the supplement on its own would not be very useful.

In answer to Matt's query, at a (very) rough guess I would say that about 70-80 'new' guns/ 'new' variations of existing guns have turned up since the first edition was published.

Cheers,
John

John, I think you are being over cautious when it comes to estimating the number of copies of any new book that you could sell. To put things into perspective my own book, 'Webley Air Rifles' has sold well over 1000 copies, maybe 1250. (Currently out of print but hoping to change that)

Now when it comes to 'niche', mine really is that, only one type of gun made by one manufacturer. Yours covers the whole spectrum of air pistols by all the various manufacturers and as such should have, and indeed deserves a much, much wider audience, particularly given the fact that more people collect pistols than rifles, due to their portability and size etc, so hence more interest in them.

As such over time I would have thought you would shift perhaps 5000 copies +? Whatever the figure I am sure it would exceed my count by a very significant margin and certainly be far more than the 300 odd printed so far.

I believe Les Wesley's charming little book, which apparently he wrote in about a month, sold over 25,000 copies, albeit over a number of years and editions. I would also be inclined to go in search of a publisher; far less work ultimately and perhaps an even better finish and presentation? And more to the point no upfront costs on your part.

[coburn]

John, I think you are being over cautious when it comes to estimating the number of copies of any new book that you could sell. To put things into perspective my own book, 'Webley Air Rifles' has sold well over 1000 copies, maybe 1250. (Currently out of print but hoping to change that)

Now when it comes to 'niche', mine really is that, only one type of gun made by one manufacturer. Yours covers the whole spectrum of air pistols by all the various manufacturers and as such should have, and indeed deserves a much, much wider audience, particularly given the fact that more people collect pistols than rifles, due to their portability and size etc, so hence more interest in them.

As such over time I would have thought you would shift perhaps 5000 copies +? Whatever the figure I am sure it would exceed my count by a very significant margin and certainly be far more than the 300 odd printed so far.

I believe Les Wesley's charming little book, which apparently he wrote in about a month, sold over 25,000 copies, albeit over a number of years and editions. I would also be inclined to go in search of a publisher; far less work ultimately and perhaps an even better finish and presentation? And more to the point no upfront costs on your part.

Chris

I am sure I saw a dealer recently advertising to buy used copies of your book, unfortunately I can't remember who or find the link. Perhaps someone on here will have seen the ad too.

[Josie & John]

Chris

I am sure I saw a dealer recently advertising to buy used copies of your book, unfortunately I can't remember who or find the link. Perhaps someone on here will have seen the ad too.

It was Protek.

Kind regards,

John

[Troubledshooter]

John, I think you are being over cautious when it comes to estimating the number of copies of any new book that you could sell. To put things into perspective my own book, 'Webley Air Rifles' has sold well over 1000 copies, maybe 1250. (Currently out of print but hoping to change that)

I wondered why Eb@y sellers were asking such high prices for your book. About time I divested myself of my spare mint copy.

[ccdjg]

Thanks for all the various comments, which have been a big help in deciding whether or not to continue with the book revision that I have been doing (off and on) over the past few years.


I have now decided that my strategy will be to continue with the work, but I will give it more time commitment, and when I have a firm idea of how large the new manuscript will be, I will get quotes from various sources as to printing and binding costs. Then I can make a decision about how to proceed. My aim will be to incorporate as much of the new data as possible, possibly removing some old material if necessary, and producing the book in full colour, rather than monochrome with colour plates. The size of the print run will depend on the cost. I have already ‘colourised’ the bulk of the original manuscript, which was pretty time consuming as I had lost the original colour images of many of the guns in the book, and I had to relocate the original sources or find new sources.


Chris, I agree with the points you make about using a publishing house to take over the hard work, as I have published books in this way before. However, I think these days the chances of finding a publisher willing to take on niche books like this are pretty slim, as John M. will confirm. Also this last year I have been trying to find a publisher in the UK and USA for the first English translation of Bruno Brukner’s excellent book “The Air Pistol” , which successfully ran into several editions in Germany, and which I helped with in the translation process. Not only could we find no takers, most of the publishers we contacted did not even bother to reply. No doubt the covid situation was largely to blame, but even so it does not bode well.

I was very happy self-publishing the Encyclopedia, and I know that John M. has also found it a good experience with his book. The feeling that you are in complete control of your own creation is a good one.

Cheers,
John

[micky2]

That is very good news for us collectors indeed.

[harvey_s]

Crack on and count me in too...

[Josie & John]

Thanks for all the various comments, which have been a big help in deciding whether or not to continue with the book revision that I have been doing (off and on) over the past few years.


I have now decided that my strategy will be to continue with the work, but I will give it more time commitment, and when I have a firm idea of how large the new manuscript will be, I will get quotes from various sources as to printing and binding costs. Then I can make a decision about how to proceed. My aim will be to incorporate as much of the new data as possible, possibly removing some old material if necessary, and producing the book in full colour, rather than monochrome with colour plates. The size of the print run will depend on the cost. I have already ‘colourised’ the bulk of the original manuscript, which was pretty time consuming as I had lost the original colour images of many of the guns in the book, and I had to relocate the original sources or find new sources.


Chris, I agree with the points you make about using a publishing house to take over the hard work, as I have published books in this way before. However, I think these days the chances of finding a publisher willing to take on niche books like this are pretty slim, as John M. will confirm. Also this last year I have been trying to find a publisher in the UK and USA for the first English translation of Bruno Brukner’s excellent book “The Air Pistol” , which successfully ran into several editions in Germany, and which I helped with in the translation process. Not only could we find no takers, most of the publishers we contacted did not even bother to reply. No doubt the covid situation was largely to blame, but even so it does not bode well.

I was very happy self-publishing the Encyclopedia, and I know that John M. has also found it a good experience with his book. The feeling that you are in complete control of your own creation is a good one.

Cheers,
John

Agreed re. self publishing John. I was not keen on the idea at first, simply because the prospect of formatting a book was completely new to me and I thought that using a publisher would produce the best results. However, with plenty of advice from John G, Garvin and one of my sisters that is heavily into art and showed me a number of formatting styles, I am pleased to have gone the self publishing route. The U.K. based printer I used was also extremely helpful and I am satisfied with the end result. As John G says, you are in complete control of your work and have the final say over including or omitting parts, as you see fit.

I for one am looking forward to seeing the end result of John G's revised edition. It will be worth waiting for.

John M

[Jerry Cornelius]

Thanks for all the various comments, which have been a big help in deciding whether or not to continue with the book revision that I have been doing (off and on) over the past few years.


I have now decided that my strategy will be to continue with the work, but I will give it more time commitment, and when I have a firm idea of how large the new manuscript will be, I will get quotes from various sources as to printing and binding costs. Then I can make a decision about how to proceed. My aim will be to incorporate as much of the new data as possible, possibly removing some old material if necessary, and producing the book in full colour, rather than monochrome with colour plates. The size of the print run will depend on the cost. I have already ‘colourised’ the bulk of the original manuscript, which was pretty time consuming as I had lost the original colour images of many of the guns in the book, and I had to relocate the original sources or find new sources.


Chris, I agree with the points you make about using a publishing house to take over the hard work, as I have published books in this way before. However, I think these days the chances of finding a publisher willing to take on niche books like this are pretty slim, as John M. will confirm. Also this last year I have been trying to find a publisher in the UK and USA for the first English translation of Bruno Brukner’s excellent book “The Air Pistol” , which successfully ran into several editions in Germany, and which I helped with in the translation process. Not only could we find no takers, most of the publishers we contacted did not even bother to reply. No doubt the covid situation was largely to blame, but even so it does not bode well.

I was very happy self-publishing the Encyclopedia, and I know that John M. has also found it a good experience with his book. The feeling that you are in complete control of your own creation is a good one.

Cheers,
John

How infuriating that you cannot get Brukner published in translation, given the German success you would feel sure it would shift at least a few thousand copies in english

[ccdjg]

Yes it is a super book. The English version is actually more extensive than even the last German edition. Although coverage of vintage air pistols is light, the coverage of post-war gas, PCP, SSP and spring air pistols is exhaustive, and he covers just about everything, including the design technology, performance and ammunition. It seems that lack of interest from publishers is international, as his German publisher will also not fund his English edition.

I have tried to persuade him to self-publish, but he is over 90 now and sees it as too much hassle. I would offer to take over the burden myself but I have enough problems with my own book, and I am also pushing 80.