With many countries in total or partial lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had no idea if this would affect my book sales. As my latest book – THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME – was due to be published by Easter (and was!) and I had fears that it would not sell well. My concerns were totally unfounded, and as the following figures show, it has sold well.:
I had hoped to be able to publish eBook editions of THE PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME and THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME so that purchasers could read them on a Kindle or similar device, but Lulu.com's software continues to reject my attempts to do so. Likewise, I had hoped to give anyone who purchased a hardback or paperback edition of THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME book from Lulu.com a free PDF edition of the new book as a bonus ... but this proved to be impossible.
I do have vague plans to write another PORTABLE WARGAME book in the future (probably specifically for fighting Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War battles), although this may be preceded by a book of rules variants devised by players and edited by me.
I had hoped to be able to publish eBook editions of THE PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME and THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME so that purchasers could read them on a Kindle or similar device, but Lulu.com's software continues to reject my attempts to do so. Likewise, I had hoped to give anyone who purchased a hardback or paperback edition of THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME book from Lulu.com a free PDF edition of the new book as a bonus ... but this proved to be impossible.
I do have vague plans to write another PORTABLE WARGAME book in the future (probably specifically for fighting Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War battles), although this may be preceded by a book of rules variants devised by players and edited by me.
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A book of PW rule variants is a really good idea. You've sold one copy already!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I was intrigued by the table napkin 'board' so I had a look on eBay and found Brown Gingham Check PVC tablecloths. Ideal for Colonials.
Barry Carter,
DeleteI already have several variants ‘in stock’, and hope to add a few more over the next couple of months.
Your idea to use a brown gingham tablecloth for PCW sounds very interesting, and I intend to investigate its possibilities.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, I'm looking forward to Portable Wargames specifically for the Eastern Front. Will it deal with Airpower and logistics ? I've been favourably impressed with the Portable offerings so far and I'm looking forward to something covering a period that I find fascinating.
DeleteBest wishes,
Tony Jones
Unknown (Toby Jones),
DeleteI’m planning to include interrelated land, sea, and air rules in the book, and hope to include some very simple logistic rules that will work in a campaign context,
All the best,
Bob
I would not be surprised if some potential readers of the Portable Colonial Wargame are waiting for it to appear on Amazon? This saves creating another on line account - or anyway inputting delivery and payment details yet again - plus no delivery charges for Prime members. Of course, its appearance may be delayed if caught up in Amazon's de-prioritation of books in favour of hand sanitizers and the like.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ebooks, if you really want to publish them I fear you'll have to bite the bullet and get a KDP account so you can do it yourself. But do you want to face the learning curve and the extra work? As a potential purchaser I would be happy if you were to do this but this may be my selfish side peeking out.
Mike Hall,
DeleteI understand that Amazon now has THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME listed but not yet available to order. As soon as they do, I’ll notify my regular blog readers.
I do still hope to publish eBook editions of THE PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME and THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME ... but this may take time. They have been converted into the correct format using special software recommended by Lulu.com, but every time I try to upload the files, there is an ‘undisclosed problem’. I have asked for assistance from Lulu,com, but as you can imagine, they are snowed under and have yet to reply.
All the best,
Bob
I'd definitely be keen for the variants book, both as a buyer and a contributor! You shouldn't be surprised by the sales of your latest book given both the current situation and the fact you produce great material at a great price.
ReplyDeleteMillsy,
DeleteI welcome any contributions to the variants book, be they long or short. I'm hoping that by producing such a book, it will spark other people to share the ways that they have tailored the rules to suit their needs and requirements.
As to the price of my books ... well I try to keep them as affordable as possible, hence the various different editions and formats.
All the best,
Bob
I'd love the book of variants myself. I'm waiting on the Colonial book (though I have no idea where I can get figures in the USA). Though expensive, I thought the board for Story Time Chess might be an easy way to get terrain! https://storytimechess.com/storytime-chess-the-game/
ReplyDeleteMichael Taylor,
DeleteIf you cannot get hold of metal or plastic figures, you can always print your own paper figures. The
Junior General website has quite a few suitable free, downloadable figures.
All the best,
Bob