Topic: Pioneers of the Blues Revival

[Stuart]

Hi Alan: I have no idea why the publishers would not also publish a PB edition, given that most--but not all--of the other books on the first and second page have PB editions. Perhaps they are waiting to gauge potential PB sales based on some formula, but that's just a guess. A PB edition may be forthcoming as I noticed a time lag of several months (and in some cases years) between the date of the HB and PB for several of the titles.

[Bunker Hill]

Stuart, you've probably hit on it. Steve's last book for Illinois was published in 2009 (50GBP) and a year later appeared in paperback (17GBP). We live in hope.....

[TenBrook]

I was wondering if anyone has read this and would recommend it? The price is still a bit steep, even for a used copy but I'm intrigued by the stories that it might contain.

[Stuart]

Hi TenBrook:

I read it last year and enjoyed it. It's a collection of interviews. However, I borrowed it from one of the local libraries, so it was a cheap date. IMHO, $75 is beyond what it should be priced at. $25-$30 is more in the range of a trade book like this.

OCLC lists it as being held by 650 libraries:

http://www.worldcat.org/title/pioneers-of-the-blues-revival/oclc/861676380

So perhaps your local library could get you a copy through Inter-Library loan. And since it's also published as an e-book, maybe you could log in and read it on-line, if the library has it in its e-book holdings. And if you have access to Project MUSE, it's available if you have access:

https://muse.jhu.edu/book/31335

Here's a link to a report done on the costs of publishing monographs. It's primarily focused on university presses. One of the editors at the University of Washington sent it to me and said that $30K is the cost to bring a book to the pre-print stage at the UW Press. So there are various considerations re: what books are priced at.

http://www.sr.ithaka.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SR_Report_Costs_Publishing_Monographs020516.pdf

[TenBrook]

Thanks Stuart for all the info. I haven't used Inter-Library loan at my library yet but maybe now is a good time to do so. Thanks also for the pdf link on the cost of publishing for University Presses, interesting info to have access to.

Thanks again,
Lew

[Stuart]

Hi Lew:

It's definitely worth a trip to your library to discuss what's available with the people there. In recent years there's been a move toward "Open Access" (OA) with the goal of making a lot more available than what a single library or library system can hold (or afford). Google Books is a good first step, but it has its limits. And OA is not without problems as it has the potential to result in lost sales--and it's sales that allow the print publishers to remain viable.  Here are a couple of links to Lever Press. Its focus is on academic publishing, but many of the books on music that we value are published by university presses.

http://www.leverpress.org/

http://www.middlebury.edu/newsroom/archive/2016-news/node/538116