Books on coins, why do there seem to be so many new books being published?

Comments

• TommyType Posts: 4,586 ✭✭✭✭✭

  December 2, 2005 3:49AM

  I think part of the influx of new books has been a recent push from Whitman. It appears they have a long term plan to produce a whole series of books.
  
  Second, I think the market for numismatic books has probably grown with the growth in the number of collectors.

  Easily distracted Type Collector

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• michael Posts: 9,524 ✭✭✭

  December 2, 2005 3:52AM

  Books on coins, why do there seem to be so many new books being published?
  
  
  
  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
  
  new collectors are hot for coins and need something to read hence a huge market
  the majority of waht is being p[ublished is beginner information
  
  which is okie by me
  
  but does not float myboat so to speak
  
  now how about a book just on proof cameo coinage pre 1915??????????????????
  
  or a book on just on matte proof lincolns??
  
  or just a book on civil war and pre civil war proof cameo gold coins?
  
  or just a book on lettered lege 1795 large cents??

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• morgannut2 Posts: 4,293 ✭

  December 2, 2005 3:54AM

  In addition to the major reason you cite (profit due to info revolution/lower publication costs), a large number of baby boomers are reaching an age they are both knowledegable and have extra time since the kids are grown. Plus coin people tend to higher education levels and know how to write without extra editing.

  morgannut2

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• Longacre Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭

  December 2, 2005 3:58AM

  I think there is just increased demand for new information. A lot of information that is out there was stale, and I think Whitman (and other private publishers) are just looking to fill a need. With some exceptions, I think that collectibles-based books are driven by market needs.
  
  Looking back, I am not sure if a book like "The Waterford Water Cure" or "The Strange Career of Dr. Wilkins" would even be touched today by a firm like Whitman due to its limited appeal. However, I hope that authors won't stop writing these types of books, even if they have to be privately published.

  Always took candy from strangers
  Didn't wanna get me no trade
  Never want to be like papa
  Working for the boss every night and day
  --"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)

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• Conder101 Posts: 10,536 ✭

  December 2, 2005 5:58AM

  I'd say a large part of it has to do with the major advances that have taken place in the printing industry. Back in even the 1960's the effort it took to phyically print a book and the investment to do so was enormous. The book had to be typeset, proof made and sent out for hand correction, changes made to the typesetting, new proofs, photographic reproduction made to create the printing plates. Large presses for the plates were needed and the pages were printed in groups of a few dozen pages at a time, runs had to be colated, the pages cut, bound, trimmed, the cover bound on etc. If a publisher couldn't be assured of selling at least a few thousand copies he wouldn't even break even. Most numismatic books would sell only a couple thousand, or for a specialty work a couple hundred copies. No publisher really wanted to touch something like that.
  
  Today with the integrated use of computers and high speed printers in the publishing business a tiny print run is no problem. The author computer file is loaded in, spellchecked, emailed to people who will check it for errors. Why you wait for responces to come back you just close the file and pop out the disk so you can work on someone elses project. When the corrections come back you just pop the disk back in, make the changes, save the file and you are ready to send it to the printers. No more making printing plates or monster presses. the new presses take the information right from the computer and print directly to the page. And there you are a book ready for binding. And these presses can print thousands of pages an hour. Larger ones can print multiple pages on oversides sheets for sewn section hardbound books. but since they take the information straight from the computer they come out already colated and ready for cutting, sewing and binding. Since there is no advance set up very small press runs are possible. Literally a case of "print on demand". A published no longer has to print a thousnad or more copies, put them in storage, and then try and move them. He can take orders from distibutors Thurs - Wed, print them Wed night and ship them Thursday for arrival Friday. There are small publishers out there that if you just want a couple dozen copies can do it for you in just a week or so time.
  
  It's like grading services, now that shells are cheap and available, anyone can start a grading service. With printing so inexpensive and quick, anyone can be an author. You don't have to convince a publisher your work will sell, you just have topay for the prnting and then have them printed to order.

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• 291fifth Posts: 24,710 ✭✭✭✭✭

  December 2, 2005 6:41AM

  The publishers apparently think there is a market for them. It's a business decision when large publishers are involved. If a numismatic book is being self-published it is much more risky. Some of these self-published books do very well but others are monumental flops.

  All glory is fleeting.

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• carl Posts: 2,054 ✭

  December 2, 2005 9:29AM

  It is basically the same thing with many subjects. Take the the TV paid adds for how to buy a property with no money down. The guy that sells that stuff makes his money selling that stuff, not doing it. Nowadays everyone knows the best way to make money is to write a book about something, not necessarily doing whatever it's about. I remember when my wife had our son she ran out and bought books on how to have a baby. Her doctor told her that some of them were written by men with no medical background. But they sold the books, didn't they? Same with many items today. Condor 101 made it clear that todays technology makes it easy for anyone to write a book. It's easy to write a book about coins if you even only have a limited knowledge of the subject. Just takes time and looking into a way to have it published. If people run out to buy it and then say what a faker, so what, someone made the money selling the thing. Then there is the growing boom on coins going on in this country where the Red Book publishers now make 4 different types of the Red Book where there used to be only one. They all sell and nowadays many of us even collect the Red Book as a collectable which makes the publishers make even more types of these books. Then there is the dealer that just wants to make money and selling coins is OK but throw in a book or two and if it goes over, why waste time playing with coins, just write books. Criminals in prison write books and there are always people that buy them. One friend of mine used to teach Martial Arts but started to write books on the subject and as they popularity of Martial Arts grew, so did the sale of such books so he stopped teaching and only sold books. Even if you can't write a book, there is always magazines, pamphlets or just articles for a newsleter that can be a monitary source.
  Actually at one time I thought about printing out all the better threads on this forum and putting them into some sort of organized system and having it published as a great new informative coin book. Oops. Now that I said that someone else will be doing it by the time I put more paper in my printer.

  Carl

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