Feldgrau.net

I don't buy this 'don't want/need the money' argument. Why would you put all that effort in just to see someone else (potentially) make money out of your work..why not try dealing with the bookstores direct...there can't be that many of them

been badly 'burnt' by a (so-called) 'professional' publisher - never again !

nowadays in a niche market like this we simply do not need them, unless you simply don't have the inclination (time or space..got to store 'em somewhere) to 'market' your own work..

My personal experience with (Dutch and Belgian) bookstores weren't that great. They payed after a few weeks (or even moths) and wanted a discount. If it's for the money, bookstores are a sort of pain. My estimate is that there are about a 1,000 bookstores in Holland. They want to sell books which can be sold. A subject like the NSKK (widely unknown here) is figured it won't sell that good. So a bookstore will sell an expensive bio about Himmler (€49,99) and ignores other books. Himmler is well known, the NSKK (and collaboration) isn't, except when it comes to the Waffen-SS. My first concern was how to get some publicity about the NSKK. I figured it might help the (then future) selling of my book. Most bookstores didn't sell my book, those which did, ordered one copy at the time and sold a few copies in the end.

The biggest issue (in the bookstore problem) I wasn't dealing with the readers at all. A few of them thanked me for the information, wanted an autograph (that felt so good!) or provided me with some extra information and proved to be a new undiscovered source. I love it when readers approach me. They have a somehow different view as I have, since I 'm the writer and not a reader of my own book. I have met a few very nice people, spoke with them, saw them and had great contact through the internet. It's like this forum: I'm not posting replies because I get paid for it, because I like the subjects and the sharing of information.

Writing a book about a specific subject is also a kind of immortality: a book, no mather how it's written or the subject, will always be there. If I pass away (in about 55 years ), my books will still be there! The book about my grandfather kind of makes my grandfather never forgotten. He passed away in 1985, through my book about him he will be remembered. Also the NSKK-book: I've helped a lot people by writing this book. They got, at least an idea, what their father, grandfather, uncle, etc., did during the war. These things mean a lot to me. A lot more than the money I (could have) earned by selling the book.

BTW, the second print was sold at €26,99. The price could have easily set at €79,99 or even higher, signed and numbered. Then I would have done it for the money. I didn't 'choose' to get rich.

Is it possible to have a book published the traditional way as well doing an ebook available online ?
I know that as an avid reader I still prefer to have the book in my hands and on my shelf - but as someone who also would like to sell more copies of a book, the ebook option is very enticing...

A recent article in the Washington Post about the growing success of e-books for authors should be of interest to many. Maybe HaEn should consider this possibility.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle ... =emailpage

There is even a former Waffen-SS NCO who has done well with an e-book, the details of which can be found here

http://www.sexonomics.com/pages/enticement.htm

John