JJ Fedorowicz Publishing Titles (Suicide by Forum)

[Robert Edwards]

Well said, Paddy!
BTW, with regard to upcoming titles, I'll probably open up the tight lips shortly with announcements of several upcoming releases.
Regards,
Bob Edwards

[Reb]

Robert, All

As to Stackpole - that decision meant for me that I could buy Hubert Meyer AND Kurt Meyer's books after years of wanting both. (I'd been unaware of JFF) So I can only cheer the decision and hope it cost none of my pals any dough.

JJF is a lifesaver for the likes of us but I confess that this is first time I really thought about the fiduciary value of my collection of books - since I'd never consider selling any of them. I always go for the cheapest so I can get more for my bucks.

I must applaud anyone who helps me find the information I need.

cheers
Reb

[Paddy Keating]

To go back to the general topic of translation…I agree. Poor translations are infuriating. The reader has to wonder whether the original writer wrote poorly or whether the translator did not do his job. In most cases, it is clearly obvious that the translator didn't do his job. I would argue that if a translation is hard to read, it's usually the case of being a poor translation.

In the case of specialty translations, as in what we do, more is required than just a degree in the language. Fluency is essential, but so is a background in the subject and a familiarity with military jargon, both professional and colloquial.

I'm not sure a language degree is even relevant. I meet many people with language degrees who can hardly express themselves in their native tongues let alone the languages they spent three or four years reading at university.

Literary translation - meaning creative prose, poetry and so on - is one thing but specialist translation is another thing entirely. As an editor, I often oversee specialist translations and one has to take a two-tier approach to them. You're looking at a basic - but competent - translation by A. N. Other and then a rewrite/edit job by someone with the skills and knowledge base to which you refer.

The lines between these two areas obviously blur when dealing with veterans' memoirs or "faction" books, where the translation must achieve a literary style in conjunction with authorative treatment of the subject matter by someone who knows, in this case, how to translate or convert military terminology and nomenclature. Just a couple of captions in Pidgen English can have a devastating effect on how seriously one takes a book or, more to the point, its publishers, as many of you know.

I remember warning a French editor about the terrible English or 'Franglish' translations of captions he was aiming to go with in an otherwise great picture-led book on German forces in France. He asked me if I would rewrite them so I gave him a reasonable estimate - I mean...there were a couple of hundred of them so it wasn't a 'quick favour' - and he didn't want to pay. Result? The book didn't do as well as it might have done in the anglophone marketplace. Sadly, that story represents the rule rather than the exception when it comes to attitudes one encounters in publishing in general.

That's why I don't mind stumping up for books by imprints like JJF. I find slapdash books offensive and have been known to hurl them through open windows but I've yet to encounter a dog from JJF. Quality costs...as the man once said.

PK

[Annelie]

Changing paper does not necessarily change the final price that much…nor does going from a hard cover to a soft one. As with most retail operations, volume is the key.

For an consumer I like to choose books that have a good quality
paper and is hard cover.......at least a research book. I find
those are the bones of a good library to me and are worth
the money. Surprised to hear it doesn't change the final price much,
so why do they charge such a big difference between hard and soft
at the book stores?

[Annelie]

That's why I don't mind stumping up for books by imprints like JJF. I find slapdash books offensive and have been known to hurl them through open windows but I've yet to encounter a dog from JJF. Quality costs...as the man once said.

Agree...I don't mind paying at all and I didn't when I bought the Bender,
Angolia and Littlejohn books and yes I have bought Marc's book from
JJF.

Maybe its because I am used to paying higher prices for books
in other areas of interest such as Antique and Art books?

[Reb]

I'm ashamed to say that since Amazon has begun selling second hand books I've leaped upon that bandwagon.

I just got East of Elsenborn for 7 bucks after seeing it in a store for around 30.
The question for me is - do I want the info or am I collecting? The former is always true.

That said, I despise a poor translation or one that bespeaks a lack of knowledge of the subject matter. Some books I've read could be very confusing for someone just embarking upon the study and require a mental translation by the reader to cover the translator's mistakes.

I'm glad to see in this thread how seroiusly some of our colleagues take their duties - Robert E. Lee would be proud and I salute you.

cheers
Reb

("Duty is the sublimest word in the English language" RE Lee)

[zurek]

Hi, Robert, hi everyone!
I'm happy owner of 3 books from J.J Fedorowicz: The Leibstandarte III and IV/1; Jochen Peiper Commander Pz.Reg....
I bought this by amazon.com because, when I ordered it, shipping from Fedorowicz cost me around 100$. This is problem because, some books like "SS Armor" or reprint "Michel Wittmann and ..." (luckily there is Stockpole version) are not sold by amazon.com. From what it depend that one title is sold on amazon and other not?
Another problem, for me, is impossible to get Leibstandarte I and II. Second-hand is no option, because they are hard to get and pretty expensive . I wrote around year ago a e-mail to your office and I got the reply that probably it will be couple of years to see reprint of that parts. Is anything change in this case? Or like in DR case, they will reprint when there will be they time? I'm not marketing specialist but maybe when LAH parts I & II be avaible, the other parts would sell better?
If reprint of Leibstandarte will be in next few years, it is possible to reprint only mapbook for Leibstandarte III? At one of begining pages of Leibstandarte III there is information that you can provide it. But it was around 8 (???) years, is it still current.

P.S Is J.J Fedorowicz is of Polish descent?

[Tolga Alkan]

Hey!

I'm sorry for being very late to this thread.As many others, I own several books published by Fedorowicz.And again as many others, my humble complaint is about the price.

Years ago, I sent an email and asked when will be there an book totally about Tigers of Das Reich.The answers was something like this "We are planning to publish in 3-4 years".And now I'm very glad and excited to see that "Das Reich Tigers" is almost released.

thats all for now.

[Wiking5th]

Just finished reading"Hot Motor, Cold Feet". I actually found it, to my surprise, more enjoyable a read that "Goodbye Transylvania" which I read just before.

My question is,at the end of HMCF there is a note that JJF will be publishing the squeal "Eyes of the Division" about the authors experience in the 17th SS PzGrd Div after he recovered from his frostbite. CAn you tell when you anticipate having this book ready and approxmate cost?

Thank you and keep up the great work. Cost aside, you are the best that we have going for the type books offerred.

Regards.
Wiking5th

[krichter33]

Hot Motors, Cold Feet, is one of the better war memoirs I've read! I emailed JJF a while ago and they said it'll be a couple of years before they publish Eyes of the Division. Hopefully, it won't take so long.

[book lover]

Hi,I just finished 'DAS REICH TIGERS".Very highly recomended!
Loaded with first person accounts and great photos.
You guy's are doing a super job.Looking foward to your future publications.
As for the price.I paid more for my first year calculus text book back in 1986!

Cheers,Eric

[Marc Rikmenspoel]

I'm still reading Das Reich Tigers, but I'm also finding it quite impressive. Yeah, many of the photos have been seen before, but the heart of the book is one account after another by the veterans. So it is mostly in their words, with Wolfgang Schneider only providing descriptions of events. He leaves his own commentary out of it all, which is quite refreshing!

Aside from the nice content, the physical production of the book is a also impressive. It seems sturdier than some JJF books (not that the worst of them are bad), and the paper is slightly heavier than in some volumes (I'm guessing it is 80# instead of 70# and of course the paper used can depend on what the printer is able to acquire). All in all, a handsome book with good content!

[Robert Edwards]

After a somewhat longish hiatus, I returned to the site to see what, if any comments, have been added to this thread. I will respond tho those that started on page 6 of the thread in rough order...

The first to Paddy:

Many thanks for the kind words, Paddy, regarding our translations. I have had a direct hand in almost everything that has come out since the new millennium. I feel pretty comfortable with those. Some of our older translations have had problems when I reviewed them for reprint. Generally speaking, that's why the reprints of older titles are essentially new books in many cases (excepting the photo albums which are generally exact reprints, since they were done on film and the original photos are no longer easily available).
Take care,
Bob

[Robert Edwards]

Changing paper does not necessarily change the final price that much…nor does going from a hard cover to a soft one. As with most retail operations, volume is the key.

For an consumer I like to choose books that have a good quality
paper and is hard cover.......at least a research book. I find
those are the bones of a good library to me and are worth
the money. Surprised to hear it doesn't change the final price much,
so why do they charge such a big difference between hard and soft
at the book stores?

Annelie,
There's not that much difference when you are putting out a limited print run of a book. When you start doing tens of thousands, then there's a significant price difference. Unfortunately, small publishers without marketing and sales departments, cannot print enough copies of the book to get the prices down (or separated, as in the case of the soft- and hard covers).
Hope this answers your question...
Regards,
Bob Edwards