I woke up this morning with the sudden realisation that there was *possibly* an opportunity to combine both aspects into the project we currently have in hand - the next CD.
I've realised that there is *never* enough room to explain the stories behind the songs in a CD booklet, no matter how big it is. The CD we're currently working on has a LOT of stories and explanations tied up with it, not to mention the pictures and illustrations.
So, I'm idly wondering if anyone out there might be interested in buying "the book of the CD" with the stories explained, expanded, retold in prose and illustrated with both artwork and photographs? It seems to me that there are a couple of different ways to approach the problem of publishing as well, depending on how interested people were in the product - sites like Lulu.com do absolutely *beautiful* vanity published hardback and softback books in both full colour and black and white. The catch is... they're expensive. There wouldn't be much profit in this, but it would look *gorgeous* and be worth doing, I think. The other option would be the way that a standard songbook is published - good quality photocopying (or litho) and spiral/comb bound. This would be cheaper, but not such a nice product.
So, I've dipped my toe into the pool of polls, to ask for your thoughts...
Poll #1185605 Would you buy a "Behind the Music" book?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
Would you buy a "Behind the Music Book"?
What format would you prefer?
View Answers
Photocopied, spiral bound, black and white
4 (28.6%)
Vanity pressed, hard-cover, full-colour art photographs 6 (42.9%)
Vanity pressed, soft-cover, black and white 4 (28.6%)
How much would you be prepared to pay?
How big would you like to see it?
View Answers
25 pages or less 1 (7.1%)
50 pages or thereabouts 9 (64.3%)
100 pages or thereabouts 3 (21.4%)
100+ pages 1 (7.1%)
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stevieannie- stevieannie
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How much I'm willing to pay depends on both the format and the size, of course. I actually wanted a preference list for the format (mine is "hardcover full colour > softcover b/w") but the size is "how much material do you have?" And the price varies from a s/c with 25 pages (5-10 pounds) to a h/c with 100+ pages which would be easily worth over 15 pounds. (And if you did both h/c and s/c then I might well be interested in buying both, the s/c as a "reading copy" because it travels better; I point this out to all authors I know.)
(I have now just spent an interesting hour or so perusing the Lulu site. Prices are a lot more reasonable than I'd expected...)
Seriously, I'd buy a photocopied booklet for, say 3 quid (budget at the time permitting), but I'd *rather* buy a neat little hardbacked thing that sits perfectly alongside the CD on the shelf / in the rack so that I never lose it. That probably sets the limit on the number of pages as well as the size of them.
Have you considered selling the CD as a double-CD sized pack, with the CD and book together? Then you could get away with a soft cover rather than hardback, as the box will protect it. The cover should be full colour and complement the CD cover/box design, but internally B&W would be fine, perhaps with a full colour centrefold. (No, not *that* kind of centrefold! Well, not unless you want to... =;o} )
And I'm saying all this with no idea what the actual content will be, which is daft. Except that it'll be you guys, so maybe not. =:o}
Tony Fabris did an absolutely gorgeous one-off photographic songbook for Thirteen for the Interfilk auction at FKO. It sold for more than $500. But I wouldn't take that as the baseline, since it was a unique item. :)
Printing is stupidly expensive, as I'm sure you've discovered. My brother-in-law has done a lot of work with Lulu and likes them quite a bit, but a full-color photographic book is going to be very expensive.
Is there any value to putting this on the web as a marketing piece rather than trying to sell it? Is the CD going to have a wide enough appeal that a marketing effort of this kind would make sense?
As I said, just thinking here. But it certainly sounds cool!
From what she said, I don't see it as a marketing thing. I doubt that anyone would buy the CD because of the book. What some of us who buy CDs want, however, is the book which explains the songs, especially songs with stories, and that's what I see this idea as.
The songs I write usually have a LOT of layers and background history which I don't have time to explore, I'm thinking that this project might give me the chance to do that... Hmmm.. Anyway, thanks a lot for your input - I need to go and plot'n'plan!