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Patrick_Mucci

"Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« on: February 04, 2011, 10:54:48 PM »
is due to be released in Mid-April.

The first edition was a terrific book and the second edition should be even better, with expanded coverage on some of Ross's famous courses.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2011, 09:41:49 PM by Patrick_Mucci »

PCCraig

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2011, 01:07:56 AM »
Great news!
H.P.S.

Travis Dewire

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2011, 11:53:24 AM »
Mr. Mucci,

Any directions to point one in acquiring the 1st edition? Don't think I can wait untill April to have one of these!

Thank you,

Travis

Adam Clayman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2011, 03:26:25 PM »
That's amazing. I thought tomes on prolific archies took at least 12 years to get published. ;)
"It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing your whole life." - Mickey Mantle

Morgan Clawson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2011, 05:39:15 PM »
Patrick,

Congrats! This post is #1 on Google for "Remembering Donald Ross"

So, there's not too much other info on this book out there yet...

Brad Klein

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2011, 07:08:06 PM »
Publishing world sucks. The first two printings of "Discovering Donald Ross" sold 10,000 copies at a list price of $85 -- effective average closer to $60, thanks to amazon.com. But Wiley Books decided not to restock a new printing because they don't like warehousing books, the tax codes have changed, they can't move enough copies fast enough, yada, yada, yada. So I'm teaming with Duck Pond Press ("Building Sebonack") and we're publishing the 2nd edition through that arm, with a 20+ page expanded section via postscript, plus up-dated charts, etc. I have assembled most of the new images I need, now finishing the text. Some great images to be included, mainly of courses that were not in the first edition or that more underwent restoration in the decade since the book came out.

Would welcome advice on the list price, as we are deciding now and it's a very expensive book to produce, since it's full color, hard bound and shrink wrapped. $85 might scare people off, but $45 doesn't cover costs, storage, modest return, etc.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2011, 07:15:13 PM by Brad Klein »

JC Jones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2011, 07:20:41 PM »
This is good news, Brad.  I'm in for one at $85.
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Tim Martin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2011, 07:34:41 PM »
Brad-I would gladly pay $85 for the 2nd edition . Please let us know when it is available for purchase. Thanks.

Bart Bradley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2011, 07:51:20 PM »
Brad:

Count me as another buyer.  However, I do think that you would have a bigger potential market if the price could be held to $59 or something of that sort....the price of a generous gift.

My wife is a author and the publishing world can certainly be a challenge.  With the success of the first two printings of the first edition, you could likely attract an agent.  Most of the headaches are substantially reduced once the agent relationship is in place.

Best of luck,

Bart

Brad Klein

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2011, 08:15:57 PM »
The sticker price is an odd matter of psychology as much as anything. These days no matter what the sticker price you end up selling it, on average, for 30% less. And anyone in books will tell you that once you go above $30 sticker price you have priced yourself out of the market for impulse off-the-shelf buying. So once you go above $30 -- and we have to if we are going to break even on this -- the price matters very little in terms of the number of units sold, though obviously the higher you go you fall off somewhat. As I recall from my distant student days it's a matter of finding "Pareto optimality," the point at which\ you maximize revene and offset the loss in volume by the overall capital accrued.

If we could list and sell it at $60 it would be ideal, but the discounters kill you even there and you're down to getting $40-$45 each, which barely works.

As for agents, they don't touch boutique books. If I wrote pot boilers like James Dodson or Mark Frost did I'd have no trouble getting an agent. But my books are more specialized and agents/publishers look at such books askance these days.

Carl Johnson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2011, 08:39:10 PM »
Please clue me in.  I've got Brad Kliein's "Discovering Donald Ross" (2001) and a picture book of some Donald Ross holes by Michael Fay, but looking at Amazon and Googling I cannot find "Remembering Donald Ross."  WTF am I missing here? Or, is it just my old age?  [Addendum: I see that the title of this thread has now been updated to the correct title - 2/6/2001.]
« Last Edit: February 06, 2011, 11:19:37 AM by Carl Johnson »

Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2011, 08:40:52 PM »
Based on CPI over the last 10 years it should list for $108, but given the relative economies then and now I'd keep it at $85 and put me down for one as well...
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

hick

Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2011, 08:54:07 PM »
Carl , I think its Discovering Donald Ross.

I have Brads book on Desert Forest and its a great club history book. I wold pay $ 85 for the new book. cant wait for it to come out.

Carl Johnson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2011, 09:01:16 PM »
Carl , I think its Discovering Donald Ross.

I have Brads book on Desert Forest and its a great club history book. I wold pay $ 85 for the new book. cant wait for it to come out.

Yea, but Pat Mucci says it's "Remembering Donald Ross."  Is that just Pat's mistake?
« Last Edit: February 05, 2011, 09:03:27 PM by Carl Johnson »

Patrick_Mucci

Re: "Remembering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2011, 09:41:22 PM »
Carl,

I discovered and then remembered that it's "Discovering Donald Ross", although, I think Brad should have entitled it, "Remembering Donald Ross", since he already discovered him in his first edition..

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #15 on: February 06, 2011, 05:09:23 AM »
Thanks for clearing that up Mat.  I couldn't figure out why Brad jumped in talking about his book!  I also couldn't believe there was a major book on Ross I never heard of.  That said, Pat has a good idea for the second edition title or would that be considered a scam in trying present much of the same book with a different title?

Brad

I think your Ross book is top notch and right there with the big books on Dr Mac and CB Mac.  Will the new edition be worth the price tag if one has the old edition?   


Ciao
« Last Edit: February 06, 2011, 05:11:21 AM by Sean Arble »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Brad Klein

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #16 on: February 06, 2011, 07:16:18 AM »
Sean, at the terrible risk of being honest, this is not a new book; this is a modestly expanded version of the original book. The point is to make it available to readers, to clubs and to groups looking to validate their Ross course and to keep research on his work at the forefront. So it's really for those who don't yet have the book, and for clubs, groups and associations looking to get the word out to their constituents.

Rick Shefchik

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #17 on: February 07, 2011, 01:15:28 AM »
Brad, are you going to list Minneapolis Golf Club as a Ross redesign in the new edition? And, less seriously, what about Cloquet (Minn.) Country Club, which persistently claims its original nine is a Ross?
"Golf is 20 percent mechanics and technique. The other 80 percent is philosophy, humor, tragedy, romance, melodrama, companionship, camaraderie, cussedness and conversation." - Grantland Rice

Mike Hendren

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #18 on: February 07, 2011, 10:05:17 AM »
I have enjoyed my first edition for many years.  Highly recommended.

Brad, will the new edition include Plainfield CC?

Mike
Two Corinthians walk into a bar ....

Mark McKeever

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #19 on: February 07, 2011, 10:22:55 AM »
I recently bought the first edition and would really enjoy having the second as well..

Mark
Best MGA showers - Bayonne

"Dude, he's a total d***"

Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #20 on: February 07, 2011, 10:25:00 AM »
Brad,

WTH kind of marketing is that?

I think the book has valuble new information, never before seen photos, and possible a section on the kinky sex life and/or abduction by aliens of Donald Ross, so I am buying the second version, even though I have the first......
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Patrick_Mucci

Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #21 on: February 07, 2011, 02:01:44 PM »
Brad,

Why not offer a bulk order price to all Donald Ross Clubs prior to the official release ?

If 25 members per club bought the book, that would seem to be a good start.

Dave Maberry

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #22 on: February 07, 2011, 07:29:30 PM »
Brad,
 Were there any differences between 2 printings of first edition? I believe I have first printing by Sleeping Bear Press from 2001. I look forward to second edition.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2011, 07:53:43 PM by Dave Maberry »

Mark McKeever

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #23 on: February 08, 2011, 10:41:50 AM »
Brad,

Why not offer a bulk order price to all Donald Ross Clubs prior to the official release ?

If 25 members per club bought the book, that would seem to be a good start.

Awesome idea Pat.  Im sure a number of Schuylkill CC members would enjoy having this book in their libraries!

Mark
Best MGA showers - Bayonne

"Dude, he's a total d***"

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: "Discovering Donald Ross", second edition
« Reply #24 on: February 08, 2011, 11:08:07 AM »
Brad,

Why not offer a bulk order price to all Donald Ross Clubs prior to the official release ?

If 25 members per club bought the book, that would seem to be a good start.

This is how I got hold of the original.  The book was a "door prize" (instead of the usual shirt or jumper) for entering an Invitational at a Ross course.  It is one of THE books/events which got me into architecture.

Ciao
« Last Edit: February 08, 2011, 11:09:47 AM by Sean Arble »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing