R. Scott Clark
Puritan Board Senior
I need your help.
A group of scholars has formed an editorial board with a view to translating and publishing some classic Reformed theological texts from the 16th and 17th centuries.
We have proposals at a few publishers.
I need to try to get an idea of what the market will bear.
We propose to publish these volumes (I'm being deliberately ambiguous about which texts -- assume for the sake of discussion that these are texts that are largely unavailable at present and would be of interest to those interested in CRT) for seminary students, pastors, scholars, and interested laity.
The question: would clothbound volumes at $40-45.00 be too expensive? I think the price would not include shipping. So the total cost could exceed $50.00
If $40-50 is too much, how much would you pay?
Would you rather have these volumes in paper rather than cloth if it means keeping cost down, or would you rather have well-bound volumes (assuming that paper = less well bound) even if the cost is higher?
The grounds for my concern:
1. I've had some comments that $17-$20.00 is "too expensive" for a the CJPM paperbound volume (at 465 pages!). I think such comments are, well, insane, but maybe they reflect a growing American resistance to books. I worry that if folk think CJPM is too expensive then what will they think of $40-50 volumes?
2. I sense that students, when they first arrive, seem somewhat reluctant to buy books. They seem to be trained in college to read everything online. They don't seem to buy a lot of used books.
3. I worry that we're entering post-literate age and that cost may be immaterial.
It would help us if responses could focus primarily on the question of cost and secondarily on the truth or falsity of the grounds. Some reflection on the grounds will be useful. If the grounds are false, then the premise of the question is false and there's no cause for concern.
Thanks for your help.
rsc
A group of scholars has formed an editorial board with a view to translating and publishing some classic Reformed theological texts from the 16th and 17th centuries.
We have proposals at a few publishers.
I need to try to get an idea of what the market will bear.
We propose to publish these volumes (I'm being deliberately ambiguous about which texts -- assume for the sake of discussion that these are texts that are largely unavailable at present and would be of interest to those interested in CRT) for seminary students, pastors, scholars, and interested laity.
The question: would clothbound volumes at $40-45.00 be too expensive? I think the price would not include shipping. So the total cost could exceed $50.00
If $40-50 is too much, how much would you pay?
Would you rather have these volumes in paper rather than cloth if it means keeping cost down, or would you rather have well-bound volumes (assuming that paper = less well bound) even if the cost is higher?
The grounds for my concern:
1. I've had some comments that $17-$20.00 is "too expensive" for a the CJPM paperbound volume (at 465 pages!). I think such comments are, well, insane, but maybe they reflect a growing American resistance to books. I worry that if folk think CJPM is too expensive then what will they think of $40-50 volumes?
2. I sense that students, when they first arrive, seem somewhat reluctant to buy books. They seem to be trained in college to read everything online. They don't seem to buy a lot of used books.
3. I worry that we're entering post-literate age and that cost may be immaterial.
It would help us if responses could focus primarily on the question of cost and secondarily on the truth or falsity of the grounds. Some reflection on the grounds will be useful. If the grounds are false, then the premise of the question is false and there's no cause for concern.
Thanks for your help.
rsc