Midworld Press...

[Splync]

We've had some other people mention that they would prefer smaller print runs. It was mentioned that it might make the books sell faster and possibly make them worth more on the secondary market. We'd be interested in getting any thoughts on the subject.

Welcome to the forums!

As Ben said, a print run ranging from 300 to 500 is pretty standard for small presses. Buzz will drive sales, but that will come from the titles, authors, artists, and treatment of the novels.

I love Daniele Sera's art and will certainly have to pick up a copy when I'm not so poor.

Best of luck!

[slayn666]

If you run your press concerned about how the books perform on the secondary market, you are very loudly advertising that you consider speculators your primary customer base and there's really no quicker way to run off actual fans of the genre/author/artist other than simply not publishing anything. And once the fans stop buying books from speculators because you've made it clear you don't care about them (the fans), the speculators will also stop buying your books because they're not getting a return. Then you don't have a press anymore. There are countless limited edition presses that made this exact mistake.

[jeffingoff]

If you run your press concerned about how the books perform on the secondary market, you are very loudly advertising that you consider speculators your primary customer base and there's really no quicker way to run off actual fans of the genre/author/artist other than simply not publishing anything. And once the fans stop buying books from speculators because you've made it clear you don't care about them (the fans), the speculators will also stop buying your books because they're not getting a return. Then you don't have a press anymore. There are countless limited edition presses that made this exact mistake.

AGREE with this. It's also a great way to obscure the actual demand. If speculators are choking off supply and driving up the demand that generates the artificially high secondary market prices then there's no real sense of what the books are actually worth to the fans. And once the speculators leave, the tide goes out.

[Sock Monkey]

We've had some other people mention that they would prefer smaller print runs. It was mentioned that it might make the books sell faster and possibly make them worth more on the secondary market. We'd be interested in getting any thoughts on the subject.

I'm in agreement with Ben's response. I don't believe that a smaller print run makes more people want to buy a book. I think that (a) customers need to know about the book, (b) the book needs to be one they are interested in and (c) the quality and price need to be inline with their budget and tastes. If these three things happen, then sales should follow.

The only time that a print run factors into my decision making process is trying to calculate how much time I might have to make a decision before a book sells out. If I'm 80% sold on wanting the book, then the "threat" of the book selling out due to either higher demand or lower print run might push me to pull that trigger. The key is that I'm already sold on the book, I just need to justify the purchase. I've never once bought a book I wasn't interested in because of a low print run.

As a collector, I'm always interested in the aftermarket and like to track prices for various books, even if I wasn't interested in purchasing it. It's a fun little component of the hobby. I've never decided to start or stop buying books from a publisher because of aftermarket prices. If the quality is there, I like to support the publisher directly rather than possibly buying for cheaper on the aftermarket.

[Martin]

I can count the number of times I have considered print run or aftermarket prices combined on zero fingers. I do agree it is fun to look at what books are selling for but it has never entered my buying decision process. The print run is something I do not really pay attention to.

[RonClinton]

Since the topic of conversation has shifted somewhat, I should clarify my original post that started this thread. I wasn’t suggesting that the limitation was too large because of a concern for the books’ value on the secondary market, but rather that it’s uncommon for a brand new small press to sell 500 copies of a hardcover book — especially for a book costing nearly $100 — right out of the gate. However, if there is now a market for that, then more power to the press, and clearly my concern was unwarranted.

[ArtemusGordon]

Just to be clear, as the owner of MidWorld Press, I have no particular concern about the secondary market. It was mentioned to me that some book collectors take into account the size of a print run when buying brand new limited edition books because of how the number of books in circulation might affect prices on the secondary market. I was curious if this was a common mindset.
I had never thought about the quantity of a print run in that way. I agree with the majority of you that, as a reader, buyer and collector, the initial number of books available means almost nothing to me. I buy books for the writing, artwork, and the extras available in many of the limited editions.
I appreciate the feedback you have all given. Truthfully, I was a bit worried that the secondary market was the driving motivator in the book collecting world and I had just never been aware of it.

[Ben Staad]

I wish you great success and I hope you find a formula that works for you. I particularity enjoy the artwork for the three titles listed so far.

[mhatchett]

Have Bitter Seeds and looking forward to Blacktop Wasteland!!

[RonClinton]

BLACKTOP WASTELAND is now up for preorder, and I was delighted to see it was $55, rather than $90 like the Beuhlman or $85 like BITTER SEEDS. I preordered a copy, and am looking forward to finally reading what is purported to be an outstanding crime thriller.

[mhatchett]

I picked this one up too Ron!!

[Splync]

Hmm, I'll have to check that title out!

I'm not a huge fan of that cover art, but I think that's just because all of the previous titles set the bar rather high.

[Ben Staad]

The art style isn't my taste but the story sounds great and price point is good for me. I may give this one a try as well.

Hmm, I'll have to check that title out!

I'm not a huge fan of that cover art, but I think that's just because all of the previous titles set the bar rather high.

[RonClinton]

The art style isn't my taste but the story sounds great and price point is good for me. I may give this one a try as well.

I have to admit, I’m getting the book in spite of the art.

[Sock Monkey]

I’m gonna mull this one over a bit.