March 2019 News – The Deluxe Edition

Hi all,

Back in December I expected to have a deluxe edition of the book by the end of January.

Since then I’ve put a lot of effort into getting it done but, I’m sorry to say, I haven’t been able to get a quality print at a decent price.

The printer I used for the first version has this fairly unique business model of producing books for a set price, no matter how many you order. That means the publisher (me) doesn’t have to print a whole bunch of books to get a decent price. When getting into costly prints that is a huge plus.
That printer also offered a premium colour option (at a 40% surcharge). WELL, I’m sorry to have to report that there is nothing premium about that option other than the price. I’ve

  • Created the book and cover files
  • Paid to have them registered in the system
  • Had one sample printed
  • Rejected it and asked for a reprint
  • Rejected it and asked for the official sample sheets
  • Compared all that and found there is no case for using the premium coulour. It just does not improve the photographs over the basic colour.

There is the remote possibility, somewhere off in the future, of working with that printer when they finally get coated paper as a product choice but, for now, they cannot produce our deluxe edition.

Other printers have a sliding scale of production costs, depending on how many you order. The best I’ve found for a quality print is a minimum order of 25 copies and a retail cost/book of about $75.

So, I’m putting it out that I will create a deluxe version having:

  • A colour hard cover
  • Photo-quality colour printing
  • All original text
  • The Index
  • Total of approximately 220 pages
  • Standard interior endpaper (no colour print inside the cover or facing the inside cover)

IF I can get pre-orders for at least 20 copies at $75/ea.

How many would you like?

take care,

Jake

January 2019 News

It’s been a while since we wrote here.
Christmas.
New Years.
Winter funk!

It’s time to get over it!

The book was well-received in 2018. We sold out the initial order at the book launch in December (a GREAT party – thanks all!) and have resupplied to satisfy all current orders. The last pre-order will be delivered when the snowbirds return in February.

We have attempted to make a hardcover – better colour – deluxe version but our original printer has not yet been able to supply better colour. We have an alternate printer in Montreal but the cost is a problem. Still working on it. Those of you who preordered the deluxe edition are asked to wait another month while we shake out the details. If that’s a problem please contact us.

Status: December 9th

There’s been a lot happening in the last two weeks:

  • 100 copies of the history book arrived a week ago
  • Copies have gone out to those who requested posting them
  • A copy went to Roddy Campbell at Penguin Eggs and there may be a review done
  • The index book arrived at 5:30 pm yesterday! Talk about last minute.
  • And then, of course, the book launch is on for this afternoon. I hope you can come!

 

The book is finished!

The book, “A History of the Ottawa Folk Festival (1994-2012)“, has changed a lot since we first conceived of doing it. We started with about a hundred pages of text from Joyce MacPhee and the festival volunteers’ yearly efforts at writing the record along with about 20,000 images from the Photo Crew.

I remember that I priced it out and determined that we could make a $25 book if we kept the page count down to about 120 and that would allow for about three pictures per year.

Well, that didn’t last long! I believe the least number of pictures used in a chapter is seven and the most is twenty-three, with the page count, in the end, at 174 without the index.

The index is complete with sections for “Ottawa Folk” (organizers, emcees, festival supporters and kindred organizations), “Artists” (musicians and other performing artists and groups) and “Workshops” (there were about 600 conceived and named over the years!).

But the index is not being printed within the book. It will be available online (here, on this website) for download and as a separately-printed book. There are two reasons for that: One is that the book has gotten too large to be sold at $25 and an additional forty-two pages would just make it that much more expensive. The other, more important, reason is aesthetic: the printing company sets a limit of 180 pages when you have a cover that is printed on both sides. I, and everyone who has seen it, LOVES the display of festival program covers that we have designed into the inner front cover and first page. That would be lost or buried without that two-sided cover.

The index should be available online early next week and some printed copies will be available at the book release. Watch this space for an announcement.

 

Book Release Party Delayed

Hi all,

The good news is that the book is done and is, I believe the term is, “in press”. The bad news is that, when I went to get it approved for printing I was told that they could not print it and ship it in time to be here for a November 25th book party.

We took a bit more time with it than we had expected but I know that improved it immensely and made it more accurate.

I can’t say much yet about the party because we are scrambling to put it together again, but it will most likely be on either Sunday, December 9th or Saturday, December 8th, in the afternoon. We don’t yet know the venue or the shape of the party.

Jake

What volunteer crew is that?

Hi Folks. I need some help. I really want to make a good section on volunteers. We have some good photographs from 2008 and 2009 of the crews assembled together. Neither year covers all the crews so I’m thinking to combine the two sets to try to cover all crews (I could not cover all the people!).

The problem is I can’t identify all the crews. I didn’t know that many people and I’ve exhausted my knowledge, still leaving almost half of the crews unidentified. Chris White looked through and helped with a few but still I don’t have them all.

Can you help? Email Jake@withflare.org if you have anything to add. Thanks!

Here are the 2008 Crews that I have not identified:

[Show slideshow]

 

And here are the 2009 Crews that I have not identified:

[Show slideshow]

Continue reading What volunteer crew is that?

Publication postponed by three weeks

October 4th

I’m sorry but we’re finding that there is just too much to do to make the October 20th publication date we had hoped for. Life keeps intruding!

I’m setting publication for November 15th with delivery in the last week of November.

Things are progressing quite well:

Preparations are almost done for a book launch party at the end of November. Come pick up your pre-ordered book, have a beer, see your friends and enjoy the entertainment! Or, while they last, buy a non-pre-ordered copy. Or, when those are gone, order a copy from the next printing. (Notice, there’s no chance of having to wait if you pre-order.) We should be able to get a second printing back by Christmas.

Pictures for chapters are coming along very well. Joyce & I get about three years do each week. It is a LOT of fun.

The index structure is almost ready. I’ve spent a lot of time on this because I think it will be an important addition to the history. I now have a list of all of the proper names from the text! Now to structure the Index…

Jake

Pre-Publication copy available for viewing

Hello Ottawa Folkies.
In mid-August we hurriedly decided to get Joyce MacPhee’s notes, “A History of the Ottawa Folk Festival: 1994 – 2012”,  published in time for the 25th Festival celebrations at CityFolk this year. We almost made it! We  had proof copies on display in the Memories part of the Aberdeen Pavilion, where all the 25th Anniversary celebrations were happening.
 
What we’ve done is combine Joyce’s history with images from each year to create an approximately 120 160 page (and growing), large-format, book. Now that the proof copy is printed we will be continuing to work on filling out the images through until the publication date of approximately October 20th November 15th. We hope that you will pre-order your copy(s) at the Festival or by email to orders@ottawafolkhistory.org.
 
We are also adding an index to help you find out when that particular act that you remember seeing some year was really playing.
 
To guarantee that you get your copy in the first printing we will ask for a $10 down-payment (on a price of $25). Orders with down-payments will definitely be available by the first third week of November. We are arranging for a book launch party later in November where you might pick them up, join your peers and enjoy some music.