Aurelien Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Dear all, We would like to inform you that the fantastic book (in fact a DVD with pdf files) of Derrick J. Rowe is just finish and available. It's actually the biggest amount of knowledge ever published about ant-plants. That's also the report of many decades of fieldwork for this well-known New Zealander. These DVDs are available in Andreas Wistuba's shop. https://www.wistuba.com/books/index.php We would like to precise that he don't take any advantage of these sells. Actually, he host it for facility reasons. The integrality of benefits are donate to the ant-plants forum: http://myrmecodia.invisionzone.com/ (I take advantage of this message to put an advertising for it!) Order some DVDs, read it, enjoy it! There's a lot of unpublished data and nice pictures! The best, Aurélien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North West Neps Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 (edited) 59€ for a disc of PDF files ? Wistuba doesn't even mention this fact in the link above until you click again and read the full description, and people could think they are ordering a real printed book (which 59€ may then be a fair price for). I've a feeling you may sell a handful and then people will just file copy the files and upload them back online for free file sharing. For the price of a blank disc and 2 minutes spent file copying, i see a very large profit the Mymecodia forums, even after Mr Rowes cut is taken. Couldn't the book have been properly published and printed ? Surely that would have been a better option if the information therein is the largest amount of knowledge on ant plants. Sorry for being so negative, but that's just the way i'm reading into it. Please feel free to correct me and give more specific details and photos for potential buyers to know exactly what they will get for their money. Edited April 29, 2015 by Welshy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel van den Broek Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 (edited) I'm glad you are reading it wrong Welshy. Illegal copies is always possible and as always this is more an issue of someones concept of right and wrong as something you can iron clad protect data. Yes, we hope there is a very large profit for the Mymecodia forums as this book and individual donations are the only way it gets funded! There is NO cut for Mr Rowes, people who have contributed or Mr Wistuba. Sales minus production costs and taxes = donation to forum. A book would have been nice but it would have been way more expensive and more difficult to distribute. If you think € 59 is a fair price for a work like this, with a limited public you have been spoiled by the (excellent but small profit margin) books of Redfern...try reversing the numbers for a remotely fair price. Edited April 29, 2015 by Marcel van den Broek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelien Posted April 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 Thank you Marcel. Nothing to add than: That's not 59€ for "a disc of PDF files", but as I've said, 59€ for "many decades of fieldwork". So, that's a good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North West Neps Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 (edited) That's not 59€ for "a disc of PDF files", but as I've said, 59€ for "many decades of fieldwork"Maybe so, but still on a 1 euro dvd-r and a few minutes of file copying ? Forgive me, but I' m just trying to picture in my head the presentation of this product for your potential buyers. What about artwork ? Does the DVD (sorry, dvd-r) come with a cover or booklet ? Or does it come in a clear floppy wallet with a handwritten title on a silver TDK disc (for example). I'm not looking for an argument, I just think the price is expensive for a dvd-r and you may be putting people off buying it if the packaging makes it look as if it is already a "copy" if you see what I mean ? I think you may have had more sales and a bigger return in the end if it was sold as donationware, where you set the minimum price but people could pay more, up to what they believe it to be worth. Anyway, good luck with it and best wishes. But I'll pass, thanks. Edited April 29, 2015 by Welshy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Wistuba Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 (edited) Maybe so, but still on a 1 euro dvd-r and a few minutes of file copying ? Forgive me, but I' m just trying to picture in my head the presentation of this product for your potential buyers. What about artwork ? Does the DVD (sorry, dvd-r) come with a cover or booklet ? Or does it come in a clear floppy wallet with a handwritten title on a silver TDK disc (for example). I'm not looking for an argument, I just think the price is expensive for a dvd-r and you may be putting people off buying it if the packaging makes it look as if it is already a "copy" if you see what I mean ? I think you may have had more sales and a bigger return in the end if it was sold as donationware, where you set the minimum price but people could pay more, up to what they believe it to be worth. Anyway, good luck with it and best wishes. But I'll pass, thanks. If you buy a CD or DVD containing software or a CD with music on - what do you think is the price of the raw materials? As pointed out previously, this is a non-profit thing. When I had the idea of starting the ant plant forum roughly 15 months ago I had the hope that I was not the only person being interested in the subject and was sure that some donations would come in to pay the rent. While the forum quickly turned into the best resource of information on Ant Plants on the internet and was attracting quite some attention, we had 1 (in words "ONE") donation in 15 months. Apart from this single donation, I spent roughly US$ 400 of my personal money to keep this going from one month to the next but finally decided that this was not the way to continue and considered to shut the whole thing off. Then, Derrick offered to donate his DVD, which I consider a realistic way to pay the rent of this forum. I consider this a way to encourage donations - you donate EUR 59,- to keep a good thing going and in return get the best and most complete set of data you get anywhere. We do not need to sell many. The rent for the forum currently is US$ 30 per month and nobody is interested in piling up money. Apart from the VAT, duplication cost and shipping cost, the money instantly is forwarded to the forum hoster. This is transparent and I do not make a single Eurocent of money out of this. If people prefer to illegally copy the thing, I hope they feel well about it... ;) But of cause I might belong to a almost extinct "red list species", still paying for DVDs and CDs, feeling well about it and not seeking for the data on the internet.... All the best Andreas Edited April 30, 2015 by Andreas Wistuba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 (edited) I think the point Welshy is trying to make is that it is unclear from Andreas's website what quality of DVD and packaging buyers will receive. The website states "The book comes as a DVD with PDF-files on.", which does sound like just some PDF's without any kind of index file or packaging. I thought it was reasonable of Welshy to ask if the DVD comes with artwork or a booklet. Perhaps a few images showing excerpts from the PDFs and/or booklet, if there is one, might help. After all 59€ is a lot of money to many of us and whilst ant plants are interesting (I actually have a Hydnophytum formicarum which I would like to know more about how to care for), they are nevertheless probably still a minority interest for most. I'm afraid you have a long way to go to convince me that it would be a good idea to "donate" that amount of money, I would certainly have a hard time justifying it to my family when discussing our home accounts over the dinner table. I don't think there is a direct comparison with music or software DVDs either, music usually costs around £10, not 59€, and whilst software often costs much more it is usually has a more defined purpose and is professionally produced and comes with booklets, manuals, ongoing support etc which might not be the case here. If you'd said the cost was say between 10€ and 20€ I would have thought you might make more revenue in the long run. Many of us have interests in a variety of plants (CPs, cacti, aroids, orchids, bromeliads, even liverworts to name but a few) and might already have considerable expenses on these so if you want to persuade us to add to this another 59€ I'd say you need to do a little bit more in the way of marketing it to us. The forum sounds great and it would be a shame if it had to close but of course nobody can expect you to fund it out of your own pocket so, as an alternative could it not be hosted on another forum? CPUK already has separate forums for Aroids, Cacti & Succulents, Orchids and "Others", perhaps we could add Ant Plants although I don't know if that adds any costs to CPUK. Like Welshy's posts the above is intended to be constructive and not criticism, I wish you well and hope both the forum and "book" succeed. Edited April 30, 2015 by Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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