Tanknet Authors (by popular request)

[Ken Estes]

Agreeing with Ed, I would emphasize the 'other' publishers, such as Univ of Okla. Press, which has a campaigns and commanders series, just starting up, and might take your offer to do a book on vLettow-Vorbeck's campaign, making Tanga [good battle choice] a centerpiece. Did Osprey do an E. African Campaign? If there is an older book in their series, they are notlikely to republish, I have found. They also are very much caught up in marketing forcasts. Ken

[gewing]

While I was reading it, I kept thinking "what would the US have done differently in the same situation?"

 

and that the British Gov't/military were portrayed as pretty ruthless.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your comments, Marsh! I must say I am rather surprised that no-one seems to have used this plot (or the title) before, it seemed rather an obvious ploy to me. The good news is that the same basic idea could be used to write endless spin-offs. After all, I only assumed 'future guidance' to Germany and the UK. That leaves the USSR, Japan, the USA... 

 

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion

forum

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[Tony Williams]

While I was reading it, I kept thinking  "what would the US have done differently in the same situation?"

 

and that the British Gov't/military were portrayed as pretty ruthless.

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I think that they were fully prepared to be as ruthless as necessary. For the British, the conflict (at least until the USA was safely on board) was perceived as a war of survival - the stakes were rather higher than they were for the USA.

 

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion

forum

[Ed Gilbert]

Have not had a chance to post this as I have been in Quantico and DC (crossed paths with Ken Estes at both places) but:

 

"Praying For Slack" by Robert Peavey turns out to be a pretty good "bottom up" view of tank combat in RVN. Written from the point of view of a corporal TC, it depicts the mix of confusion, fatalism, fear, and grab-ass that make up daily life at the junior NCO/EM level.

 

It's also one of the few places I have seen an account of what Peavey calls "slow-time" in combat. It's when your brain and senses go into stress-induced overdrive, and everything seems to happen in slow motion. You can see things coming, evaluate them, but do nothing. If you've ever experienced it, it's indescribable.

[Rubberneck]

Ed,

 

I've never had that happen to me during my military career, but I have had it happen a number of times playing high school and collegiate basketball.

 

It's an amazing feeling.

[Kenneth P. Katz]

I've had similar experiences during some hairy moments while flying airplanes. But I didn't do nothing, it just seems like time got very slow as I intensely concentrated on doing what I had to do.

 

It's also one of the few places I have seen an account of what Peavey calls "slow-time" in combat. It's when your brain and senses go into stress-induced overdrive, and everything seems to happen in slow motion. You can see things coming, evaluate them, but do nothing. If you've ever experienced it, it's indescribable.

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[Leo Niehorster]

Having been both in the position of publishing my own books, and having them published by others, I would like to add some thoughts. My comments below should also be seen in the light that I like to have control of how the reader sees the book I have authored.

 

Publishing your own:

You have complete control of everything. From layout to distribution. Offset printing is an expensive proposition, especially if you have small runs (500-1000 copies). Fixed costs make up a large percentage of the outlay, unless you are doing 10,000's. There is also printing-on-demand, which is more affordable, although not the same quality. There is the hassle of distribution, including running after people for money. The usual time between delivery and payment, for the small buyers, was three months. And foreign checks or payments - in Germany at least - sometimes cost more to collect then the amount being paid. The large distributors took as long as six months to pay, if at all. (One large UK company went into receivership twice.) The more books a distributor takes, the larger reduction you have to give. Then many distributors only take "on commission", meaning that if they haven't sold the books after a while, they get to return them, for a refund, of course.

 

Publishing through a large company:

You are a cog in the machinery, unless you are a very successful author. You have very little, if any, influence on layout; sometimes content is edited or even deleted, and there is no control over anything else. You submit the manuscript in accordance with their requirements, and sit back and hope they sell a lot of books (10% of net copy price). If they don't, they "remainder" the rest, meaning you might get 10 cents for each book sold. Small books are almost paperbacks, for which the royalties are even smaller (usually 5% of net copy price).

 

Publishing through a small company:

This is can be risky, in that although you have not invested any money in the publishing end of things, you might be out of your royalties. Happened to me once. But, having said that, it is by far the most rewarding method to publish for me, the author. You have a lot of control over how your manuscript is handled. Presently, I do the layout, so it is 100% in my hands. The publisher does the printing, binding, distribution, collecting money, etc. It publishes in hard and soft covers, and even allows me a say in page thickness, cover appearance, and asks me about advertising message, media, etc. And royalties come in.

 

Small publishers tend to specialize. If you have a "niche" product, look for a small publisher that does this topic, and they will be more inclined to publish it than others would.

 

Cheers

Leo

[Tony Williams]

Some comments to add to Leo's:

 

My non-fiction books were published by medium-sized specialist companies (Airlife until they went bust, then Crowood). No problems with them messing with the content, they do the layouts but send drafts for comment. They handle everything else and I'm pleased with the service.

 

Crowood don't do fiction so when I wanted to get 'The Foresight War' published I had to look elsewhere. Fiction publishing is different as I rapidly discovered. The publishers are so swamped with manuscripts that your chance of getting a publisher even to look at your mss is remote, unless you are:

 

1. An already successful published author of fiction.

 

2. A celebrity already known to the public for some other reason.

 

3. Very, very persistent.

 

4. Very, very lucky.

 

JK Rowling was rejected by around 30 publishers before she found one willing to print the first Harry Potter book. She was both persistent and lucky.

 

Many publishers won't even look at mss unless they have been forwarded by a literary agent, as they do at least weed out the dogs. But (as I discovered) agents are so swamped with mss that...etc etc

 

So I looked into self-publishing, and did a deal with Authors Online. You pay them a lump sum upfront, they provide editorial services and cover design (if you want them to), do the layout, produce the book, get an ISBN number and get it put on Amazon. You have total control over the content, appearance, specification etc. They handle distribution and sales. The book is available two ways; for downloading as an e-book, or in a hard copy via Print on Demand (POD). Turnaround of printing and distribution is very fast after receipt of an order, around a week or so. Contrary to Leo's experience, I find that the quality of their standard paperback is actually considerably better than average.

 

Advantages of self-publishing are not just control but also certainty and speed - my book was ready about two months after I first contacted Authors Online, which is ludicrously fast by conventional standards. Advantages of POD are that you don't have to pay for a large print run to start with, you can keep it available indefinitely by paying a small annual fee, you get a bigger percentage of the sale price (at least twice as much) and you will never, ever, see it remaindered! Disadvantages are that you have to find the money up front, do all of the marketing and advertising, and they are printed only against firm orders so they won't be found in a bookshop - you miss the 'casual browser' market.

 

So far I'm pleased with the outcome, although it's too early to predict when I'll get my money back and start making a profit.

 

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion

forum

[Ed Gilbert]

In the US you will see "regular" publishers like the corporations and academic presses, subsidy publishers,and vanity presses. Stay away from the later two.

 

In subsidy presses you pay all the basic expenses, they print them up and do some marketing, and you split any profits. They take no risk.

 

For vanity presses, you pay it all and they turn X,000 copies over to you to fill your garage. No matter how much faith you have in the desirability of the product, you better have lots of friends.

 

I would suggest you invest in a copy of Writer's Market at a bookstore (forget the more expensive one with the CD; it's no use). It will help you separate out which is which, and they update it each year as publisher's wants shift. It will have adresses, contacts, and all.

 

I would also suggest a copy of Being Your Own Literary Agent (or something like that; my copy's out on loan right now). The guy who wrote it is an agent, and the way the system works is: if you are unpublished the agent does not want you; if you are published and marketable, and thus don't need them, they will be glad to take you (and their cut).

 

I would also suggest looking at some sort of course. Years ago I went to a two day short course called "The Business of Writing" put on by the Inprint foundation in Houston. It covered legal issues, taxes, agents, marketing, everything.

 

It was a kindergarten experience: I learned everything I needed to know there.

[Guest Merkava]

Hey guys i need some info.

how do i get any phone # or Email adress to the Jacques Littlefield Tanks Museum in Protola Vally CA?

 

Please help me out

 

David

[Old Tanker]

Hey guys i need some info.

how do i get any phone # or Email adress to the Jacques Littlefield Tanks Museum in Protola Vally CA?

 

Please help me out

 

David

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the website WWW.milvehtechfound.com " Mil .veh. tech foundation" 650-992-8251

 

That's off a business card from 2001.

[Arthur Hubers]

In the March-April issue of Air Enthusiast, you can find an article co-written by me. Tom Cooper of previous Tanknet fame, and Farzad Bishop are the other names above the two-piece article "Bombed by Blinders" on the combat use of the Tu-22.

[Harry Yeide]

Greetings! I come to peddle several books that board members might find useful. The first is Steel Victory, which takes a look at the US Army's separate tank battalions in the ETO. My title (voted down by the suits) was Dirt-Grimed Tankers, which I thought captured the essence of the war's blue-collar tank force, the guys who fought in the mud beside the infantry.

 

The second, just out this year, is The Tank Killers, which covers the US Army's Tank Destroyer Force in North Africa, Italy, and the ETO. It's a surprisingly action-packed tale, starting from the earliest days when the TD men raced around the desert in halftracks and jeeps and fought the Axis in unscripted meeting engagements. Cool stuff.

 

The latest, literally just out (vagaries of the industry), is The Longest Battle, which covers the campaign from Aachen to the Roer River crossing, basically September 1944 through February 1945. Nobody had ever written a book-length treatment of that campaign. This is amazing insofar as the German High Command viewed the area as its most critical zone in September, the German defense of the Roer line became a necessary precondition for the Ardennes offensive in November and early December, and the final Allied crossing formed part of the final surge that quickly forced the Third Reich to capitulate in 1945.

 

If you buy 'em, I hope you enjoy 'em!

 

Cheers,

 

Harry

[Jeff]

Welcome Harry!

[Old Tanker]

Welcome Harry !

 

Just checked out your home page and bought one of your books from Amazon.

 

Interesting you are also a foreign analyst for the Feds.

 

It seems you fit right in.

 

Ron

[Kenneth P. Katz]

Welcome Harry. I just saw your book on the TD force and look forward to purchasing it.

[Kenneth P. Katz]

I bought it today, and I look forward to reading it.

 

In the March-April issue of Air Enthusiast, you can find an article co-written by me. Tom Cooper of previous Tanknet fame, and Farzad Bishop are the other names above the two-piece article "Bombed by Blinders" on the combat use of the Tu-22.

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[FlyingCanOpener]

Greetings!  I come to peddle several books that board members might find useful.  The first is Steel Victory, which takes a look at the US Army's separate tank battalions in the ETO.  My title (voted down by the suits) was Dirt-Grimed Tankers, which I thought captured the essence of the war's blue-collar tank force, the guys who fought in the mud beside the infantry.

 

The second, just out this year, is The Tank Killers, which covers the US Army's Tank Destroyer Force in North Africa, Italy, and the ETO.  It's a surprisingly action-packed tale, starting from the earliest days when the TD men raced around the desert in halftracks and jeeps and fought the Axis in unscripted meeting engagements.  Cool stuff.

 

The latest, literally just out (vagaries of the industry), is The Longest Battle, which covers the campaign from Aachen to the Roer River crossing, basically September 1944 through February 1945.  Nobody had ever written a book-length treatment of that campaign.  This is amazing insofar as the German High Command viewed the area as its most critical zone in September, the German defense of the Roer line became a necessary precondition for the Ardennes offensive in November and early December, and the final Allied crossing formed part of the final surge that quickly forced the Third Reich to capitulate in 1945.

 

If you buy 'em, I hope you enjoy 'em!

 

Cheers,

 

Harry

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I just saw your book is a Main Selection for this month for the Military Book Club. I must admit I probably won't get it (Looks interesting, but not quite my cup of Tea) but congrats on the achievement!

[Marsh]

Hi,

Sorry to bore people who may have already have read this on the Merkava thread but I have a new book on the Merkava coming out, The Merkava . A history of Israel's Main Battle Tankpublished by Tankograd, a German publisher. It is a hardback, in A4 size format, printed on glossy paper. It has over 300 photos, most in colour. Some of the photos, particularly of the early models are archive material which some of you will have seen before. The book is 175 pages long with full text in both German and English. It costs 49 Euros. ($50 approx)

 

The Merkava 4 is covered in detail. There are 64 photos, none previously published, mostly my own taken of the tank being built at Tel ha Shomer and on manoeuvres in the Negev.

 

Cheers

Marsh

[Kenneth P. Katz]

Marsh:

 

Is this book available yet? Do you know who might be selling it in the United States?

 

Ken

 

Hi,

Sorry to bore people who may have already have read this on the Merkava thread but I have a new book on the Merkava coming out, The Merkava . A history of Israel's Main Battle Tankpublished by Tankograd, a German publisher. It is a hardback, in A4 size format, printed on glossy paper. It has over 300 photos, most in colour. Some of the photos, particularly of the early models are archive material which some of you will have seen before. The book is 175 pages long with full text in both German and English. It costs 49 Euros. ($50 approx)

 

The Merkava 4 is covered in detail. There are 64 photos, none previously published, mostly my own taken of the tank being built at Tel ha Shomer and on manoeuvres in the Negev.

 

Cheers

Marsh 

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[Marsh]

Hi Ken,

I just saw your question. As far as I know, the book will be out by mid June if not before. I don't know about the US distribution side. I will enquire this week and let you know.

Cheers

Marsh

[IraMG]

No books, but I've had 4 articles published in Armor Magazine. With the most recent being in the current May-June issue, about the tank Master Gunner Program.

 

Had one Armor Magazine article reprinted in the South African Armed Forces Journal.

 

Also did a review for Armor on one of Marsh's books.

[Marsh]

No books, but I've had 4 articles published in Armor Magazine.  With the most recent being in the current May-June issue, about the tank Master Gunner Program. 

 

Had one Armor Magazine article reprinted in the South African Armed Forces Journal.

 

Also did a review for Armor on one of Marsh's books.

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Hi Ira,

Is that you? If so, I am really glad that your writing career has taken off. Your long service, gives a credibility that I can only be envious of.

 

cheers

Marsh

[IraMG]

Roger, same guy.

 

Still writing, but yet to be paid. So I wouldn't go so far as to say writing has really taken off.

[Kenneth P. Katz]

Marsh's Merkava book is now available in the the United States.

 

Hi Ken,

I just saw your question. As far as I know, the book will be out by mid June if not before. I don't know about the US distribution side. I will enquire this week and let you know.

Cheers

Marsh

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