Harris Publications Dead

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Mec, they are probably taking a hint from Baen Books. Baen is a big deal in the sci-fi / mil fic area, AFAIK the last of the large independent publishers.
They provide the first eight chapters of most books online as a free taste, and quite a few of the back catalogue books of their A list are available for free electronically. They don't use DRM, stating they trust their customers.
It works well for them.
I've spent more electronically with them than with Amazon, and if the story is great I'll buy the hard copy as well.
 
Radagast,

I have to admit that when Toni called a few years ago asking about publishing Linda Evans's stuff on line for free that I grabbed my heart and screeched "giving them away FREE?!?!?!"

The lady at Baen knows what she is doing. Witness that the freebies caused a re issue of the Time Scout books.

It rekindled interest in Linda's work, unfortunately Linda is still not able to write. She no longer lives with my wife and I as she has moved in with her Mother to help care for her mom and drive her to visit her father. I am thus unable to stand over her with a stick or deny food or access to the bathroom any more to encourage her to write.......OK that last was a joke......but sometimes as deadlines loomed for a third time.......

Who knew that an SF&F publisher would see the value of newer tech? :)

-kBob
 
Well, most didn't, they are really New York Literati types that have to maintain a sci-fi and fantasy imprint because it pays the bills while they churn out copies of the latest cookie cutter Great American Novel.
Can you tell I'm a member of the Fandom? :p

Keeping this thread vaguely High Road.
Baen publish the works of THR members Larry Correia and Night Crawler/Mike Kupari.
Baen publish Linda Evans, kBob is her technical adviser.
Former Mod Tamara Keel was (is?) working with SWAT magazine.
Former Mod Preacherman / Peter Grant is published on Amazon.
Devonai / David Kantrowitz is published on Amazon
Massad Ayoob is a member here as well as a well known gunzine writer.
Pax published 'The Cornered Cat' book on concealed carry.
TFL member Marko Kloos is published on Amazon.
Dpris is a gunzine writer.
Lawdog should write a book.

THR members looking for a good read in the Sci-fi, Milfic or Gun Rights areas don't have far to look.
 
And DPris is expanding his Kindles on Amazon, too. :)
Denis
 
kBob said:
mec,

Is Mas still wintering in North Central Florida?

My wife had lunch with a client and her husband this week and Hubby runs a local "Self Protection School" CWL mill. When the Spousal Unit mentioned she had taken LFI 1 from the LFA many years ago, with a P7 and Ayoob's personal Python snubby, the client's husband did not know who Ayoob was. Made me wonder just how much research the client's husband had done.

Whether one agrees with Mas or not, one really needs to study his work. I though him more open to other's ideas than some other "name" folks despite what some folks say. I still have a collection of notes from that long ago class somewhere about. A number of us shared notes and made copies for one another.

-kBob
Click to expand...

I don't know if he winters in Florida but he did walk away from a helicopter crash down there while chasing hogs. I was glad I learned about that after the fact. I completely agree that his work deserves study in fact, I've gone public with the opinion that he has done as much and likely more for the armed citizen than any other person. Last year, he published a book that serves as a continuation of his early work " In The Gravest Extreme" titled Deadly Force, Understanding Your Right to Self Defense which provides rich background information on many of the self defense events that have been prominent in the news.
My review is on page 66 of this:
http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/FMGPublications/GUNS/GUNS0515/
 
He has been wintering down there.
Don't think he's been heli-hog-huntin' lately, though.... :)
Denis
 
I learned something new. Mec is Mike Cumpston, another gun writer and author:
http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Cumpston/e/B00J1QI4DE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

mec:
My Ayoob was probably the first to write about self defense shooting from a legalistic standpoint, while still being a good teller of western style 'shoot out yarns'. This opened the eyes of youngsters who had a Hollywood based viewpoint of self defense and were one of the main markets for gunporn mags.
This brought his more serious work to their notice. He has been consistent and persistent, so as those kids became men and then professionals his viewpoint was spread. A rare man, in that he could both communicate and entertain across age and class lines while actually having something to say on an issue of substance.

Denis, got a link to your Amazon stuff?
 
I notice that the July Digital issue of Guns is no longer free. They did provide it free for several years. Ayoob is a well respected expert witness and in 1995, he provided useful input into the development of the criterion for the Texas Concealed Handgun program and was mentioned in the Dallas Morning News among other sources. The commandant of the Texas DPS training academy was also frequently called as an expert witness and the two guy sound a lot a like when they discuss physiological realities as well as the legal aspects.

It doesn't hurt that Mas' "People Skills" are miles ahead of many icons of the gun press. He is a very nice guy and even comes off as modest when presenting his considerable creds.
 
Rad,
Just go to Amazon's book section & toss my name into the search slot. :)
Denis
 
I just ordered your monograph on the Ruger Red hawk convertible I suspect it will be more readable than the other article I read on it.
 
Give me a second while I climb up on my soapbox......

What amazes me is that in the few mags I do read (see my earlier post), their writers indicate that they make a living doing so. I've had about 12 articles published in magazines/journals and have made a total of about $600. Some have no payment, others pay a bit, but for the most part until you get on as a regular writer, you don't make any significant money. Even then, I can't imagine that many modern writers are rolling in dough.

Even then, I find it hard to believe that profit is a focus of anyone who writes these days.

On top of that, I've got a book coming out in October through an independent press that I worked on for about 5 years. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have even gotten the attention of a publisher. I've put untold hours into this thing and still don't concern myself too much with a paycheck out of it. Although it would be nice to see some hefty sales....

Who knows, maybe it'll do well and I'll certainly put some miles in to advertise, do book events and signings, etc.... but at the end of the day I'm satisfied to see my name in print and know that some folks are reading what i've put down on paper.

I do hope that magazines continue for the long term, but the digital age is waging a war on anything in print. it's a tough business and I wish I could say that good writing will overcome, but it's a big unknown at this point.
 
Mike,
Hope so. :)

The advantages of the Kindles for me are complete freedom to cover any subject I want, to any length & detail I want, with no space restrictions and no editorial interference whatever.

The advantages to the reader are greater detail, more info, and no ads.
Plus not having to buy an entire mag to get one article.

Herk,
If I'd had to depend on the gunmags for a living, I'da starved years ago.

Unless you're on full-time staff, very few can live on freelance pay.
The rest of us have other incomes.

Harris was down to $500 per, and Gun World when I left there $400 per.
Figure how many articles you have to produce, WITH PROFIT INVOLVED BEYOND PRODUCTION EXPENSES, to pay the bills.

Still, it ain't a hobby, it's a for-profit gig for most of us who've been at it for a while.
Definitely don't get rich at it, though. :)
Denis
 
Rates: One old SF writer said that Astounding paid a cent and a half a word upon acceptance, F&SF paid a cent a word upon publication, and Amazing paid half a cent a word upon threat of lawsuit.

I STILL miss The Handgunner, Ltd., put out in Essex by a good Alabamian, Jan Stevenson.
It went the same way as the right of an Englishman to own a pistol.

kBob, you know Linda Evans? Ooh. I was so sorry to learn of her plight.
It was really bittersweet to see a new installment in the Hells Gate series without her.
The Far Edge of Darkness really cries for a followup.

Kindle publication is so easy that it now resembles the slush pile at a traditional print publisher.
A friend wrote a book about his parents, his Father in the Army, his Mother an English War Bride. He elected to pay for printing rather than hang it out on Kindle. Doubt he will ever make a cent but he had a lot of fun. And it gave him the confidence to turn out a post-apocalyptic adventure piece. It is a rousing good adventure, better than a lot of what I see coming out in e-publishing. And he gets the guns right. It is set locally, I told him to be sure to provide a good county map so the flatland furriners can track the troop movements.
 
I believe Harris used to publish annual or semi-annual rimfire guides and other guide type magazines which I really liked years ago. Hate to see them go. The digital age is killing the magazine publishing industry.

I have turned into a Kindle reader. But I don't read or haven't read periodicals on Kindle yet.
 
FedEx just dropped off a multi-page copy of the attorney's court filing with the state of NY concerning details of the Harris shutdown & liquidation.

It appears they intend to refund approx 50,000 subscriptions, so those who have running subscriptions should get something back on 'em.
Denis
 
"If I'd had to depend on the gunmags for a living, I'da starved years ago."

Ibid.

I bought the article then realized that I Don't Have a Kindle machine to play it on.
 
Amazon gives away a free app for regular computer viewing.
They also sell Kindle machines. :)
Denis
 
I read Kindle on both my Kindle machine and my iPad.
I also read some stuff in epub format on the iBook app on iPad.

The Kindle has longer battery life, and its unlighted screen is easy on the eye if you have good ambient light as for a book.
But the iPad indexes better, it is easier to find stuff. Titles move around on the Kindle.
 
I am an avid Kindle reader and a huge E-book fan, but it's a pretty daunting way to make a living.

My dad had a career in the bio-med field, but always wanted to be a writer. Since he retired 20 years ago, he's written five historical novels, mostly based on his own experiences or family stories he heard growing up. They're reasonably good, but not professionally edited and deal with oddball, niche subject matter. He never attempted to submit them to traditional publishing houses. With my help, we published them through print-on-demand, more for him to have the satisfaction of holding a professionally bound copy in his hand, rather than the prospect of selling them in any significant volume.

When Cafe Press's publishing service went under a year or two ago, we moved his books to Amazon -- both POD paperbacks through CreateSpace and digital for Kindle. I bet he's made less than $50 in royalties in the past year, with Kindle sales making up less than $5.00 of that total. Dad's 87 now, and comfortable in his retirement. He cares very little if his books sell, and to be frank he does next to nothing to promote and publicize his work. But the experience has shown me that even though publishing on Kindle is pretty easy, it's no ATM machine. The most successful Kindle authors are cranking out serial mass-market fiction (that is to say, romance novels) or are a known authority in a field of specialized nonfiction. And even these people must be willing to work aggressively to promote themselves and their work, both online and IRL. Otherwise, your stuff will remain buried, unread and un-monitized under that digital Kindle slushpile.
 
DPRIS:
It's as detailed as you said. The pictures are exceptional.
Learned things. I didn't know H. Sefried designed this one (but I should have, I suspect.)
The ACP option would not be a draw for me considering the accuracy issue. Might be a good thing to have in the post-clinton wasteland however.
Great Job.
I hope the roll pins work better than they did with the old Gold Cup rear sights. Probably will. .
 
As noted in the fishing tackle business.... and it applies just the same to the publishing world... "kid, we can make a small fortune in publishing... first, we'll start with a large fortune...."

In my case I find myself posting this or that on one site or other (98% not gun related in any fashion) and that seems to lessen my urge to publish.... I do have a book or two that I'll consider doing -if and when I'm no longer able to work on the water. In the meantime all of us should enjoy whatever print media still exist...
 
Thanks Mike, glad you found it useful.

I wouldn't use it as an ACP primarily myself, I'd keep that capability for emergency utility.
Denis
 
Very sorry to hear this news. I thought Combat Handguns was a very good publication.

Currently, I'm only getting Handloader, which is published by Wolfe. Hope they stay in business because Handloader is a terrific magazine.
 
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