1. If you could buy a 2012 Blue Jays pre-season preview e-book - say something on the order of 4-6,000 words - for something less than $5 sometime in the first half of march - would you? and do you think your fellow jays fans would?
This would have considerably more depth to it than the typical blog material.
2. In conjunction with that, if it happens, I'm considering a name change for this blog - I'm assuming no one has a particular attachment to the current name so if I'm wrong about that, now's the time to speak up!
19 comments:
Hey Southpaw,
Good idea, but I don't think I would pay that only for the jays preview. There's a lot of sources online now that cover all of mlb...sorry...
I live in Costa Rica, so buying it would be difficult for me. As far as a name change, I like the Southpaw, but if you wanted to try something different, go for it. You're doing a fabulous job. Thanks.
I would pay but only if it is an easy transaction.
You have already spoiled us with your recent in-depth posts on prospect porn/rosterbation, but my thirst seems unquenchable, so never say never. I like the name 'Southpaw,' but can't imagine being put off by another, so fill your boots. Cheers.
There's so much free content (thanks to you and others with your passion), I don't know if I'd spend for 6000 words. I barely have enough time as it is. I love the Southpaw. Key was awesome.
As an act of encouragement and an apprecciation of your previous efforts ... yes
Southpaw -
I LOVE the idea and I would buy the book.
However - I live on Vancouver Island a two hour ferry ride from Vancouver. As you may know (won't be surprised if you don't) The Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup finals this past season. Just before the start of the 2011/1012 season there appeared on news stands a very high quality glossy "Vancouver Canucks" pre-season book with bios etc. of all the players and those in the minors as well.
Since I was thinking that a Blue Jays ONLY pre-season book might be a good idea I asked the purchaser for a large(ish) local supermarket (one that has a fairly large magazine section in EVERY one of their stores) how many they sold...er...the reply was, "Oh about 1 or 2 per store. We're hoping that just before Christmas lots of parents will buy them for their kids stockings."
If I were you and interested in it I'd get together with a select few other bloggers who can contribute real reporting (not just opinion) to articles about the players and those in the minors - or at least say - 50 or so of those in the minors.
If you do a good job and those of us who buy it spread the word like crazy - I think you've be lucky to sell a few hundred.
When I used to do seminars as a Management Consultant I would send flyers to the EXACT types of businesses I know I could help save big money on their Human Resources /Human Rights programs and even though I could show them how I could save them many thousands of dollars the rate of return on my flyers was AT BEST about one half of one percent. (Fortunately, that was enough to keep me in a reasonable amount of single malt)
The secret would be in getting every Jay's site on the web to shill for your e-book. Tammy - you're certainly popular enough that you're being involved would be an asset to the project.
If you try it - GOOD LUCK. AND - put me down for a copy! Paypal I assume?
I suggest you change it to "Free " plus S & H . Make sure you make some cost recovery by selling advertising! Keep up the good work and use whatever name you like. Gord
I would buy the ebook if its focus is spread throughout the organization, and I like the Southpaw tag so I guess I'm in the minority.
1: Probably not. I'd like to say yes but knowing me I probably wouldn't end up buying it in the end and I'd hate to contribute to raising your production/labour costs.
2: No particular attachment to the current name on my end so long as it's easy to find.
some clarification - the sales would likely be through Amazon, I've got a couple who's helping me get into self-publishing (most of which will be fiction BTW) and i'm looking into various "getting off the ground" options.
As such, the price-point would be as low as I could make it. if I set it where I can get say $1 on each sale (which would require a $1.99 or 2.49 total price depending on my publisher) and somehow some way move a couple hundred that's a huge win, if I do that and sell, say, 20, then not so much.
On the content, 500 words (on average) on the 30 guys who are currently here who have a reasonable possibility of making the Opening Day roster that's 15,000 words, plus there would be some on the prospects (probably a couple dozen words on the top 20 or so prospects on average and one liners on 20 more.
also a few hundred words on each of the other teams in the division and a shout out to the other playoff contenders...that all adds up to almost 20k words.
I don't promise that much but it's a whole lot higher than I mentioned in the OP
I have something specific in mind, that feels like an opportunity given the name change.
Particularly in that it gives more opportunity to shorten it.
Drunk Jays Fans is DJF
Jays Journal is JJ
and so forth
there's no east short for of "the Southpaw" except "TS" and I'm not sure how many folks would "get" that.
Maybe I'm over-thinking that bit though.
Tammy-
One of the reasons I like the moniker 'The Southpaw' is that it has no need to be shortened, but maybe I'm under-thinking it.
Like the name, but if you were to change it I'm sure the new one would be just as good. I also like that it gives you enough road to go non Jays baseball stuff.
$5 seems a bit much for Jays only stuff. I would pay $2 for just Jays. But would recommend you get it out earlier than mid March as you will be competing with the big boys in the spring preview issues.
Good luck! I enjoy the perspective you share. I tend to come here because I find that it is less saber metric than BBB, where the slant has become to just look at obscure stats and never watch a game or player.
I like DJF but can do without all the unnecessary swearing. JJ tends not to have enough substance and Jays prospects tends to have too many profiles of kids who are now where near being anywhere near a prospect.
You have the balance that I think most fans look for. Some sabermetric and actual observation.
How about TSP = The SouthPaw
Now that is a great idea. Amazon.ca and .com would need to be involved so I could use a Credit Card. After spending $200.0plus each of the last two years, and not getting enough of that which interests me, I would definitely be in such.
Respects:
Richard S.S.
I'd like to say yes to shelling out the $5, although there's a chance I'd get lazy and forget to actually buy it. As for the name, I've always liked it
Tammy - thinking about your book reminds me I cut and pasted Jays Journal's 2011 Top 50 prospects to a Word document which I've kept for reference.
That word document is 454,830 "characters" long and fills 252 pages. Quite a tome. For the most part it really is an excellent reference.
I'd still buy your production - but - there is a lot of free stuff out there. The real problem is that the intertubes just don't have an economic model that makes sense to those blogging.
I suggest that every surfer (like me) pays $20 bucks a month to a blogging fund and that money is then distributed at the end of the month - in a pro-rata manner - to all those sites I've visited. The more I visit the more of the $20 dollars any given site gets.
Guys like Baseball Banter, DJF, etc., etc., would all get at least something. IF you can attract a big enough audience then you could actually make some money.
You and the administrators at ALL the Jay's main blogs should form a cabal and close ALL YOUR SITES to non-payers. Guys like me - would HAPPILY pay $20 a month (or thereabouts) for the right to access all your sites. I pay for ESPN Insider - why not at least a bit to each of the five or so Jay's sites I frequent.
Technically - there must be a way to do it.
I would advise you to seriously ask yourself just how many of your readers are 'guys like me' (Mylegacy) who would apparently be glad to pay $20.00 a month just to check out Jays-inspired blogs. His suggestion of forming a 'cabal' gives me the creeps, frankly. I check out those same Jays sites daily (and thankfully) but I also surf sites covering music, politics, culture, etc. etc. (to say nothing about blogs concerning the other 29 teams.) He seems to want to install barbed wire. Give me the open range.
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