In our next release, Champions of the New Millennium, we have changed the type of paper we are using. Instead of the usual Multioffset paper, we are using the classier Galerie paper. This works very well with the colour photos in the book and makes the book.
The quality of the paper made me think about the pricing of our books. In 2004, we charged 24.99 euros for Experts vs. the Sicilian, today we are charging 24.99 for the GM Repertoire books as well as this new (colour photo) book. You would think that in a world where prices are increasing rapidly, that this should slowly move us towards the cheaper end of the spectre, but this appears not to be the case.
Gambit and Everyman have lowered their prices, as they are operating their business in pound sterling. They can do this because they print in the UK and distribute from here as well. We are printing in Estonia and distributing from Poland, so our expenses are in euros only. Compared to for example New in Chess and Chess Stars, Quality Chess are actually cheaper.
It should of course be mentioned that the books from Gambit and Everyman, which cost 18.99 or 19.99 euros, are usually 128-160 pages on low quality paper. Compared to these, a 456 book on high quality paper, should not be 24.99, but 49.99…
All in all, the world has turned and left us here. But I am actually quite happy with where we are standing. Maybe we will stay here a little longer…
Here is the latest publishing projections. The main change in dates is because of the IM-tournament in Edinburgh starting the 12th, that we are not only sponsoring, but also means that we have to be without Andrew for a week.
SEPTEMBER
9th Ftacnik, Kopec & Browne Champions of the New Millennium
9th Mihail Marin Grandmaster Repertoire 3 – The English Opening vol. 1
OCTOBER
14th Marin/Garrett Reggio Emilia 2007/2008
14th Tibor Karolyi Genius in the Background
14th Boris Avrukh Grandmaster Repertoire 2 – 1.d4 Volume Two
28th Jacob Aagaard Attacking Manual Volume 2
28th Jacob Aagaard Attacking Manual Volume 1 2nd edition
NOVEMBER
15th John Shaw Quality Chess Puzzle Book
15th Boris Alterman The Alterman Gambit Guide – White Gambits
15th Artur Yusupov Boost your Chess 1
DECEMBER
1st John Shaw The King’s Gambit
1st Lubomir Ftacnik Grandmaster Repertoire 5 – The Sicilian Defence
| SEPTEMBER | ||
| 9th | Ftacnik, Kopec & Browne | Champions of the New Millennium |
| 9th | Mihail Marin | Grandmaster Repertoire 3 – The English Opening vol. 1 |
| OCTOBER | ||
| 14th | Marin/Garrett | Reggio Emilia 2007/2008 |
| 14th | Tibor Karolyi | Genius in the Background |
| 14th | Boris Avrukh | Grandmaster Repertoire 2 – 1.d4 Volume Two |
| 28th | Jacob Aagaard | Attacking Manual Volume 2 |
| 28th | Jacob Aagaard | Attacking Manual Volume 1 2nd edition |
| NOVEMBER | ||
| 15th | John Shaw | Quality Chess Puzzle Book |
| 15th | Boris Alterman | The Alterman Gambit Guide – White Gambits |
| 15th | Artur Yusupov | Boost your Chess 1 |
| DECEMBER | ||
| 1st | John Shaw | The King’s Gambit |
| 1st | Lubomir Ftacnik | Grandmaster Repertoire 5 – The Sicilian Defence |
Well, compared to many other books by other publishers your books are simply better 🙂
Your books are worth every (euro)cent!
Excellent schedule, Jacob. One question–on the date of release for any of the above titles, will those in the UK be able to order from this QualityChess website and the book will be shipped? For example, I am in Newcastle.
Thanks for the positive feedback.
You can order from this website from anywhere in the world. Yesterday we sent books to Brazil. Most chess shops across Europe will have our books a few days after we do. We just send them out when they are printed, we don’t sit on them, ever.
I really enjoy your excellent books. However, I feel you would better serve your buyers with more realistic publishing schedules. You need to improve your project planning. Some of your books have been announced as “coming out” and are over a year late. This is very discouraging to the consumer. It is better to have a realistic date and realistic expectations then your current unrealistic ones. It is fine to announce a book in order to build excitement for its release, but then all that excitement dissipates as the release is pushed off, month after month. And the excitement turns to discouragement and annoyance. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.
Dear Jay Ryan,
Your comments show that you do not know how the business works and gives me an excellent chance to explain it. The books we will be publishing in the states in May 2010 we have to commit to before Sep. 7th. Amazon will have them on their website in 3-4 weeks from now, already selling them.
We can then choose to do as Everyman (and others), which have recently published two opening books, which were finished around August 2008 (don’t believe the forewords signed June 2009, when there are no 2009 games in the book).
Or we can choose to do what we do, which is to guess more or less when the books will be out, and once we get the material, get it out asap. Our books are usually 4-6 weeks out of date, when published. This is shipping and printing. This comes at a cost.
If you continue to read on this blog, you will always know that we don’t promise, we project. The alternative to being wrong sometimes, is to being out of date. This is a compromise I am not willing to make, then I would rather disappoint at times.
I’m glad you’re not intending to lower the paper quality of your books. I have and enjoy many books by Gambit as well as yourselves, but there is no doubt the quality of your books is much better, the brilliant crisp white pages of Marin’s ‘Beating the Open Games’ and excellent layout mean it is simply a nicer book to read than John Watsons ‘Mastering the Chess Openings’ series from Gambit, at least in my opinion.
¬
I think with a publishing house named after quality, no concessions for cost cutting should be made. All the books I own of yours, Marins Open Games and Spanish, Yusupov’s Build Up Your Chess 1-3, My System and San Luis 2005 are all simply far better put together than books from any other publishing house, which is a big part in why I chose to read them first ahead of all my other books!
Excellent schedule, Jacob. One question – Lubomir Ftacnik Grandmaster Repertoire 5 – The Sicilian Defence it´s a Najdorf ou Schevenningen book or both!? My question it´s because 5…a6 is a Najdorf but Ftacnik is a Schevenningen player and uses the Najdorf move order to avoid the Keres attack and then transpose to Schevenningen. Another question about this book – The book have all anti-sicilian systems or just c3, closed and Bb5+? Many thanks, I look forward to several books of Quality chess Europe.
Just out of interest is this ‘Galerie’ paper the same as is used in the San Luis 2005 volume?
Can we expect a book of the same build quality and size approximately of that fine work?
Zagreb, the book will be both Najdorf and Schevenningen as I understand Lubo. He will cover minor lines. I do not think he goes …e5 much.
The paper in Champions is in my opinion better than in San Luis, but to others it might be the other way around. So, yes, the result is comparable. Champions is 8 pages longer than San Luis.
Hello Jacob,
thanks a lot for the update and i really hope that you will continue to produce such excellent books.
I just want to make a small proposal, but it is up to you whether you will accept or reject it.
So my porposal is that some of the books have also a hardcover edition. For example GM Repertoire series. Some of the books deserve this. Of course i know that the price will be higher but I would prefer to have them in hardcover inseat of paperback. At least the book body is more save 😉
Hi Milen. Unfortunately we are already receiving complaints from the dealers with the current weight of 750-800 gram GM Rep books. The issue is postage. If we had to include all the extra costs, we are probably looking at 40 euros per book, instead of 25. I do not think this is feasible, but maybe with something else we will do a hard cover later on.
Yes, I understand this and it makes sense. But 40 EUR is worth price for real book collectors. May be limited number of books which will be sold only from your site… But of course u need to calculate this and if it is not profitable there is simply no reason to do that.
Even in addition they may be a signed copies by the author 🙂
Hello Quality friends,
I’m wondering about the nature of GM Alterman’s new book that you’ll be bringing out. Is it basically an elaboration or continuation of his analysis series on ICC, or does he plan something a little different from those videos?
We will only do books that are really really special in hardcover. The GM Repertoire book is not a collectors item, but books to be used here and now. We have other ideas that are books that will be just as interesting in 20 years time, and one of those might be hardcover.
Great news Jacob! Schevenningen deserves a great book and the bonus of minor lines in one volume would be great. I will look forward to Champions, Reggio, Genius and Karpov wins. The idea of hardcovers by Milen Petrov is interesting and my idea too, but of course only viable without cutting the pages. Some special volumes of great tournaments would be great or a Quality Chess project like Informator or NIC. Finally a sugestion for Grandmaster Repertoire 7! – The Grunfeld! Authors- B. Avrukh or Marin, or Flear or why not Jacob Aagard!? I liked a lot your Starting Out the Grunfeld wich is in my view one of the best.
Alterman’s book is related to the videos, but with more depth and width to them.
We do want a GM Grunfeld book at some point. Right now we are focussing on the Caro-Kann, Sicilian, KID and the 7 books for White. 1…e5 we have covered enough, and for the French we have a dream of something extra-ordinary.
I am definitely not the man for a Grunfeld book. I have dreams of something quite different…
It says the Caro-Kann is one of the openings you are focusing on. Does this mean you planning a book on the Caro-Kann for Black? Prehaps a GM Repertoire book? If this is true, around what time can we expect this book to be published?
Jacob I have a great book by you “Meeting 1.d4” based on the Tarrasch, is there any plans to do a black book based on this or any other Queens Gambit for Black.
We are planning a Caro-Kann book in spring 2010.
We do not have specific plans, but we do have a want. Probably not the Tarrasch, but something like the Tartakower.