Posts by David Haywood
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Sally Jones wrote:
... horse on suburban section...
Please don't waste all that great material on my thread, Sally. We'll have it for another PA guest post, thanks!
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Peter Adamson wrote:
David never gave me a brief, so the camera quietly panned away after the second to last page. And I'm very grateful for that!
I think everyone's grateful for that, dude -- it would have put quite a few children in therapy, I'm guessing...
Sacha and Bart Janssen wrote:
There are disadvantages to cash transactions in bars, though I treasure the inscriptions..
Same problem here.... it could simply be that David hates us...Very sorry for my tragic mistake, gentleman -- I have now added you the special list! (And, just for the record, I've always thought you've had what it took to meet PA's stringent standards for special-list quality people.)
I'd be very happy to provide you with an extra-special sign-o-rama or inscript-o-rama to make up for my error. Possibly even in several different colours.
giovanni tiso wrote:
That reminds me... can I have David's book inscribed by Emma, like last year?
I'm quite positive that this can be arranged...
Matthew Reid wrote:
What about a collaboration to translate it into Italian? Mia moglia loved reading it to our three and wanted to send it friends/family in Italy.
Hmmm... now where could I find a really top-notch Italian translator -- preferably one with a Ph.D. in awfully clever stuff?
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Many thanks for all the kind words, people! Particularly from Jolisa Gracewood (aged 18). You have wisdom beyond your tender years, young Gracewood.
Carol Stewart wrote:
Ewe otter bee mighty proud, David. It looks inspired. Please please print some more!
Don't worry Carol -- it's only the first edition that's sold out!
A second edition is now available, and as far as I'm concerned we'll print as many as it takes. I think you should consider supplies to be practically infinite.
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Russell Brown wrote:
And readers will doubtless be glad to know that it's printed by Apple Pie Design, home of the lovely Ian Dalziel.
Yes, the lovely Ian Dalziel is very lovely and deserves a dedicated post (if not a book and a documentary). When Bob-the-boy is asked about his best friend he always says "Ian and Pixie". Pixie being Ian's cat.
One of the great pleasures in doing this book has been getting acquainted with Ian. And Pixie, of course. Not to mention Sally (Ian's equally lovely partner).
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Ross Mason wrote:
I want my hammer back!
There is a little something extra in your package -- but nothing so good as that hammer, alas.
Ian MacKay wrote:
Now David. Was this story autobiographical? It was his maths.
I may have occasionally licked a maths textbook, Ian -- but I deny that I've ever actually eaten one.
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Ross Mason wrote:
WHAT? Sold out the first edition when this is the frist time we have seen it? Humbug!
Very sorry, Ross! An email went out to previous PA Books buyers last week, and the first edition sold out on pre-purchases. I just checked, and the email *was* sent to you -- I can only assume it must have got spam filtered by you-know-who...
But I'm sure that even a second edition copy will provide for your financial needs come retirement.
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Thank you so much for a lovely post, Jackie! The next time I have one of those beneficiary-slagging conversations inflicted upon me, I'll be directing the inflictor to read this piece. It's great to hear from one of the people who are doing the most important job (from both a moral and economic perspective) in our society.
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I once witnessed my (former) neighbour cleaning the moss from his brick path with a scrubbing brush. When I greeted him he said, "Hell David, you look healthy today -- as fit as a trout!" I'd never heard that particular expression before ('as fit as a trout'), and two hours later the neighbour was dead. True story.
P.S. Just to make it perfectly clear, I did not kill the neighbour; he suffered a heart attack.
P.P.S. My other neighbour also cleaned the moss from his brick path, and also suffered a heart attack, and also died. But happily he was revived, and is still walking around happily to this day. He had his heart attack while giving a lecture to the staff of the cardiac unit, which is a very sensible place to have a heart attack.
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A very welcome piece of entertainment, Sally -- many thanks.
I'm currently stuck at home with a partially toilet-trained 3-year-old, sheltering from the intermittent rain, and being forced to read "The Castle of Adventure". I fear I have exceeded the overdose point for Enid Blyton, or to put it another way: "Gosh! How queer I feel!!!"
Anyway, a witty diversion into your Australian childhood has been a great blessing.
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Ngaire BookieMonster wrote:
From someone who is doing this every day on a daily basis with a huge variety of books, at the cheapest rate possible (because I know very well that cheap shipping rates work best for books) you simply can't post most books for letter rate.
I wouldn't dream of trying to tell you how to run your own business, Ngaire, I only meant to explain how I'd arrived at that figure, i.e. by measuring actual books, looking at the actual NZ Post rates, and then doing a risk analysis which suggested that it was cheaper to send books at the cheapest rate (and to simply replace any lost or damaged books) than to use tracking or bulky packaging. In other words, to explain to you that it wasn't a number that I'd simply pulled out of thin air!
And, as I said, I wouldn't suggest that this applies to irreplaceable 2nd-hand or expensive books... just the average (cheap-ish) NZ novel.
There are a couple of things that my production engineering analysis might overlook:
1. That the customer might be very happy to pay a premium to ship their book (which I think is one of the things that you're suggesting in your comment?).
2. That the economic value of the loss of goodwill from a damaged/missing book might be very high indeed -- much higher than the cost of simply replacing the book -- perhaps hundreds or even thousands of dollars. I have no way of measuring or assessing this (but I think that may have also been what you were alluding to in your comment?)
And if you introduce a public feedback system into that also - oh boy, believe me that just produces a whole 'nother pickle of fish
No, I certainly wasn't suggesting a public feedback system. But rather a rating/feedback system that was visible to all the participating authors and the site administrator.
Many thanks for your helpful comments on all of this, Ngaire -- it's really great to have information from an industry expert!