Help me out here…

When I chose to write Max’s story last year and it took me eight months to do so, I was thinking that the book would contribute to his legacy. He is, after all, the only ambassador for his species here in the Northeast. Yes, some zoos have lynx but Max travels our area to educate. He has a YouTube channel. You get a glimpse into his life like no other. So, I thought that a quality book with a hard cover and lots of beautiful photos would be wonderful. However, I’m hearing that the $49.95 price that I set last year is too expensive. Possibly. Owning a book on an animal like Max, I would think it would be priceless. I guess I’m biased. Last year when it published, the printing cost was $37.61 and I made a profit of $9.87. I didn’t believe that a profit of less than $10 per book was too much to ask as an author and as someone who has spent thousands of dollars on and for Max. Now, the printing cost has increased to $41.28. I don’t set the printing cost and Lulu Press is one of the lowest for printing books on demand.

My goal is to share Max’s story with everyone. So, yesterday I began thinking on how I could edit the book to make it more affordable. I would still offer the full version but I thought of condensing it. I can use the same size 8.5×8.5, eliminate the photo gallery in the back, reduce photo sizes and the number of photos per story. IF I can reduce it to only 80 pages instead of 159 pages and have a soft cover in place of the hard one, the cost would drop $20 per book. That means $29.95 retail price. It will still allow me a profit of about $10.

It could be “I am MAX 2.0” with a black cover. The next book after which could be “I am MAX, the Story Continues” which will focus on the 2nd half of his life. If I ever find time, a children’s book…The Loving Lynx.

This is where YOU come in… What are your thoughts about condensing his book to make it more affordable for people? I really want to know.

Thanks and Max sends his purrs.