# Small question for Dr. Braem.



## kentuckiense (Nov 29, 2006)

Dr. Braem-

I'm just curious as to if you are currently writing or are planning on writing a monograph for the genus Phragmipedium. As of right now, the most comprehensive text I can find is McCook's PhD dissertation.


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## Heather (Nov 29, 2006)

kentuckiense said:


> Dr. Braem-
> 
> I'm just curious as to if you are currently writing or are planning on writing a monograph for the genus Phragmipedium. As of right now, the most comprehensive text I can find is McCook's PhD dissertation.



I'd heard that rumor also. We could use one you know....oke:


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## kentuckiense (Nov 29, 2006)

Heather said:


> I'd heard that rumor also. We could use one you know....oke:


I had only heard the rumor about Cribb writing one. And I agree that it would be great if Dr. Braem published one! We sure need one.


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## SlipperFan (Nov 29, 2006)

I sure agree with that!


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## Braem (Nov 30, 2006)

OK. 
1) Indeed McCook is the best we have today
2) I will elaborate on the rest when I am back online with my own equipment

Guido



kentuckiense said:


> Dr. Braem-
> 
> I'm just curious as to if you are currently writing or are planning on writing a monograph for the genus Phragmipedium. As of right now, the most comprehensive text I can find is McCook's PhD dissertation.


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## silence882 (Nov 30, 2006)

Cribb is "currently preparing an account of tropical American slipper orchids for a Curtis's Botanical Magazine monograph."

from: Cribb, P. Phragmipedium kovachii in Peru, An Adventure to rack Down this Rare Orchid in the Wild. Orchid Review 114 (1271):255-257, Sep/Oct; 2006.

--Stephen


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## Braem (Nov 30, 2006)

Ok

1) I have already answered the McCook part this afternoon. McCook's Thesis is indeed the best and most elaborate we have to date. However, please do not rely on her citations, I have found a number of them [amazingly enough(?)] among those, the citations of German literature) to be wrong.

2) I have indeed (on and off) been writing on a monograph of the genus _Phragmipedium_ with the great assistance of Prof. Sandy Ohlund. However, as that project is (once more) "for the honour" only, other projects have higher priorities. If there would be a concrete offer from a reliable publisher (and please forget the one from Portland, Oregon), the situation may change.

2a) before anyone asks me about those "other projects", please bear with me when I tell you that I will not disclose any information about them.

regards
Guido




kentuckiense said:


> Dr. Braem-
> 
> I'm just curious as to if you are currently writing or are planning on writing a monograph for the genus Phragmipedium. As of right now, the most comprehensive text I can find is McCook's PhD dissertation.


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## SlipperFan (Nov 30, 2006)

What could be more important than writing a book on Phrags??? oke:


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## Braem (Dec 4, 2006)

Doing something for which people are willing to pay. It is easy to write books if you can do it on taxpayers money. Furthermore, since I wrote my first book 22 years ago, I have learned that publishers don't care about authors and that orchid people are not willing to spend money on books. So why should I bother?

G.J. Braem






SlipperFan said:


> What could be more important than writing a book on Phrags??? oke:


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## Heather (Dec 4, 2006)

Well, I'd buy it.


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## gonewild (Dec 4, 2006)

Braem said:


> So why should I bother?
> 
> G.J. Braem



Publish or parish.oke: 

To add validity to your opinion.
To further your science.
To pass your knowledge on to young potential taxonomists.
To out do your competitors.
To have something tangible in hand to be proud of.
To get a tax write off.
To give Heather another book to buy.
To give me a book to buy.
"So it is written, so it shall be".
It is very easy to self publish books these days.


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## SlipperFan (Dec 4, 2006)

Braem said:


> orchid people are not willing to spend money on books...
> 
> G.J. Braem


Who said???

I'd pay for it in advance of publication, if I knew it would indeed be published.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Dec 4, 2006)

I'd certainly buy it.....I regularly refer to Guido's books with the Bakers and with Chiron....I really enjoy books about slippers...I think I have most of the ones published in the past 15 years, although I can't afford Cribb's revised paph book...Take care, Eric


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## ScottMcC (Dec 5, 2006)

the trouble is, there's maybe 10 people on this website that will fork out the cash, and to them it will be more than worth it. and there's probably another couple hundred of people nationwide in the same boat. but in order to make it cost effective (in terms of the time to prepare the manuscript, not just printing costs), you'd need to sell several thousand. and in that regard, Dr Braem is right on. Now if I can interest anyone in purchasing my yet-to-be published book on stereocilia micromechanics, and how to break the lab equipment involved in its measurement, maybe I can donate some of those funds into getting Dr Braem's work published.


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## Braem (Dec 8, 2006)

How about telling a publisher that you will be buying 5000 copies? 

Heather, the problem is not with the authors. It is with the publishers. I can have it published in a journal, but that brings me nothing. 

Guido



Heather said:


> Well, I'd buy it.


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## Braem (Dec 8, 2006)

Hey Lance,

you would not be willing to transfer 50000 Euros on my account would you? After that, I will immediately finish the book.

Cheers
Guido



gonewild said:


> Publish or parish.oke:
> 
> To add validity to your opinion.
> To further your science.
> ...


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## Braem (Dec 8, 2006)

Dear Dot,

that is nice and kind of you ... If you find 1249 people to join in, we have a deal

cheers
Guido




SlipperFan said:


> Who said???
> 
> I'd pay for it in advance of publication, if I knew it would indeed be published.


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## gonewild (Dec 8, 2006)

Braem said:


> Hey Lance,
> 
> you would not be willing to transfer 50000 Euros on my account would you? After that, I will immediately finish the book.
> 
> ...



Gee, I thought you were a scientist not a capitalist! Your supposed to despise anyone you tries to profit from the environment. oke:

I know very well the costs to publish a book. And I know very well how little money most authors realize from a book. (It is sad)

But self publishing is very easy now. Check out lulu.com

You don't need 50000 Euros, only your time to format the manuscript. If you don't want to do it send it to me and I'll do it for you. :evil:


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## SlipperFan (Dec 8, 2006)

gonewild said:


> But self publishing is very easy now.


It may be easy now, but it's still very expensive. My husband is an author/researcher of Michigan history. (http://homepage.mac.com/dotbarnett/Memorial_Highways/Menu14.html)

We understand Guido's predicament!


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## the jive turkey (Dec 9, 2006)

books are so yesterday! why doesn't anyone suggest an online subscription service like orchidculture.com?


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## Braem (Dec 9, 2006)

SlipperFan said:


> Who said???




Dot,

that is a) experience
b) information from book stores and publishers
and c) the books that are mostly bought are amateur-written. 

I quote the owner of one of the largest booksellers in natural history: "The worst books sell best."

Guido


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## Braem (Dec 9, 2006)

Lance,

after having lived off my charming and generous wife for many years (who did not even b...ch when I spent the equivalent of a house for _Schlechteriana_) I do have a bad conscience. And I am fed up with writing books for "the honour". People that know me, know very well that I have paid more than my dues to the orchid world. (PS I don't mind you poking)

See, very few people realize (or want to realize) that the authors get a pittance. 35 to 45 % go to the bookseller (The AOS even demands 50% before a book was put on the list). In Germany, another 25 % goes to one of the two companies that supply the books to the book sellers. Thus, the author gets 6-8 %. Take it or leave it ... 

I have had two major publishers tell me: if you want to be published by us, you put 25% of the cost on the table. And they calculate with 100 000 € for a project. Otherwise it just isn't interesting for them.

So I went to a private publisher with the Braem, Baker & Baker. He used it as a write-off, refused to do any advertisement, never bothered to sell volume 2 except for the first week and simply told me that he would not do volume 3. 

I spent 2000 US $ to have a Florida lawyer tell me that I had a case but not enough money to put it through court.

I once did the calculations on one of my book and I destroyed my notes. Anyone who would have seen them would have called the next luny bin and have me put away for good.

More later ... 

Guido











gonewild said:


> Gee, I thought you were a scientist not a capitalist! Your supposed to despise anyone you tries to profit from the environment. oke:
> 
> I know very well the costs to publish a book. And I know very well how little money most authors realize from a book. (It is sad)
> 
> ...


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## Braem (Dec 9, 2006)

Books will never be "yesterday"



the jive turkey said:


> books are so yesterday! why doesn't anyone suggest an online subscription service like orchidculture.com?


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## SlipperFan (Dec 9, 2006)

This seems to be the viscious circle we live in today: it takes money to make money. My husband said, like you, Guido, that he will never write another book. Articles, yes, but books, no. Similar experience with publishing.

Too bad -- it's history's loss with him, and orchidaceae's loss with you.


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## Barbara (Dec 9, 2006)

Braem said:


> Dot,
> 
> that is a) experience
> b) information from book stores and publishers
> ...



Oh, very true. You have to wade through altogether too much trash to find that one jewel.


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## Braem (Dec 10, 2006)

Dot,

problem with this lad is that he is writing on three books (if you count the Phrag one, which has been on ice for a while) .... somehow, some people never learn. 

Guido 





SlipperFan said:


> This seems to be the viscious circle we live in today: it takes money to make money. My husband said, like you, Guido, that he will never write another book. Articles, yes, but books, no. Similar experience with publishing.
> 
> Too bad -- it's history's loss with him, and orchidaceae's loss with you.


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