RE: [Axiom-developer] Lulu publishing

[Martin Rubey]

 > We were also hoping to include a CDrom with volume 1, but we received a
 > quotation from Lulu which calls for a minimum publishing run of 100 copies
 > at an up front cost of about $1,200 USD for a 250 page volume including a
 > CDrom. So far the limited donations to the Axiom Foundation would not let us
 > seriously consider this option.

I don't think that this is worth it. If possible, I'd follow the suggestions
already given: 

* include a possibility of ordering a CD in the book and, more importantly,

* make it very easy to order a CD from the website.

I think that the CD will mostly serve people with a bad internet connection,
and I'm afraid that this is the case in some countries which may become very
important for Axiom: Russia, for example, many countries in Africa and probably
in South-America. Therefore I'd also suggest that both book and CD should cost
almost nothing. 

I believe that it would be quite possible to tell the people: pay as much as
you want to, but at least bla$, where bla$ is the actual cost.

I know of a community in France you can visit (nearly) any time you want -- a
very nice place. You can choose the amount you pay within a given range, which
depends on the country you come from. I.e., Austrians usually pay quite a lot
more than people from Hungary, but it might be that a rich Hungarian chooses to
pay more or as much as some poor Austrian. Of course, it is not possible to
control this, and in fact, there is no control. It just works. Seemingly: the
community exists already quite a long time, I think they started to invite
people in the early seventies.

The point I'm trying to make: maybe it would be wiser *not* to try to make any
money with the book, but rather try to make it as accessible as possible. I
suspect that this is the reason for the predominance of MS Windows, in fact.

I don't know if this is feasible. Is it possible to collect orders on the Axiom
website and then forward them to Lulu?

Martin