Moore Bettah Book release

wickedwahine11

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Recently someone posted on Chuck Moore's Facebook page that they would be interested in a coffee table style book showcasing photos of some of Chuck's ukes. Since my bachelor's degree is in journalism, and I currently edit books for a publishing company, I volunteered to work on the project.

I recently visited Chuck's house so we could discuss the project further. I want to first point out this project is fan-driven, not Chuck driven. He is the most humble guy around, and this is not an ego boost for him. If anything, we are having to try to convince him to do it.

I want to point out that this is a project in progress, and there is no projected end date for publication, as Chuck feels some of his best work is ahead of him. In addition, it will not be merely a coffee table book photo pictorial as we plan to do interviews with owners, as well as in depth interviews showcasing the build process and telling the story of Moore Bettah ukuleles and life as a luthier of custom instruments.

That is where MB owners come in. Even though the book may not be completed for a while, I was telling Chuck that a lot of his MB story is based in the stories of his owners. And since time passes, and folks can move on I wanted to capture as many stories as possible for this book project.

If you are a MB uke owner, and would like to be interviewed about your ukulele and/or your relationship with Chuck, please PM me your email address. All of these interviews will be conducted via email through a set of written questions that you may complete and email back to me.

Last, a note: I know Moore Bettah ukes are beloved by many people, and not by others. Life would be boring if we all liked the same things. That being said, I would like to request that those that would use this thread to bash MB ukes, Chuck, or MB uke owners I would like to request you remember the old adage, "If you have nothing nice to say..." It certainly is your prerogative to not buy a MB, or this book. But please don't rain on the parade of those that do not share your unenthusiasm. :)
 
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Great Staci....keep me in the loop....:)
 
I'm very excited about this Project that you are working on.....it's going to be a great treat for all MB's fans.
 
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WOW!!! WOW!!!! WOW!!!! Staci, how incredibly awesome. What an amazing project. Please keep us updated as often as you can.

This book will be something to relish and treasure. Beautiful man, beautiful ukes. Perfect.
 
Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words. So far, we have ten owners that have emailed me today to say they are willing to participate. I'm hoping to get a lot more. I just sent off the questionnaire to those folks, with the request that they pass it on to any other owners that might be interested. :)
 
I don't actually think this is shameless self promotion. You are donating your time and not benefiting personally. If anything, this is a tribute to Chuck. I think you could make a note of it in the MBU thread where people are showing off their ukes if you don't want to start a new thread.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words. So far, we have ten owners that have emailed me today to say they are willing to participate. I'm hoping to get a lot more. I just sent off the questionnaire to those folks, with the request that they pass it on to any other owners that might be interested. :)
 
WOW!!! WOW!!!! WOW!!!! Staci, how incredibly awesome. What an amazing project. Please keep us updated as often as you can.

This book will be something to relish and treasure. Beautiful man, beautiful ukes. Perfect.

:agree: and :iwant:.

While I may not currently be able to afford an actual MB uke, a book such as this would allow me to have a piece of that mojo in my life, and I feel that this would be a meaningful testament to document the work of a true artisan.

Thank you for doing this! :)
 
What an excellent idea!! I'll definitely buy the book once it's published. It will be fantastic to get to see all his creations in one place, get to read their stories and about the master at work. Please keep us posted!
 
I don't actually think this is shameless self promotion. You are donating your time and not benefiting personally. If anything, this is a tribute to Chuck. I think you could make a note of it in the MBU thread where people are showing off their ukes if you don't want to start a new thread.

Totally agree Steve. I think you should transfer this thread to Uke Talk Staci. Give it the exposure it truly deserves.
 
What an excellent idea!! I'll definitely buy the book once it's published. It will be fantastic to get to see all his creations in one place, get to read their stories and about the master at work. Please keep us posted!

Yup yup -- I'm psyched.

It's a great idea, a really kind tribute, and regardless of MB ownership I think it captures a part of the ukulele (and, really, UU) spirit that we all love.
 
I have coveted MB ukes since I first saw one. He's and amazing individual and does amazing work. This is a great idea! Why didn't I think of it?
 
Lovely idea, Staci. I'm wondering though if the coffee table size book--full-color photography, printing costs, etc.--will be prohibitive. I think you might have to sell a boodle of them (hundreds?) to break even. You work as an editor, perhaps you would know.

Might self-publishing on Amazon or iBooks be effective?

As always, Staci, your ideas are wonderful. Always Aloha. :) Great to see people wanting to be in the book. Might crowd-funding (e.g Kickstarter) be used to find who might be interested to buy it?

These are just brainstorming ideas only. I don't know the answers.

More power to you, Staci. Lovely ukuleles, certainly. I enjoy seeing them on Chuck's website.
 
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Lovely idea, Staci. I'm wondering though if the coffee table size book--full-color photography, printing costs, etc.--will be prohibitive. I think you might have to sell a boodle of them (hundreds?) to break even. You work as an editor, perhaps you would know.

Might self-publishing on Amazon or iBooks be effective?

As always, Staci, your ideas are wonderful. Always Aloha. :) Great to see people wanting to be in the book. Might crowd-funding (e.g Kickstarter) be used to find who might be interested to buy it?

These are just brainstorming ideas only. I don't know the answers.

More power to you, Staci. Lovely ukuleles, certainly. I enjoy seeing them on Chuck's website.

I think it would definitely be self published. There are companies that allow you to sell direct, or even through Amazon or iBooks with a print on demand option. That way you do not have to outlay any initial money and the only costs are generated as they are purchased. That being said, bulk rates are cheaper. So if I knew we had a commitment of a certain amount (25, 50 etc.) I might buy them myself in bulk then sell direct, making it cheaper for all of us.

To be honest, I really appreciate the folks that mentioned Kickstarter, but I don't feel comfortable taking money for it. My expenses are minimal if I interview mainly online (phone or in person interviews with Chuck being an exception) but I already have two upcoming trips to the Big Island planned within the next year, so no outlay there either.

I wish the publishing company I work for would be an option, but the books they do are all fiction, so that won't work. I don't mind donating my time interviewing, researching and writing, and two graphic designers have both volunteered their time as well. I don't expect to make a cent off it, it is purely a labor of love. I have a deep respect for the man, and a great love for the ukes.
 
I have a beautiful Coffee Table book called Ferrington Guitars that was published in 1992 by Harper Collins. There are publishers who do that kind of thing. The Ferrington book sold quite well at the time. It had a forward written by Linda Ronstadt.
 
I think it would definitely be self published. There are companies that allow you to sell direct, or even through Amazon or iBooks with a print on demand option. That way you do not have to outlay any initial money and the only costs are generated as they are purchased. That being said, bulk rates are cheaper. So if I knew we had a commitment of a certain amount (25, 50 etc.) I might buy them myself in bulk then sell direct, making it cheaper for all of us.

To be honest, I really appreciate the folks that mentioned Kickstarter, but I don't feel comfortable taking money for it. My expenses are minimal if I interview mainly online (phone or in person interviews with Chuck being an exception) but I already have two upcoming trips to the Big Island planned within the next year, so no outlay there either.

I wish the publishing company I work for would be an option, but the books they do are all fiction, so that won't work. I don't mind donating my time interviewing, researching and writing, and two graphic designers have both volunteered their time as well. I don't expect to make a cent off it, it is purely a labor of love. I have a deep respect for the man, and a great love for the ukes.

I think if you're going to do something like this then aim for the stars Staci. Hardback coffee table. Get a proper run done of several hundred and sell them for the price that a boutique book should generate. I think you'd be surprised at how many you could move within the worldwide uke community - especially if it was presented in such a fashion that demanded attention. OK, I am an idealist but I also think this is realistic.

I know of several publishers who would be worth contacting with a presentation of the idea and see if you could secure something. Glossy pages. High class photographs (which you already have) and a beautiful graphic layout. As a writer and editor myself (part-time that is) I would be happy to help with anything re layout, editing, interviews, etc etc.

I mean, you're unlikely to make any money out of it which you already know-and that is not the reason for undertaking the project. But on the other hand, there's no reason you should have to absorb all of the costs yourself either for a production such as this. Anyway, just thinking aloud. Hope it comes to fruition.
 
This is a great idea. I think the stories behind all of the ukes would really be interesting. Whenever someone posts a NUD with a Moore Bettah, there's always a nice tale behind the beautiful handiwork. I would certainly buy one of the books--especially since there is an infinitesimal chance I would own an MB someday.
 
I think there's a chance to sell ten-fold more books if it wasn't just Moore Bettah Ukes, to be honest.

If it's just Moore Bettah, and there is no profit motive (lovely and genuine, Staci), then why not a glorious Wordpress free blog multimedia website?
 
I think there's a chance to sell ten-fold more books if it wasn't just Moore Bettah Ukes, to be honest.

If it's just Moore Bettah, and there is no profit motive (lovely and genuine, Staci), then why not a glorious Wordpress free blog multimedia website?

I think there are plenty of photos on websites. I think this stemmed from a desire to have a permanent hard copy of the images of the ukes and the story of their luthier.

As for other brands, I am sure it would sell more, but I have no interest in that project. This is the one that motivates me - though I am surprised nobody has done something like this about Kamaka. I would fully support a book about other ukes, I just have no interest in writing one. I have already spent about 10 hours on this and am enjoying every second -but that is because I have a passion for this particular brand of ukes, and great respect for this particular luthier. I like my KoAloha, Kanilea and Kamaka, but would not invest any energy into a similar project about them. :)

As for profit, I would probably lean towards a publish on demand site, many of which offer hardbound books with glossy pages. I doubt we would ever sell enough to turn a measurable profit. The only exception I would consider would be if it was substantially cheaper to do a bulk order and I could afford to get enough of them printed in advance (say if there were committed orders).

I appreciate the notion of using publishing companies, and I may ship that idea around if it comes to it, but to be honest, I think this is a niche market within a niche market, and probably has too limited an audience for them to invest.
 
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I think there's a chance to sell ten-fold more books if it wasn't just Moore Bettah Ukes, to be honest.

If it's just Moore Bettah, and there is no profit motive (lovely and genuine, Staci), then why not a glorious Wordpress free blog multimedia website?



haha Cool I think you miss the point...:)

how can it be a book on Moore Bettah Ukuleles with other Ukes in it.....Staci not in it for money..she doing because she wants to do it....strange where everyone trying to tell her what to do..i met Staci and she is a very smart woman and has her own mind...when it comes to business and street smarts she way ahead of me and I am not afraid to admit it..

my 2 cents
 
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