Indians Top 50+ Prospects: The Book

As I alluded to a few months back, I had toyed with the idea of printing the top prospect listing I recently did. I had wanted a print copy to keep for myself, and some others had said they were interested as well. Anyway, now that the prospect piece is done, I am now seriously considering doing this while I have some free time the next few weeks, but because of the upfront cost involved I wanted to see the general interest for such an endeavor.

The book would be somewhere around $10 (plus any shipping) and would be 5.5 x 8.5 size, which those familiar with the Baseball America Prospect Handbook or the Indians Media Guides, that is the size. It would be about 90-100 pages (or more), in paperback and perfectly bound, with the inside pages printed in black ink on 60# bright white offset and a full-color cover printed on a heavy 10 pt. C1S which is UV Coated with a high-gloss protective coating.

The inside would include all the writeups and photos of the Top 50 players plus the Just Missed guys, the 2007 Draft guys, and the DSL guys. Also, an addendum with Barton and Whitney. So, in all 75 players.

I'll also likely have a foreword in it which will basically be my wrapup, but rewritten a little so it fits as a forward for the book. A table of contents, a chart of the top prospects by position, an organizational depth chart, a coach and player development staff listing, and anything else I can think of or that others may recommend.

If I print this, and before I print too many, I just wanted to have an idea who would be interested so I know how many copies I should print. I would also plan to make extras to hand out at spring training. Again, the book would be about $10, which is basically at cost because I would be making such a small print run. If I am able to print more, that cost could drop to $7-8 because a larger print run lowers the cost considerably.

If interested, send an e-mail to me at tlastoria@theclevelandfan.com and let me know what you think and how many copies you would want. Feel free to reply if you have any suggestions as I am open to any and all ideas.

Oh, and one final note, this is my first foray into the world of book publishing. I have been researching this for the better part of four months, and I found a suitable printing company to do it. I'll make these look as good as I can, but remember that I am trying to keep the cost way down on this since I am making at most 50 to 250 copies.....and it is my first time.

Just wanted to mention that. Anyway, as always, thanks for the support and Go Tribe.

Posted in: Book