[geo]

Originally Posted by Peter Grace

Some further thoughts.
Where is George Mowat Brown? Doesn't he know a thing or two about this?
P

Well, Peter, as you mention it, it was I who seemed to stir Ozymandias with my cautionary observations. These were not intended to be particularly negative, purely cautionary and based upon once being an editor for a London and Vienna publisher (nothing to do with cars!) and having written and researched two car-based books myself. To address some of the points made:

Originally Posted by Peter Grace

The two largest 'internal costs' are going to be the editor's time and the
typesetting (an ancient term.)
P

These are two of the largest pre-production costs and one should not overlook the enormity of the task

Originally Posted by Peter Grace

Like a village cookbook, everyone can contribute a section and therefore the 'writing' part can be divy'd up easily.
P

True, but if it is to flow and be a somewhat better read than the aforementioned cookbook, much work is required by a single person. When writing any academic or purely factual book, most writers realize that they are working for a pittance (calculated on a rate per hour), but are happy to undertake this task, however, proper proof-reading and editing requires proper payment.

Originally Posted by Peter Grace

I am happy to contribute to the design of it, . . . subject to an agreed brief and approvals process (we do not
want this run by committee, let alone a forum committee.)
P

A generous offer indeed as establishing the pagination, size and where photographs are to appear and so on takes an age — would you also expect to improve any images that are used? To my mind your caveat about an agreed brief is worth noting — without your request being met, the design and editing tasks would be impossible unless one was happy with it appearing in the manner of a dog's breakfast!

Originally Posted by Peter Grace

But I can see endless changing and arguing over of millions of facts,
grammar, and most frightening of all, opinion.
P

The advantage of writing or editing for a recognized publisher is that nearly every one has a rigid house style, so the grammar and spelling simply conforms to that: it is the writer, in connexion (or should you prefer connection?) with the editor who has to establish an equally rigid protocol for dealing with such issues.

Originally Posted by Peter Grace

Kevin is our resident expert on the pitfalls of personal opinion, as the
founder of BEEF.
P

Handing a bit of a poison chalice to Kevin to my mind!

Originally Posted by Peter Grace

And yet, what would be the point of a Bristol book that did not offer a
point of view?
P

Little writing does not offer an opinion, the trouble with the committee job is that it is rarely a consistent and coherent point of view.

Originally Posted by Peter Grace

investigate writing and editing it online, like Wikipedia, with a similar
approvals process. And once 'finished' then look to publish it the old
fashioned way.
P

An interesting idea to investigate, but I do have to say that wearing another hat that involves me in examining research degrees and the like, the much-quoted example of Wikipedia in reality leaves a lot to be desired — when one gets down to fine detail, it is a pretty unreliable source and presents much plagiarism.

Originally Posted by ozy

It always amazes me that when topics of this type are floated on many fora, there is always an abundance of armchair experts ready to postulate reasons why 'it can't be done' or 'it would be too difficult'. Will anyone shout up with a can do attitude here I wonder?

Sorry if I am missing the irony of using the title of Shelley’s Sonnet about hubris, but I feel that in your enthusiasm, you are overlooking some of the hurdles.

Originally Posted by ozy

I would love to see an erudite, up to date book on the Bristol marque . . . Far better a print on demand web based offering than nothing at all

Ah, I fear this is where we would not agree, whilst I should strongly agree with the idea of such a book being erudite and up-to-date, I find it hard to envisage that this would be so with this committee approach.