Re: [Killietalk] WoK Volume 5 - was, A test

[Brian Watters <bwatters at shaw_ca>]

Yes, there was a time schedule in the original memorandum of agreement (not
a strict contract with penalty clauses, by the way). However, once we
started work on the project it quickly became apparent that with the
enormous amount of work involved, the schedule was simply impractical.
Please do not forget that, except for the author's manuscripts (which had to
be rewritten sentence by sentence), this project has been done entirely by
volunteer labor. As I said, I have devoted a substantial proportion of my
life to this project (while also trying to maintain a career as a
professional academic) and the only "pay" I have received are a few free
copies of each volume, and initially I wasn't getting even that.

In your message you make the following statement:

>
> Thats alot of money put into these books for ppl to have been made to
> wait so long for them to be completed.
>

That simply serves to show how little you know about the WoK project. What
do you mean by a "lot of money" ? The "fee" that was paid to the author was
a pittance by publishing standards and the author has met all his
obligations in that regard according to the original agreement. Some time
ago, he provided a manuscript for Volume 5 but, because of many recent
nomenclature changes, it needs to be updated. That is being done at present.

The AKA has made a great deal of money from this project and a substantial
proportion of the AKA's present healthy financial position is due to the
sale of these books. I would guess that the AKA has made a clear profit that
constitutes at least 10 times the original fee paid to the author. The cost
of the original fee to the author, the ONLY initial investment made by the
AKA, was recovered within the first few months (perhaps weeks) of the first
volume going on sale.

I accept some of the responsibility for the delay in getting these volumes
completed in a more timely manner. The amount of work involved in rewriting
and preparing them for publication is enormous and, while trying to get that
done, I had a professional career to maintain, as well as a family life. I
did have some help with the last volume but even then, ultimately, for
consistency of style, only one person can produce the final version that
goes to the printer. As I have said to various complainants over the years -
if you think you can do a better job then make a proposal to the BOT and I
would be quite willing to relinquish it.

Whether or not you find the WoK volumes a waste of money is irrelevant. As
Bob Goldstein has pointed out, you did not have to buy them in the first
place. Further, I don't know where you purchased your Aqualog volumes but I
think that your statement "The Aqualogs.......at a fraction of the
costs....." is incorrect. However, you can do the arithmetic as well as I
can so I will not pursue that

My apologies if my words upset anyone but I am tired of listening to people
who seem to think that books such as the WoK volumes fall from the skies as
a gift from above.
___________________________
Brian Watters
6141 Parkwood Drive
Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6A2
Canada
Ph: (250) 760-0564
E-mail: bwatters at shaw_ca

> -----Original Message-----
> From: killietalk-bounces+bwatters=shaw_ca at aka.org
> [mailto:killietalk-bounces+bwatters=shaw_ca at aka.org]On Behalf Of John
> Wubbolt
> Sent: December 27, 2007 1:49 PM
> To: killifish discussion list
> Subject: Re: [Killietalk] WoK Volume 5 - was, A test
>
>
> Wasnt there a time limit put into the contract when it was made?   12
> years and they're not done seems like an awefully long time.   Too bad
> no holds to contracts or enforces them.
>
> Thats alot of money put into these books for ppl to have been made to
> wait so long for them to be completed.
>
> Personally i find them a wast of money.. no pics, just line drawings, no
> breeding info on most of the stuff.... The aqualogs gave me better pics,
> and almost as much info... at a fraction of the costs.. but then again,
> thats my opinion.
>
> John
>
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