GTO 64 - Book by Doug Nye

The question now is, where to buy. If you live in Continental Europe and buy directly from the publisher, you will be confronted with import duties and/or taxes, and delays due to bureaucracy. Or buy from Motors Mania who will deal with those issues at a price. Bought from their website once, and I was quite happy with their service. Price is not my main issue, I prefer my books undamaged.

 

It would be helpful to know how these books will be packed and shipped to the US. In the case of Inside Track from the same publisher, my books were not packed in a bespoke shipping box and were rather haphazardly protected. Thankfully they arrived undamaged although the opening was somewhat fraught given the condition of the outside box. As for shipping, DHL was used even though I requested that just about any other courier be chosen, as DHL has a miserable reputation in the US. Since they don't have their own final delivery operation here, parcels are necessarily handed off to another courier which sometimes results in mishandling and loss of tracking information.

 

Points noted and passed on this morning to the people who handle sales and despatch of 'Inside Track' and 'GTO/64'. If your friends don't tell you, nobody will...but remember that these matters are all relative and 'armour-plated' packing materially (literally) raises shipping costs.

If the customer is happy to pay for 'armour plate' packing then it should not be a problem. But for many customers cost makes that a significant 'If' - hence the compromise, if compromise it be.

DCN

 

Inside Track arrived straight from the publisher and was very well packed! And just in time to go under a tree. If the same goes for the GTO/64 book there will be (at least...) one very happy customer.

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For more than 20 years I've been ordering from Palawan Press. They charge for 'armour-plated' packing, but not excessively. Not once did I have a quality issue with them. No stress, and in the end better for all involved.

 

Also, I'm strongly in favour of using Fed-Ex!

 

Rosey - I tried to contact you privately via this site, re autographed copy, but as yet no response. I have a coal-burning computer system and my interweb skills are minimal but I'm willing if you are...

DCN

 

Contact has now been established.
Thanks for reaching out Doug.
Cheers.

 

I use steam, myself. Much cleaner, don’t you know.......

 

So where does the steam come from?

 

I have a solar panel that heats the water that makes the steam to run the computer. My backup source is a gerbil on a treadmill.....

 

That should do it!

 

Has anyone received a copy of the book yet?

 

Are they even readily available yet?

My guy in the UK is still waiting for them from the publisher.

 

They said September. However, the last email also said Hortons will have some advance copies for sale at Pebble Beach.

 

Ordered the standard edition looking forward to its arrival. I enjoyed the website.

https://gto64.com/buy-the-book

 

Hi Marcel,

I am really interested in your opinion about in which way the GTO/64 book offers new insights and new material. Many of the pictures I have seen so far in the previews of GTO/64 are in the new Porter Press GTO book already. Does it make sense to buy GTO/64, then?

Best wishes
Sven

 

Speaking from experience these exceptionally researched books with excellent writing/editing, top-tier design, great photography (licensed and produced), high-production feel and paper, and in limited print runs are more a labor of love than a profit maker. As a publisher and author you do it for the passion for the topic; the passion for the process; and the passion for the enthusiast who opens the cover time and again to enjoy the final result. What seems like "high" prices to some for the titles belies the true cost of producing these works. Interestingly, almost all of these limited edition books coming on the market today could never have been produced 10+ years ago when the only outlet/viable market was mass-market production of books and a multi-tied supply chain where every layer takes a cut. Publishers would never pay the obscene costs required to properly produce these works and 99% of authors had no means to get these books produced since recouping costs was almost impossible (and the chance of massive losses loomed).

In the last few years wise publishers woke up to the fact that there are serious enthusiasts who would appreciate these style books—if done exceptionally well on all fronts—and a price point would increase with smaller print runs. I do not know what the production price increases were for publishers who adopted this strategy (and to be honest most still have not), but it had to be at least an order of magnitude cost increase. IMO, at £280, the GTO/64 is a deal at 1,000 copies.

We live in a time where so many exceptional automotive books are being developed that is unlike any point in history. The depth and information quality cannot be replicated by online sources. Of course, Doug can shed more light on this having done this for 52 years.

Can't wait for my copy of GTO/64 to arrive.

 

Today I received a message from the publisher that delivery (from the printer) for the standard edition is now pushed forward to around the end of September.

 

Re rynoshark's post above.

Coo! What he said...

DCN

 

Posted by Hgreg91 in another thread.
"Just noticed the GTO 64 leather edition is printed by the same people as the Jota, 30 miles away from my house. I have just placed an order!! What do you think of it?"

Personally I'm not a fan of these limited edition versions which don't really offer anything other then a fancy cover.

I'm ordering the GTO 64 book but happy with the standard version.

Other publishers are guilty of the same crime, producing exclusive books just in terms of materials used, like Porter Press and Palawan, with little else added.

For books that offer addition information in those exclusive pages it's a bit easier to justify the additional expense and comes down to how badly you want those additional pages and how deep your pockets are.

 

I think you’re absolutely right here. It’s quite easy to get carried away after a glass of wine and the thought of finest goatskin covering your book.

 

I understand the reason some publishers do it as the higher margins on those exclusive edition books (which are normally 2, 3 or more times the standard price but the cost to produce them is relatively low) go a long way to making the project viable, but as mentioned before from a collectability standpoint more often then not the standard editions are the ones that increase in relative terms much more then the special editions.

 

Actually I’m glad when I don’t have to pay for a premium binding just to get more information. That would really irritate me.