First things first: let me wish you all the best you deserve for 2019.

I have not published much recently, but let’s have a good start for the new year. As a matter of fact, i have a good feeling about what 2019 will bring. 

Performance Paragliding

Here is the reason why I feel so good (well, sure, there are others, but that is not the topic here): the first volume of Performance Paragliding is now available as an ebook from Amazon Kindle store. 

The original printed book has been divided into two volumes for e-publishing. The first one is devoted to training, « Preparation for Cross-Country and Competition Flying », while the second one addresses performance in terms of execution and achieving goals, « Efficiency in Cross-Country and Competition Flying ». First volume starts with the introduction while the second ends with the conclusion.

Why an ebook?

Initially, I hoped for a print translated version. I love physical books, I have plenty of them. But I almost never read them twice. I should better offer them to non-profit educational associations. For the last two years, I used a Kindle and got convinced by ebooks. My eReader is full of memory, convenient for travel, offers good contrast under a bright sun or with the shallow light of my bedpost, contains practical services like dictionary and note marking.

So, when untrustworthy editors made their hard Brexit and let me down, I considered all the troubles that a print book carries: postage costs, paper costs, environmental cost (quite sure, a unique small tree might be enough to print all the books I would sell). Rule of thumb, ebooks represent 20% of print book sales. But now some books are available in electronic format only. Tell me about the future. 

Why two volumes?

Now, why two volumes for the English ebook? Because of Amazon! Let me explain: Amazon keeps 30% of the book price if it is sold under 9,99 € or $. But their fee booms to 65% if you exceed that price tag. So, as the structure of my book was already made of two parts, training and execution, the obvious conclusion was to publish two ebooks at about 9,99 each. 

I hope you will enjoy and benefit from the reading of this first volume, giving it multi-star rating. Stay tuned for « Performance Paragliding – Efficiency in Cross-Country and Competition Flying », the second volume, soon to be released. Spring would be an appropriate season for that, wouldn’t it?