May NAEB order - last call. - Page 9

pilotbob · 07-13-2008, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphidb96

The only real option is to get a lower cost for our product. Life goes on.

Derek

Well, life goes on. Perhaps you will be able to add or switch to the Astak devices once they come out. Then again, if there going to be as easy to buy as we've been led to believe that won't be needed.

Keep up the good work.

BOb

delphidb96 · 07-13-2008, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Well, life goes on. Perhaps you will be able to add or switch to the Astak devices once they come out. Then again, if there going to be as easy to buy as we've been led to believe that won't be needed.

Keep up the good work.

BOb

Easy to buy... Yeah, right...

Maybe we should switch to the Hanlin Jinke V3 and OI.

Derek

DMcCunney · 07-13-2008, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Also, just because your not for profit doesn't mean you can't sell for more than your costs to have some operating assets. Once your there it might be easier to get lines of credits, better merchant account deals, etc. Doesn't non-profit only mean that you roll 100% of the money back into the company?

Sort of. Non-profit status doesn't mean you can't make money. It simply places restrictions on what you can do with the money you make. You can have paid staff, for example, and even have large amounts of cash on hand. (An example is the San Diego ComicCon, which has paid staffers, and sometimes has a million dollars in the bank with nary a peep from the IRS.) What you can't do is distribute profits to shareholders.

I'm involved with (though not currently a corporate member of) a couple of 501(c)(3) non-profit entities. They do their best to make money, but the money left oevr after paying corporate expenses gets disbursed to various charitable causes.

Non-profit incorporation is a legal means of seperating the operation from the folks running it, and protecting those involved. Mind you, that protection is not ironclad: play fast and loose enough, and a court can choose to "pierce the corporate veil", and go after the individuals named in the incorporation papers.
______
Dennis

DMcCunney · 07-13-2008, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphidb96

We came into this *vastly* underfunded. We're not in a financial position to make such a 'block' purchase. (If we were, I'd opt for buying about 200 up-front and re-ordering whenever we got down to 50.) And restructuring the price we pay requires large orders - like 1,000 units at once. (We'd need to have about $800,000-$900,000 to do that. Don't have it so it ain't gonna happen.)

I was partially following the discussions on the Baen forums which became NAEB. I missed it for a while due to other priorities, and when I picked up again, I discovered the idea had morphed into "our own custom hardware dedicated ebook reader". My first reaction was "Are they nuts?", since I know a little about the process involved with OEM deals and custom branded versions of someone else's product. You really need to start with a reasonable pool of capital, and some knowledge of the industry and the practices.

To be honest, I still have that reaction, though I stand in awe of what you've been able to accomplish thus far.

If you knew back when you were first planning the venture what you've learned since about what is involved in doing it, would you still have done it?
______
Dennis

delphidb96 · 07-13-2008, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I was partially following the discussions on the Baen forums which became NAEB. I missed it for a while due to other priorities, and when I picked up again, I discovered the idea had morphed into "our own custom hardware dedicated ebook reader". My first reaction was "Are they nuts?", since I know a little about the process involved with OEM deals and custom branded versions of someone else's product. You really need to start with a reasonable pool of capital, and some knowledge of the industry and the practices.

To be honest, I still have that reaction, though I stand in awe of what you've been able to accomplish thus far.

If you knew back when you were first planning the venture what you've learned since about what is involved in doing it, would you still have done it?
______
Dennis

As far as 'going for it', starting the business, yes. As far as going "non-profit", "buying club"... no. And I'd up-front buy a prototyping kit from Netronix (hardware supplier for all the Cybook-style devices) so I could work on developing a - to me - better UI, bookshelf and reader app.

Derek

penty · 07-13-2008, 06:23 PM

Our business model was flawed. Live and learn. US credit card laws are strange and wonderful things.

delphidb96 · 07-13-2008, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by penty

Our business model was flawed. Live and learn. US credit card laws are strange and wonderful things.

Boy Howdy! Are they EVER!

Derek

pilotbob · 07-13-2008, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by penty

Our business model was flawed. Live and learn. US credit card laws are strange and wonderful things.

What you should have done was sell gift certificates which could later be redeemed for readers. Then you could deliver the gift cert immediately... once the readers come in the gift certs could be used to buy the readers.

BOb

delphidb96 · 07-13-2008, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

What you should have done was sell gift certificates which could later be redeemed for readers. Then you could deliver the gift cert immediately... once the readers come in the gift certs could be used to buy the readers.

BOb

Good idea... However, I'm not sure that GCs would work for such an expensive purchase.

Derek

HarryT · 07-14-2008, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphidb96

NAEB *is*, not *are*...

NAEB is a corporation, which means that it is a separate legal entity from us corporate ossifers!

That's a difference between American and British English, Derek. In British English, companies are generally referred to in the plural and hence we use "are" rather than "is", as is the case in American English. You say "NAEB is...", we say "NAEB are...".

donbrubaker · 07-18-2008, 06:17 PM

Just a note to say I've already read several novels on my Cybook and although I was a bit impatient to get it... wow, am I satisfied! I'm really loving the device. Thanks again to you guys who are making this available at such a good price! And the cover is excellent... well worth the wait. Again, thank you.

penty · 07-19-2008, 10:44 AM

I'm seriously considering getting a new cover for my engineering sample. They are a lot better.

highlore · 07-22-2008, 06:54 AM

Derek,

Is there gonna be a new order with NAEB soon? I just missed the 3rd order.

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07-13-2008, 06:23 PM	#126
penty Connoisseur Posts: 70 Karma: 367 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: CyBook Gen3	Our business model was flawed. Live and learn. US credit card laws are strange and wonderful things.

07-18-2008, 06:17 PM	#131
donbrubaker Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 76806 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Southern California Device: LB Mars, Voyage, iPad Mini	Just a note to say I've already read several novels on my Cybook and although I was a bit impatient to get it... wow, am I satisfied! I'm really loving the device. Thanks again to you guys who are making this available at such a good price! And the cover is excellent... well worth the wait. Again, thank you.

07-19-2008, 10:44 AM	#132
penty Connoisseur Posts: 70 Karma: 367 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: CyBook Gen3	I'm seriously considering getting a new cover for my engineering sample. They are a lot better.

07-22-2008, 06:54 AM	#133
highlore Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: The Netherlands Device: LBook V3 (Hanlin)	Derek, Is there gonna be a new order with NAEB soon? I just missed the 3rd order.