Predictions for 2009

No not another piece about economic catastrophe and economic chaos but a look ahead to some of the Osprey titles coming out in 2009 and some wild guessing as to which might be the most popular.

When we publish books here at Osprey some are obvious no-brainers, we know they are going to be big but some titles which we would regard as mid-list take us by surprise with their popularity. If you publish a book on WWII German armour you are probably going to do OK but sometimes we can be pleasantly surprised.

In 2008 our top three titles (excluding Field of Glory and the bigger hardbacks) were Special Forces Operations in Afghanistan, Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941-45 and Armored Trains. All good titles, but why were they more popular than British Napoleonic Infantry Tactics, The Samurai Invasion of Korea 1592-98, Phillipi 42 BC or Griffon Spitfire Aces? It is not something than can be easily predicted.

So I'm going to attempt it for 2009. Of the 90 or so series titles we are publishing this year here are my predictions for the best sellers (not necessarily the best!).

In the 'These keep getting requested so they better do well' category we have Men-At-Arms 452: Belgian Army of World War One (May), Men-at-Arms 457: Imperial Armies of the Thirty Year's War (October) and Campaign 207: Solferino 1859 (April & available for pre-order). Men-at-Arms 454: Seminole Wars (August) also falls into this category.

In the 'It's World War II so bound to do well' category we have Campaign 205: Warsaw 1944 (March & available to pre-order) which has the added bonus of Peter Dennis artwork. Also in this category are Campaign 215: Leningrad 1941-44 (September), Aviation Elite Units 31: 23rd Fighter Group (May) and Raid 01: Pointe-du-Hoc which also falls into the 'Cool new series' category. For more details on this series click here.

Now I could go on at length about all the great titles coming out (Aircraft of the Aces 88: Pusher Aces of World War I (June) anyone?) but should stop now. I'll leave you with my final category 'Why is the Nineteenth century not more popular?' and three titles that I'm hoping will do well. They are: Fortress 81: Maori Fortifications by Ian Knight (April) and available to pre-order now, Warrior 138: Roosevelt's Rough Riders (June) and Essential History 40: Anglo-Afghan Wars (September).

Bet they all get beaten by a book on a tank.

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COMMENTS

kpkatz

11-Jan-2009 19:00

Clearly some topics are more likely to sell well than others, yet Osprey to its credit covers an impressively broad range of topics. Is it Osprey's strategy to publish titles which are unlikely to be great commercial successes but build its brand?

Just my personal opinion, but one of the things that makes me want to purchase a book is the author; for example if it is written by Steven Zaloga I am almost certain to purchase the book.

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OspreyRich

12-Jan-2009 14:47

Ideally we would like every title to be a success but we are not unrealistic. Every title has to make a minimum in order to get through but we are committed to the idea of being comprehensive and eventually covering everything (although I hope that day never arrives).

We do recognise that there are a lot of factors that come into play - subject, author, artist, timeliness to name just four. Occasionally we will scratch our heads over a title that surprised us!

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cold0

14-Jan-2009 17:17

Well I’m not surprise that Samurai Invasion of Korea 1592-98 sells less well than other Osprey titles. After all these Turnbull’s great books about the Samurai the subject starts to be a little inflated.

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OspreyRich

14-Jan-2009 17:26

Actually Samurai Invasion of Korea was very popular - just missed the top three by a whisker. I think there is still appetite for it!

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cold0

15-Jan-2009 09:03

Indeed Samurai really sell well, it's clear. But with the proliferation of titles about the subject, it could happen that one sells less well than the others.

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JoJo Dog

16-Jan-2009 23:04

I think it would be a great addition to the blog that this becomes a regular feature at the beginning of the year. During January, you should list the five best-selling books published that year (and maybe the total hardback of the year).

As for this coming year, I really want to read The Warsaw Uprising. The Anglo-Afghan Wars has piqued my interest too. However, I'm truly hoping that the Seminole Wars is the runaway bestseller. I'm frustrated that the Indian Wars are lumped together as one large war, when each war (sometimes even battle) contain an unique set of circumstances, tactics, cultures, etc. So hopefully, the Seminole Wars becomes successful so Osprey can publish future books on each American Indian war, such as Pontiac's Rebellion, the Blackhawk War, the Creek War, the Cayuse War, Little Turtle's War, Lord Dunmore's War, King Phillip's War... (I could go on and on and on).

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OspreyRich

19-Jan-2009 10:17

That sounds like a great idea (maybe more frequently than annually). And fingers crossed for all my predictions because most people in the office think I am talking absolute rubbish.

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JoJo Dog

19-Jan-2009 17:53

Grrr... That's for my total botching of my editing. I meant "maybe the top selling hardback of the year." Well, it appears my meaning was understood.

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Hedgehog6

28-Jan-2009 04:00

Sorry for the schadenfreude, but it would be equally interesting to know what died. What was Osprey's WORST selling new book of 2008?

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