Lo Scarabeo Encyclopaedia on Kickstarter

Spiffo

I wonder if each volume will be able to stand on it's own or if one needs to invest in all three? Also will they be doing a similar program for the other two..

The other two volumes will be Kickstarters as well in 2016 and 2017. Given the positive response and level of excitement it has generated I think that is a good thing. Having worked in publishing IMO it is a dying industry, afraid to embrace new technology and new ideas, reluctant to respond to its market and attempting to prop up old 20C values and business models. One only has to look at how it has attempted to stymie ebooks, and how the majors have made it almost impossible for the smaller publishers to survive. They dominate high street bookstores (those that are left) and on the whole have done nothing to advance literature, innovation in the art form or respond to its readers wishes, demands and expectations. Like the music industry it will be left behind and new modes of production and distribution will take its place. Kickstarter is just part of that journey.

Andrea Chiarvesio (of Lo Scarabeo) has a remarkable commitment to Tarot and wants to see it develop, grow and evolve. I think he is using every trick he can to make that happen. Tarot Fundamentals is just one rung in his over all plan and to be honest I think anyone that cares about Tarot will support him. I know I am. There are a wealth of authors onboard and when the 3 volumes are complete IMO they will be a new standard. No other publisher has come close to achieving what Lo Scarabeo has in the past 20 years. I really would encourage anyone who is curious, to go visit the site, look at the sample chapter, watch the video and download the Table of Contents; then pledge or not. To deride a project of this sort is nonsensical.

Vol 1 is the basics, Vol 2 and 3 will build on those basics to form, what I consider, to be a new standard in Tarot books. I care deeply about Tarot but I am sick of the repackaged pap that dominates at the moment. I hope this shakes it all up. From what I've gathered on other Forums and Facebook groups nearly everyone is excited about this. There will always be naysayers. There will be a lot more enthusiastic participants.

Cheers
 

ueI

I would like to know more about the Elizabeth Taylor cat empress.
 

gregory

Having worked in publishing IMO it is a dying industry, afraid to embrace new technology and new ideas, reluctant to respond to its market and attempting to prop up old 20C values and business models. One only has to look at how it has attempted to stymie ebooks, and how the majors have made it almost impossible for the smaller publishers to survive. They dominate high street bookstores (those that are left) and on the whole have done nothing to advance literature, innovation in the art form or respond to its readers wishes, demands and expectations. Like the music industry it will be left behind and new modes of production and distribution will take its place. Kickstarter is just part of that journey.
I never even thought of that - but given, as just one example, the long-standing row between Amazon and Hachette over pricing (Amazon, with a view to killing off high street bookstores, demanding discounts and the right to undercut everyone else - things that Hachette simply refused to give them) that kind of practice could kill mass tarot sales. If - or maybe just say when :( - Amazon manages to take over all bookselling, any deck or book that is outside what they happen to choose to sell - which is often very limited - will have great difficulty making it on to the market at all.

If Kickstarter helps prevent that, it has to be a good thing.
 

EarthAngel2911

I am so happy I saw this thread! I don't spend time on FB and I don't usually have time during the day to browse all of the threads, so I feel fortunate I was in the right place at the right time. :)

I used gregory's link and popped right over to fund! I'll read (and watch) everything later, but I immediately felt this a very worthwhile project to support.

I wished that I had found it sooner because quite a number of the pledge levels I liked were already gone. I almost chose the newest one that also offers 4 LS tarot decks but then noticed that you choose from a list of 10 decks. Since I have many (many) LS decks already, I figured there wouldn't be much on the list that I don't already have. Oh well. :) Just the book alone is going to be grand!
 

rwcarter

I almost chose the newest one that also offers 4 LS tarot decks but then noticed that you choose from a list of 10 decks. Since I have many (many) LS decks already, I figured there wouldn't be much on the list that I don't already have. Oh well. :)
I'm currently trying to decide whether upping my already made pledge to that level to get 4 decks from a list that will likely contain many, if not all, decks I currently own is worth it. In terms of helping reach a stretch goal, it's probably worth it. And I can always sell/trade/gift them here if need be. Since that level is unlimited, I have more time to mull it over.

Rodney
 

Callanish

Having worked in publishing IMO it is a dying industry, afraid to embrace new technology and new ideas, reluctant to respond to its market and attempting to prop up old 20C values and business models. One only has to look at how it has attempted to stymie ebooks, and how the majors have made it almost impossible for the smaller publishers to survive. They dominate high street bookstores (those that are left) and on the whole have done nothing to advance literature, innovation in the art form or respond to its readers wishes, demands and expectations. Like the music industry it will be left behind and new modes of production and distribution will take its place. Kickstarter is just part of that journey.

I never even thought of that - but given, as just one example, the long-standing row between Amazon and Hachette over pricing (Amazon, with a view to killing off high street bookstores, demanding discounts and the right to undercut everyone else - things that Hachette simply refused to give them) that kind of practice could kill mass tarot sales. If - or maybe just say when :( - Amazon manages to take over all bookselling, any deck or book that is outside what they happen to choose to sell - which is often very limited - will have great difficulty making it on to the market at all.

If Kickstarter helps prevent that, it has to be a good thing.

It all boils down to one thing and that's marketing and sales channels.

Many of us have probably attempted to launch a website to sell something, readings, cards, etc
Website goes up, looks great and then nothing.
Its one thing to create something that people want, that's the fun and easier part. Finding those people is harder.

I've become pretty disillusioned by the whole online marketing thing due to Google who I now utterly despise.
Amazon pays Google Billions of $'s directly to ensure that all product searches place Amazon at the top of the first page of results.
One monopoly creates the other monopoly.

"Quality" search results from Google?
Type "tarot reading" into Google search and you get facade.com who will furnish you with daily tarot cards for celebrities like Michael Jackson, Osama Bin Laden, Robin Williams, Britney Spears, etc, etc...
Notice that Google Ads are all over that website.
Tarot, and other divinatory arts, suffer from a perception of being "phoney" reflected in the cheesy and sleazy sites at the top of the search results and taking up most of the online advertising space.
They achieve this by delivering either a) nothing of value b) something of very little value but at a high price.
This affords them a large marketing budget which keeps them at the top.

So to survive either online or offline you need to become much smarter at finding new marketing techniques or alternative sales channels.

Where Google is losing market share badly is in the App space.
This is why they created Android and gave it away for "free", with Android you are a product they sell not the customer.
The App market isn't Google dominated and I've managed to keep Phuture (my hobby Tarot website) going by branching off into Apps on iTunes.

As Spiffo says you can't be "afraid to embrace new technology and new ideas".
I don't believe that Apps will ever replace printed Tarot Decks.
If anything I think the easy access to Tarot via good, free, Apps will accelerate new comers learning the basics of Tarot, the spreads, the cards etc.
There's an opportunity here for Tarot to become more accepted and mainstream.
I have friends who started with my App, learning Tarot from it, and are now buying printed decks.
That's why I don't think there will be a repeat of the death of CD's due to MP3's with Tarot.

Those who would be interested in buying the Lo Scarabeo Encyclopaedia on Kickstarter are a very small minority.
Thankfully Kickstarter exists and many of that minority are aware of it as a good market place for their interests.
What if that very small minority were to growth much larger?
That's the opportunity that the Tarot publishing industry is missing by being "afraid to embrace new technology and new ideas".
There are no short terms gains, there needs to be long term future investment in nurturing Tarot.

Callanish
 

gregory

You can of course set your Google not to do that . I have done so on my pc, but have yet to manage on my tablet - all hints welcome.

I too would like to know whether each volume will hold up as a stand alone book. There was something else I wanted to ask but it slipped my mind for the moment...
 

Shade

I'm currently trying to decide whether upping my already made pledge to that level to get 4 decks from a list that will likely contain many, if not all, decks I currently own is worth it. In terms of helping reach a stretch goal, it's probably worth it. And I can always sell/trade/gift them here if need be. Since that level is unlimited, I have more time to mull it over.

Rodney

I was debating whether to splurge beyond the book. Four decks! Why at $20+ a deck it's paying for itself. Then it occurred to me that if I didn't buy them the first time around, why did I want to get four at a time now. I'm not sure which side will win.

Doe Eyed Enthusiast: "But I would get the Night Sun and it would be free!"

Cranky Realist: "It's not free, it's pre-paid you lunkhead!"
 

gregory

Sell them on to fund your addiction... I have to admit that I didn't go for that option for exactly that reason, mind! But now that I think on I might upgrade...
 

rmcfarron

Four decks! (but it's from a list of 10 possible, what if I don't WANT 4 of these 10?) but it's 4 decks! (but) 4 decks! I can gift or sell them on if I don't want them.

2 copies of the book (but why do I need 2 copies?) I can be a fairy godmother! or sell the extra to fund even more decks!

***sigh***I have to decide...