A question about publishing new dances.
(Let's assume for this argument that the dances are good, and
a significant number of other callers would be interested in them.
Publishing bad dances is a whole other issue.)
Is it better to publish them in a web site, or in book format?
(This is two sub-questions -- which is better for the person
publishing the dances, and which is better for the contra
dance community.)
Advantages of a web site:
-You don't lose money, or storage space with boxes of unsold
books. (I don't see anyone ever making money by published a
contra dance book.)
-It takes much less time to produce.
-It's not permanent, so you can update or fix it over time.
-It's free, supporting more the folk aspect of transmission.
Advantages of a book:
-It's permanent.
-It's more exclusive (you need to pay and order), so
hence it must be more valuable.
-There are fewer of them, so they stand out more.
-Hence, it's more prestigious.
(note that if they're a bad or lackluster collection of dances,
these advantages quickly become disadvantages)
Are there other reasons?
I've run across web sites (like Gene Hubert's or Rick
Mohr's) that rival the best of the individual printed books.
Then again, you can probably name books that have fallen
far short of expectations.
Thoughts? This is more than a theoretical question for me.
-Chris Page
San Diego