I subscribe to Practical Sailor and keep on getting the promotional emails to buy their ebooks. They seem a little pricey. Are they just a compilations of all the subject articles? Has anyone bought them and how did you like them?
Practical Sailor
- Thread starter tgrady
- Start date
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,740
I am a subscriber to digital Practical Sailor. Love it. Your digital subscription lets you look at all the past issues. There is a good search function that will let you see the archived versions. Never bought the books. They look like compilations of articles from various years grouped together in subjects.
I just delete the emails. I subscribed to PS when I used to own a Mac26S. I never got the value from it because most of the articles were not applicable. With the larger Hunter I'm finding the magazine very handy. I've never bought the ebooks but I've been tempted to see if they are any good.
At the bottom of every email you receive there is a link that allows you to unsubscribe or manage the emails you get from Practical Sailor. I used that link and I now get zero emails from them.
Most annoying are the offers themselves are just insipid. Rather than offer a discount incentive they charge more than the price on amazon. Many of these offers are for "books " that are really not much more than a chapter. Ebooks are a good racket for them, virtually no cost to produce. I wonder how they would rate their ebooks if someone else was selling them.
Give me a bound book anytime. They outlast all my laptops and never run out of battery.
I wish they get over continuing discussion over anchor swivels and find some new useful material to fill their limited number of pages.
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Getting back to the subject: has anyone ordered a book and how was it? It is unclear if you did order one.
And if it is a rehash, compilation, etc. you would think they could offer if for the $1.99 and would get 10x the sales for no extra cost.
And if it is a rehash, compilation, etc. you would think they could offer if for the $1.99 and would get 10x the sales for no extra cost.
I've been deleting the PS promotional emails on what seems like an almost daily basis. Just changed my preferences to stop them. Haven't tried the E-Books. I do read the monthly print edition. It's a shadow of it's former self, but I still find useful info in it. PS is clearly struggling.
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I have subscribed for several years and always look forward to the magazine. Ads are PITA, but ordered a book on marine electrical repairs and found it excellent!
That's what the OP was looking for. So you don't think it's just a compilation of older articles? It's original content?
I wrote to Practical Sailor in response to (yet another) advertisement to purchase something from them....
Maybe you guys should just put more into your paid magazine issues instead of selling everything as an extra.
I read a post on a sailboat owners website this week where people were complaining about the selling emails they receive from PS.
I subscribed to PS recently because I wanted something other than boat advertisements in a sailing magazine. Too bad it seems like my subscription does not buy me as much as I thought, and you want me to purchase lots of ancillary publications to get what I hoped I would get with my paid subscription.
Respectfully,
Greg Johnson
They responded that they marked my account as "Do not Promote, Rent or Sell".
I guess they missed the bigger point.
Greg
Maybe you guys should just put more into your paid magazine issues instead of selling everything as an extra.
I read a post on a sailboat owners website this week where people were complaining about the selling emails they receive from PS.
I subscribed to PS recently because I wanted something other than boat advertisements in a sailing magazine. Too bad it seems like my subscription does not buy me as much as I thought, and you want me to purchase lots of ancillary publications to get what I hoped I would get with my paid subscription.
Respectfully,
Greg Johnson
They responded that they marked my account as "Do not Promote, Rent or Sell".
I guess they missed the bigger point.
Greg
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,740
Greg, At least this way you may have stopped the spam. Though I think most of these marketing groups just can not help them selves. I have experienced some of that from charities. You want to help them out. They say thank you, then you get their hit of need for more money. I send them a letter, saying. I do not want their solicitations. I sent them my gift in hopes they know how to manage their funds, and that I will be making my next contribution in December. Unless they send me repeated pleas for more and more funds. Then it is clear they cannot manage their funds, so I will not contribute to their delinquency.
You can feel aggrieved, play the victim, and cop an attitude...or you can log in to your P-S profile and change your subscription preferences to prevent promotional emails. I get A LOT of sailing publications, many for free, none, none of them provide the consistent actionable guidance regarding boat ownership and use. From ground-tackle to coolants, bottom paints, and cleaners the folks at Practical-Sailor apply scientific methodology to product performance rather than repeat the manufacturer claims. And I have no affiliation with P-S other than being a happy subscriber.
Plus 1! The most important factor in my opinion is they provide the methodology they use and when subscribers point out a flaw/difference of opinion they publish. I also have no affiliation, but have found my subscription the most valuable pub I get. Can't count the number of times I have lent copies to friends starting their research! Sorry this isn't related to the OP, and I too no longer get promo offers by simply setting my preferences.
+1 Solstice.. I have been a subscriber to PS since 1978.. before the Al Gore Internet, I had each year in a binder with the index on the cover so I could quick search ! Occasionally I have a problem with test methodology, but when I do I can see what they did and whether or not it is applicable to my use.. I read and heed the bottom paint evaluations.. and I like the older boat reviews.. I don't have a problem clearing the e-mails, but I do read the titles before hitting the button.
