Hiya guys…mebbe this should be a poll. But I’ve been toying around with this idea for some time… But I’ve considered writing a book (with all of my voluminous amounts of free time!) on pipemaking. Not as an authoritive, “tell all” or any such nonsense…but really sort of chronicleing my “journey” from obsessed-annoying-clingy-neophyte to obsessed-annoying-reclusive journeyman maker.
Thoughts? Comments? etc?
(I cringe in anticipation)
You want to write a book - go for it, regardless of whether or not you think there’s a need. As long as you can convince a publisher to take it on, or else self publish. It’s as much, if not more, a personal thing as it is a need to inform others.
Someone somewhere will benefit from it.
Just how many books on Uilleann Pipemaking are there in circulation world-wide today?
I think it is safe to say that everyone flirts with the idea of writing a book someday… I know I have, I still am. But just how many of us actually follow through with it?
David, go for it, really, write a book on your life’s journey into Uilleann Piping and (subsequently) the manufacture of same. What have you got to lose?
When it is published and available, I’ll buy a copy… honest, just as soon as I can save enough to purchase Lewis Blevins’ brilliant and masterfully painted journal about his travels, brush strokes and pipering in Eire.
We all have dreams buddy, but so few of us let ourselves realize them. You go boy’o, write that book… I know you can!!
Go for it. Definitely.
I especially like the record-of-the-journey aspect of it.
… as told by Stephen Wright… right? 
I think yer man does off-the-wall well enough without needing a ghost writer. 
David,
there most definitely is a need for it and you shouldn´t just confine yourself on pipemaking, but the personal “journey” might be broadened, as it is of high interest, too.
Cheers,
Hans
Dear Mr. Reedbiter,
I think you should go for it! Even though I don’t make pipes, I’d certainly buy and read a copy of your book. Incidentally, please forgive me for asking,… but, how did you get the name “Reedbiter”? Do you really bite reeds?
Beau
Yes, yes he does… among other things Uilleann related. 
Joseph inquires:
Just how many books on Uilleann Pipemaking are there in circulation world-wide today?
Is the answer “only Garvin”?
A book of any length describing the journey to “pipemaker” would be a good thing, and should help to answer the question that often pops up on this forum of “should I, could I?”
What is the ideal shop set-up, equipment, etc.? How does a pipemaker acquire the best wood?? Dave, are you considering asking other pipemakers for input?
JVF
Isn’t Wooff coming out with a large, picture filled book regarding the making of pipes? Or was this just a rumour? Either way, I vote for writing the book regardless of what’s out there (and there isn’t much). Every bit of knowledge contributes to the whole. I’d happily edit it for you if you want 
Dionys
Hi David
I agree with the consensus. If you want to write a book, do so.
I had intended, when I was in college (25 years ago) to be an author. I have had many new story ideas lately and my wife has been telling me to get to it. I occasionally start to write bits. Sometimes you do need others to give you a push.
So lets all push on the count of three.
What’ll help is to start keeping a daily journal… that is, if you haven’t done so already.
This is getting awfully tempting to pursue more fully. I’d like to have it “professionally” published..but there is some definite freedom and advantages self-publishing.
I would hope to include as much useful and REAL how-to info as possible…hmm..well.. first things first. I need to take care of my suffering customers…baby my hands a bit..then we’ll see! Say, Lewis…would you be interested in doing some artwork for a venture such as this?
Oh..reedbiter came about because I was away in Tennesee (on one of our annual visits to our old pastor(s)) and when I came back, my PC was ZAPPED and I couldn’t remember all my passwords and id’s and stuff…so I had to create a new chiff account. …and it had been a particularly BAD reedmaking day! I think I had been fighting with some sub-standard cane from Florida… (heh! DOH! Ouch..dangit Joe…alright! this means war!)
I would buy it immediately. Go for it!
It,s all very well to be surrounded by well intensioned yes men .But you also need to look into the facts of such an endeavour , getting a book published can work out a very expensive business .A publisher wont take in on unless you can show that you can sell enough to cover the costs of printing, plus a little profit .
.The other option of course is to get it printed privately and foot the expense yourself and maybe with the help of some sponsors that would be the way to go
It was put to Terry Moylan one time as a fund raising idea ,to put together an extended version of the pipemakers list from a few years back,giving a brief biography of each of the working pipemakers of the day.but it was decided that it would not make any money
The uilleann pipe market is just to small .It was remarked that a similar idea for the GHB would be more feasible .
RORY
Do you know anything about making pipes? Haven’t been following your career. I don’t like most of what’s being made these days purely on a cosmetic basis. Don’t like the sound of lots of pipes on recordings either. You could assemble a bibliography for this subject on this forum and send interested parties in the right direction. There are plenty of good articles out there. You could send some articles to Wally Charm (American piper’s club) if you want to let the world know.
I think a coffee table book with accompanying CDs would do the world more good, so people can examine pipes in all their variety. Sort out the wheat from the chaff, you know. You could skip publishers entirely and just make a CD-ROM or two. It’d take a jet setter with a good camera to pull it off though. Or, I don’t know, any photographer/pipers living in West Clare? 
Some of my ideas about “wheat”: Wooff Angus J. Kennedy. Bill Haneman’s pipes look very nice too, maybe they’re unplayable and horrible sounding but I kinda doubt it seeing’s how nice they look. I’m sure he’ll chime in here too, Bill is good people.
If I can make a recommendation: When I wrote my book on Northumbrian smallpipes, I decided to self produce it entirely, meaning that I bought a laser printer that could print on both sides without manual intervention (Brother 1850 model) and a comb binding machine. I print and bind copies in smallish batches based on orders. (Phtotocopying them does not deliver the right quality to photos unless you spend way too much money.) This also allows me to update the book when I found typos (um, one or two. . .) or want to update the information. I found my own retailers (stick to the places that would naturally be interested, not Amazon and the like) and promote the book through my website. In a small world like NSPs or uilleann piping, people will find your site. Getting the book reviewed by some relevant society is a big plus. In my case, some of my retailers are pipemakers and instructors.
Trying to go with a publisher and all that is not productive for small run publications but doing it yourself is great - you end up being somewhat in contact with many of your readers.
Another alternative would be to publish it on CD only. I decided against this only because my book has a fair bit of sheet music in it and most folks I polled said they would not enjoy playing from a computer display and would have to print it out anyway.
Hope that helps. Doing it all myself has been a great experience.
You rang?
There’s a project in the works regarding the work of some pipemakers no longer living. Can say no more at the moment, but it could be helpful in this regard.
Some of my ideas about “wheat”: Wooff Angus J. Kennedy. Bill Haneman’s pipes look very nice too, maybe they’re unplayable and horrible sounding but I kinda doubt it seeing’s how nice they look. I’m sure he’ll chime in here too, Bill is good people.
Thanks for the vote of confidence Kevin. I’m still edging my way onwards-and-upwards, but mostly I’m pretty encouraged.
(BTW, I’ll be offline for a couple weeks for the holidays…)
Reedbiter, I expect Wally has already contacted you about articles for The Review… I agree that self-publishing makes sense; so IMO does breaking the subject into smaller chunks. And just because something has appeared in The Piper’s Review doesn’t mean no one would want to buy a collection containing said info (witness David Daye’s Pipes and Pipemaking CD-ROM).
All the best,
Bill
Reedbiter (a.k.a. David Boisvert) has been making pipes for over a decade now and I do believe that Mr. John Liestman wrote an article on David for The Review a good while back, featuring his narrow bore D stuff.
I think it is a noble venture and one I support, especially as it further promotes awareness of the instrument and its construction from the viewpoint of at least one of its makers. And though there may not be a large market for the resulting book, I am certain it could end up on the coffee tables of a lot of pipers world wide.