How to Purchase It

There are a couple ways to get a hold of Evaluating Baseball's Managers, 1876-2008.

First, you can order it directly from the publisher, McFarland. On a purely mercenary note, this is the best way because that way I make the most money (I get a cut of what McFarland makes, and if there's no middle man, with get a greater profit).

However, as reader, there's no need for you to necessarily care about that. So here are some other options.

Second, you can get it from amazon.com. Want to get it that way? Go for it the price at amazon is $35.95, a bit cheaper than at McFarland.

Oh, and on December 9, I learned that the book will be available with Amazon's kindle program.

Third, you can buy it at Barnes & Noble.com. For the most part it's the same price - UNLESS you're a B&N Member, in which case you can get it slightly cheaper.

What you generally can not do to purchase the book is buy it from your local bookstore, including Barnes & Noble or Borders. McFarland is a niche publisher and they rarely get their books in the major stores. (If you're curious, go to your local bookstore's baseball section and try to find a copy of any McFarland book. Be sure to pack a lunch - it'll take you a while). McFarland is generally a niche publisher that sells via catalogs, at conventions (such as SABR), online, and to libraries.

Speaking of libraries, that is the final way I know of where you can get a copy of the book. Lots of libraries (hopefully: *crosses fingers*) will purchase a copy of it.

If your library doesn't, you can request your library get a copy. From what (little) I know about this, patron request is a key factor in determining what they buy.

As author, maybe I shouldn't mention that last part. However, I'm not just the author - I'm also a cheapskate. If you want to get it that way, I really can't begrudge you. From a purely self-interested point of view, I'd rather you bought a copy from McFarland - and then another, and another, and then take hostages and make them buy copies. That said, I must acknowledge that it's your money.

Ultimately, my goal is to write a book that people want to refer to time and time again when they want to know about managers. (Yeah, that's pretentious, but why have small goals?) If you think this would be such a book for you, I'd ask that you consider buying one, even if you first read it at your public library.


Any questions? Send me an e-mail.