From the latest MindsetTriathlon Newsletter
Back in the 1980’s, Dick Mansfield was a runner who fell in love with cross country ski racing and then wrote and self-published two books about it. “I did a lot of things wrong,” he said. “The first book was too long to fit on to a bookshelf and the second had a cover painting that was pretty amateurish. However, we got some good reviews and strong sales, and started looking for book projects by local authors.”
Mansfield was on a local cable channel running show about how to train for skiing along with a fellow runner/skier, Joan Marie Butler. Afterwards, walking to their cars on a snowy Syracuse evening, they talked about Joan’s idea for a book. An experienced nurse-midwife, a! mother, and a multi-sport athlete, Butler wanted to share her ideas of how to stay fit while pregnant. The resulting book, Fit & Pregnant -- The Pregnant Woman's Guide To Exercise, which was republished recently, has sold over 10,000 copies and is now available as an ebook.
“I publish books on sports and activities I’m interested in – skiing, canoe racing, mountain biking, cycling,” Mansfield notes. “It’s fun to work with first time authors and to share information with other athletes.”
Mansfield bought Vitesse Press and merged it with Acorn Publishing, his first business. He rejuvenated many of Vitesse’s cycling titles and began publishing new books under the Vitesse imprint. Several of the Vitesse Press long-time favorites: Bicycle Road Racing, Road Racing – Technique & Training, and Tales from the Bike Shop, are out of print but will soon be available as ebooks.
“As I get older,” the publisher says, “the book cartons seem to get heavier. I love selling ebooks – it’s good for my back and our bottom line. I’m excited about working with MindsetSports.
Vitesse Press’s next book is a new venture for them – the personal reflections of a runner who is a high school coach and a parent. It’s Not About Winning will be available in May.
MindsetSports.com is the biggest retailer of downloadable eBook, audio, and video titles focused on running, biking, swimming, training and nutrition. eBooks and digital material have zero impact on old growth forests and use very little energy to produce and distribute, so by choosing an eBook, you're choosing to protect the environment in which you spend so much of your time.
