It's the whole issue around DRM and the pricing of ebooks that stops me getting any form of reader. Thank heavens, however, also for Tor and Suvudu, both of which have been putting up free science fiction and fantasy books...
BTW - the url I gave you was *supposed* to have a name. You probably know by now that it's Baen and I also heartily support their Websubscription service - $4.00 for the older titles, ($6.00 for larger compendiums, $9 for new titles)
However, before you start shelling out cash, give me a shout and I'll dig out a disc I've got somewhere with a selection of the back titles on - Baen occasionally gives one away free with a new hardback book. You're welcome to browse it.
I understand the Sony bookstore issue ... when an author sells the rights to a book, it's usually done by territory ... so I'll sell the UK rights to, say, Pan UK and the US rights to Simon & Schuster or someone ... depending on the contract, that may include hardback, paperback and ebook versions.
If the ebook for the US has already been sold, and it was possible to just buy it cheaply from the UK, why would any UK publisher pay for the UK ebook rights? (Much the same as the region coding on DVDs)
I said I understood it, not that I agreed with it though :-)
But why ebooks should be more expensive to buy is pretty much a total mystery to me. Sure there's the electronic store to set up etc. but most of these retailers already sell dead tree versions over the internet so the credit card charges etc. are already met, and it can't cost *that* much for the bandwidth surely?
In a way it is going further than the region coding on DVDs, after all amazon.com does not stop me buying a Region 1 DVD and having it shipped to the UK. I have to admit, in a couple of cases where I specifically wanted ebook versions of a particular book because I didn't have the fork-lift required to carry the dead tree editions (Neal Stephenson I am looking at you) I ended up buying the dead tree version, and downloaded a pirate copy of the ebook.
I have "Lord of the Rings" on that basis. I've bought not one but two dead tree copies of LotR in two different covers and I think Christopher Tolkien has enough of my money. For a very reasonable price I'd buy an ebook version, but I won't spend what they're charging.
I've had my Kindle for 4 months and am totally addicted. But the price of current ebooks is really criminal. At least the older books like the complete Sherlock Holmes are very cheap or even free. But I paid $9.99 last week for daVinci Code when the paper back would have only been $7.99. Of course by the time I paid postage on it, it would have been a wash. But still... This has got to get better soon. Because I can tell you, I'm through with collecting and moving rooms full of books.
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http://www.tor.com/ (you have to join to download)
http://www.suvudu.com/
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However, before you start shelling out cash, give me a shout and I'll dig out a disc I've got somewhere with a selection of the back titles on - Baen occasionally gives one away free with a new hardback book. You're welcome to browse it.
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If the ebook for the US has already been sold, and it was possible to just buy it cheaply from the UK, why would any UK publisher pay for the UK ebook rights? (Much the same as the region coding on DVDs)
I said I understood it, not that I agreed with it though :-)
But why ebooks should be more expensive to buy is pretty much a total mystery to me. Sure there's the electronic store to set up etc. but most of these retailers already sell dead tree versions over the internet so the credit card charges etc. are already met, and it can't cost *that* much for the bandwidth surely?
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I have to admit, in a couple of cases where I specifically wanted ebook versions of a particular book because I didn't have the fork-lift required to carry the dead tree editions (Neal Stephenson I am looking at you) I ended up buying the dead tree version, and downloaded a pirate copy of the ebook.
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I have "Lord of the Rings" on that basis. I've bought not one but two dead tree copies of LotR in two different covers and I think Christopher Tolkien has enough of my money. For a very reasonable price I'd buy an ebook version, but I won't spend what they're charging.
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*cough*Rowling*cough*
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