Nukelavee Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Yeah, I can see where that might be an issue. I forgot...I used to work in the wargame/rpg industry (the oldschool type, not computer/video); for some reason, what I was reading just didn't strike my peers as odd.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Ahh, Scot, if only my life was that easy. I'm glad you can spread the gospel. I, on the other hand, have a hard time getting the SF/F bug to stick when surrounded by a bunch of big dumb animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Peterbound,If you treat it as something to be embarassed about people will look at it that way. Be bold and there is less for them to pick on you for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Peterbound,If you treat it as something to be embarassed about people will look at it that way. Be bold and there is less for them to pick on you for.Ha, well, i've never been accused of not being 'bold'. We just live in different worlds my friend. On this you and i will have to disagree. Back to the OP though, i'm hip to EBooks, and hope everyone else jumps on board as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quirksome Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 If eBooks were significantly cheaper than physical copies, like £2 instead of £5, I'd buy more. Right now it seems like a ripoff especially as the extra profit from having no production costs isn't usually passed on to writers. The article/dialogue on self-publishing explained a lot, especially the publishing houses maintaining the same cut of the profits for electronic sales as for print sales. If this is reduced and authors start to sell directly to the public (well, via a distributor) then it would make sense for the price to decrease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grack21 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 E-books have production costs. The no production cost thing is myth cheap people throw around when they're complaining about their ebooks. Screw them, I buy 35 dollars hardcovers AND LIKE IT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lummel Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'm about 90% ebook now. The only time i actually buy the hardback is when it's required for a book signing. I travel too much to lug that shit around, and not having to explain the fucking ridiculous SF/F covers to my co workers really helps me out. I don't get all the eBook blow back. Shit's happening guys.. get on board. You sound like the VHS crowd with DVD's came out.Betamax, please.Yeah I know where you're coming from on book covers. I'd have never picked up a WoT book because the covers look like something painted in a school art class (now I'd never pick them up because I've read the exchange of views about them here and am pretty sure they wouldn't tickle my interest). I think publishers are on to this too what with the 'adult' version covers of Harry Potter books or how the covers on Pratchett books have been really toned down. Ha I just think on those Moorcock books I bought with their 70s covers with all the naked women (what's she doing, can you do that...with a sword?)I know what you are saying too, Ser Scott, but I feel there is a world where interior, intrinsic value is respected, in which one interacts with people on a basis of intellectual equality, in which I may see that you are reading a book with a silly cover but that this does not reduce my opinion of your ability and worth but rather adds to my understanding of your character and tastes. Then there is a world where you are judged on exterior appearance . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdiddyesquire Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 It would be nice if you understood what you were talking about before making an accusation like that.A guy bought a second hand copy of one of my books. Some other people recommended my other books, and mentioned where he might be able to get them second hand. The guy jokingly said they should all get a share of my profits for making such nice recommendations. I jokingly replied that they were welcome to a share of my profits from the second hand sales. Which are, as a point of fact, nothing. Exactly as they should be.I'd point out, as this threads creator, I was merely using Joe's comments as a starter to a discussion I've had in my head. In no way was it an attempt to impinge him or read anything into his comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Abercrombie Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'd point out, as this threads creator, I was merely using Joe's comments as a starter to a discussion I've had in my head. In no way was it an attempt to impinge him or read anything into his comment.Yeah, don't impinge me, biatches. Or impugn me either. Or anything else starting with 'imp'.If eBooks were significantly cheaper than physical copies, like £2 instead of £5, I'd buy more. Right now it seems like a ripoff especially as the extra profit from having no production costs isn't usually passed on to writers. The article/dialogue on self-publishing explained a lot, especially the publishing houses maintaining the same cut of the profits for electronic sales as for print sales. If this is reduced and authors start to sell directly to the public (well, via a distributor) then it would make sense for the price to decrease.Sorry, but this is all wrong. I get tired of saying this, but the costs of making an e-book are hardly any less than those of making a paper book. All you're talking about are the costs of printing, distribution and warehousing which are a fraction of the costs of making a book anyway. The costs are all in editing, commissioning, artwork, design, publicity, marketing, logistics, account management etc. etc. which all apply just as much to e-books as paper ones. And the extra profit (such as it is) of having no costs associated with it being a physical copy ARE passed on to writers. We generally get between two and five times the royalty percentage on an e-book as we do on a print one. If, as you suggest, the author started selling directly to the public, who would do all these vital tasks that the publisher currently handles?It's like saying, 'Hey, I know! Let's cut out the carpenters, masons, roofers, plumbers, electricians and all those other useless skilled craftsmen and just get the architect to build the house for us directly at a fifth of the cost!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdiddyesquire Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Yeah, don't impinge me, biatches. Or impugn me either. Or anything else starting with 'imp'.I'd like to blame the iPad autocorrect for that one... but I'd be lying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdiddyesquire Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Sorry, but this is all wrong. I get tired of saying this, but the costs of making an e-book are hardly any less than those of making a paper book. All you're talking about are the costs of printing, distribution and warehousing which are a fraction of the costs of making a book anyway. The costs are all in editing, commissioning, artwork, design, publicity, marketing, logistics, account management etc. etc. which all apply just as much to e-books as paper ones. And the extra profit (such as it is) of having no costs associated with it being a physical copy ARE passed on to writers. We generally get between two and five times the royalty percentage on an e-book as we do on a print one. If, as you suggest, the author started selling directly to the public, who would do all these vital tasks that the publisher currently handles?It's like saying, 'Hey, I know! Let's cut out the carpenters, masons, roofers, plumbers, electricians and all those other useless skilled craftsmen and just get the architect to build the house for us directly at a fifth of the cost!'I think that's a good point. It's easy to forget how much editorial work is done by the publishers as opposed to the author and his/her alpha readers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Chataya,It's time to bring the SF/F out of the closet. Be a proud geek! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdiddyesquire Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Chataya,It's time to bring the SF/F out of the closet. Be a proud geek!Just don't read Runelords.Worst.Cover.Ever.http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GsmmLelHL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athelstane Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Just don't read Runelords.Worst.Cover.Ever.http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GsmmLelHL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpgHahaha wtf is that?And I do the same with my hardcover books. Dust Jackets are dumb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Athelstane They do keep the covers from warping due to heat though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I have to agree with Peter, here, which means that sinners are ice skating in Hell :)I always took the dust jackets off my hardcover SF books, and typically never read paperbacks in public. THANK GOD for the anonymity of the e-reader.Damn Chats, i thought we were cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 After Joe's post answering the OP, allow me to be a bit off-topic:I have a reader that allows buying/downloading from some online bookstore (through a PC) because people ask for it, but it's completely unrelated to the company making the reader.No-one knows what's on my reader except me. No-one can delete anything in it except me (or whoever has physical access to it). All my epub files are either assembled by myself (sets of articles from the web) or public domain of creative commons novels downloaded legally and anonymously from the web. No DRM of course.Interesting, would you mind saying what your reader is? (Brand, model, that sort of thing) (Sony Reader, maybe?)Do you really find everything DRM-free? Novels, I mean. Do you feel publishers are going that way?How does it work if it breaks (and you don't have stuff backed up youself): able to redownload for free, or need to buy again? How long does your battery last while reading?Why not buy an iPad instead? (not that I want to do it)What about the encumbrance, resilience, and probability of theft? (you know, to stuff in a pocket and read in the bus/train/whatever) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lummel Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Chataya,It's time to bring the SF/F out of the closet. Be a proud geek!Ha, ha, You go and lead the parade for us, I think we'll stay in the closet a bit longer! (Is that a fir tree and snow at the back of this closet?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Lummel,Ha, ha, You go and lead the parade for us, I think we'll stay in the closet a bit longer! (Is that a fir tree and snow at the back of this closet?)Very clever.:thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuenjato Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 It's like saying, 'Hey, I know! Let's cut out the carpenters, masons, roofers, plumbers, electricians and all those other useless skilled craftsmen and just get the architect to build the house for us directly at a fifth of the cost!'Good points, but the "editorial cost" just sounds dubious to me these days. I'm thinking specifically Tairy's recent run-on teaser, Orullian's blatant plagarization (and the examples of utter-shit prose floating around) and the jaw-dropping lack of editing in the recent WOT tomes (at least Gathering Storm; I've only heard of TOM's many typos).Your books... look good. But a lot of high profile releases have been shocking, lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.