Where have all the ebooks gone?

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by sparky99, Jul 22, 2008.

  1. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    I'm surprised... the song I was thinking of was, "Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?"
     
  2. ATimson

    ATimson Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Snafu. While the format links have disappeared from the search results, if you go to an individual book's page you'll still see the purchase links.

    My guess is that they pulled the page because, for whatever reason, it's been a month since the "release date" and yet there's no book yet.
     
  3. sparky99

    sparky99 Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

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    OK. Looks like a snafu. All the links to purchase are back up. They were definitely gone for a short period this morn.

    That was wierd.
     
  4. Steve Roby

    Steve Roby Rear Admiral Premium Member

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    Yeah, same here. Generation gap, perhaps...
     
  5. Brendan Moody

    Brendan Moody Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I thought of that one too.
     
  6. Defcon

    Defcon Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I doubt that KRAD has much more knowledge about the situation, since a) his (editorial) involvement with Pocket Books e-Book line ended with the end of the original line AFAIK and b) even when he was the editor of said line he stated repeatedly that he had little to no influence on when these e-Books would be "going live" once he had turned in the final manuscripts IIRC.
     
  7. Trent Roman

    Trent Roman Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I am generous; I share my pain. :devil:

    Don't know that one.

    Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
     
  8. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    We'll bypass my depression over this younger generation and their ignorance of Pete Seeger and move onto my perceived knowledge...

    As Defcon said, editorial has no control over these things, and eBooks tend to be at the bottom of the priority list, and the eBook department at S&S is small and overworked.
     
  9. Trent Roman

    Trent Roman Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Well, I'm not a complete Phillistine: I like "Old Time Rock and Roll".

    EDIT: A friend informs me that I got this Pete Seeger bloke confused with Bob Seger. So I guess I am a complete Phillistine.

    Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2008
  10. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    That kind of music just soothes the soul, I hear....
     
  11. bok2384

    bok2384 Commander Red Shirt

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  12. Brynthe2

    Brynthe2 Commander Red Shirt

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    Thanks for the input KRAD. However, I have to say that's a shame that you all have no control over when your product will become available to those who are eagerly waiting to purchase it. As a consumer, is there anyone at Pocket, or Amazon or wherever, that I can talk to and express my concerns over this issue?
     
  13. VanCardboardbox

    VanCardboardbox Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Can I derail this thread for just a moment to proclaim my astonishment that there are people who do not know who Pete Seegar is? At least Phil Ochs is still remembered. Right? People...?

    Meanwhile, back on topic, I am still mourning the loss of the CoE, and Trek e-book-only series in general. I think the only thing standing in the way of the e-book gaining wider acceptance is a quality $50.00 e-ink reader. That and solving the problem of
    ...issues related to DRM protection. I have little desire to discuss this here, but the shortcomings of present day DRM implementation is a problem that needs to be solved.
     
  14. ialfan

    ialfan Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I'd go as far as to say a sub-$200 ebook reader would make many more people jump ship as well as the the books being DRM free or having the DRM system totally redone.
     
  15. Trent Roman

    Trent Roman Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    A good reader going for under 50$ would certainly be tempting to me. I don't particularly care about the DRM... I can be 'creative' when it comes to technology. I prefer physical books, but I've been thinking about the prospect of a handheld more since Christopher mentioned that some of the Trek series going for trade releases instead of the mass market format was part of a growing trend in the literary world. Portability is a big plus for me, and a reader definately wins out over bulky trades. If they do become a new standard over the next few years, I'll probably be doing a lot more electronic reading.

    Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
     
  16. Deano2099

    Deano2099 Commander Red Shirt

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    I could even go for a £100 ($200) reader that came with say £50 of e-book vouchers if they could get some sort of system going.

    On a related note, anyone curious what might happen with SCE once the paperback re-prints are finished? I mean they're clearly selling well enough to keep doing them, but is that only because they don't have the associated costs of paying the authors as it's already written? Or might the line continue in dead tree form when we're caught up in a couple of years?
     
  17. William Leisner

    William Leisner Scribbler Rear Admiral

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    It's only because the stories are written and paid for, and otherwise just sitting around gathering cybernetic dust. It's cheaper to reprint these stories than to go out and commission new stories.

    That said, if sales were such to indicate a growing audience and a continuing interest in the adventures of the da Vinci team, the line could certainly be revived in one form or another.
     
  18. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    The earliest that will happen is 2011, so we're not really thinking about it just yet. :)
     
  19. Rosalind

    Rosalind TrekLit's Dr Rose Mod Admiral

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    I have no problem with the way ereader does their DRM protection, my main problem with the readers is they don't allow for any format of ebook to be read. and, yeah, they are currently too expensive.
     
  20. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    Actually, due to the currency conversion, would the eBooks at Fictionwise or BooksOnBoard should cost less.