E-Book Status

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Jeff Ayers, Mar 3, 2008.

  1. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Now I feel bad about always putting off trying out the Ebooks. I'm assuming it would be to early to ask if we ever get the see The Da Vinci and/or members of her crew in other series?
    At least I still have 66 of the stories left to read. So far I've only read the first 2 print collections.
     
  2. Man of Steel

    Man of Steel Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    So just when I start buying EBooks.. I got me a Palm just for that (well, not really but it helps)... So my question and surprised it hasn't been asked is why the hiatus? Was it not doing well?
     
  3. ATimson

    ATimson Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Unfortunate, but not unexpected given how they managed to price themselves the market (or at least my market). I look forward to their return, hopefully at a more economical price point.
     
  4. Who_Trek

    Who_Trek Commander Red Shirt

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    I. Am. Not. Happy.
     
  5. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    Thanks! But Creative Couplings has been out for several months now....
     
  6. Trent Roman

    Trent Roman Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I know; bookstores in my area are not the most timely of institutions. It'll show up eventually, I'm sure. And if not, I'll get it off the web; I may not do the e-book thang, but I'm not entirely a luddite. ;)

    Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
     
  7. MarciaCat

    MarciaCat Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    :( :( So sorry to hear this! I just got my Sony Reader for Christmas. I've been catching up on everything after Creative Couplings and really enjoying it. I just want to thank all the wonderful writers who contributed to SCE/COE.

    Thank You.
     
  8. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    I guess what will happen is that Pocket will try out some non ST eBook series in the old ST slot and, if they fail to do ST's numbers then ST has a chance at a return.
     
  9. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    Uh, Ian, I gotta ask on what you're basing this guess......
     
  10. Kevin Dilmore

    Kevin Dilmore Captain Captain

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    I made you look good, Keith? Well, that sure as hell wasn't my intention. :)

    And let me throw out there that I'm incredibly proud of my association with S.C.E./C.o.E., which I've enjoyed since John Ordover allowed me to be the guy who broke the story and announced the line on Star Trek.com. I'd not be co-writing fiction had it not been for the opportunities S.C.E. offered me, nor would I be doing it without the support and direction I've received over the years from the co-creators of the line.

    Yes, Keith, even you.

    With Keith and John's blessings (together and separately), we got to create an origin for the whole shebang (not to mention a whole starship and crew in the Lovell), we got to lend our hand to developing my favorite character in prose Star Trek bar none (that being one Kieran Duffy), we got to mourn his passing along with my auxiliary back-up favorite characters in prose Star Trek (namely Stevens and Corsi), we got to write a sequel to a freakin' animated series episode (maybe my most satisfying accomplishment in Star Trek yet!) and we were entrusted with relaunching the line when S.C.E. became C.o.E. -- and that was a very flattering extension of grace and trust by Monsieur DeCandido, and one the importance of which was not lost on me when he asked.

    So thanks to you, good sir, for letting us run rampant with your baby. I hope we brought her in by curfew with her prom dress not too sullied. Maybe we can take her out again sometime? I promise not to be too grabby.

    Kevin
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2008
  11. foravalon

    foravalon Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    KRAD, hang on to those ideas, the great thing about the future is that it's always moving forward! (barring the occasional interference by religion, politics, and capitalism anyway)

    My point is, the market may not be quite ready for the format yet, but it's only a matter of time, and I doubt it will be very long at all. Soon enough we'll have self-lit flexible screen OLED readers in full color and highly efficient, needing very little energy to run and charging quickly. They'll be slim, portable, and (after not too long) affordable. The readers will be embraced, first by doctors and nurses, government officials, then by students and commuters alike for their ease and versatility, and soon enough by everyone. They won't phase books out, those are too entwined with our cultural identity, but it will throw the printing industry for a bit of a loop and hopefully save at least a few trees in the process. Soon enough we'll be laughing about how clunky and awkward those PADDs on Star Trek looked in the 80's and 90's. E-books will rise again.
     
  12. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    Special order it. they might order extra for the shelves at the same time. The batch may have arrived and sold out. The shop won't necessarily order more until future demand is known. Many shops don't order in backstock of old titles of anything any more.
     
  13. HIj'Qa

    HIj'Qa Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    had a long well thought out post but vB ate it

    unhappiness
     
  14. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    A fleeting acquaintance with the ways of literature marketing?

    Or will Pocket be abandoning all eBooks?

    Will they not try putting anything else into CoE's slot? If that under-performs ST, will they not have another go at ST eBooks as ST XI nears, or after it premieres, or when the market is more ready for eBooks as a concept??
     
  15. Tino

    Tino Captain Captain

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    Same here. But I always bought the dead-tree-format.

    KRAD, is there a chance that C.o.E. is going to be continued in dead-tree-form like with all those compilations? I would love to see the 100-page-stories again, they had great character development and a very nice episode-like-feel.
     
  16. FalTorPan

    FalTorPan Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'm not a fan of the eBook format, but I'm saddened that, for the moment, this is no longer a publishing option for Trek authors or readers to enjoy.
     
  17. Csalem

    Csalem Commodore Commodore

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    I'm saddened by this news. I had always planned that when I got a real job and fiscally responsible to own a credit card I would start purchasing the e-books. I suppose it's a case of you don't know what you are missing till it's gone.

    If it is a hiatus then I suppose there are always possibilities. Speaking in Dr. Who terms, I hope it is eighteen months rather than sixteen years!
     
  18. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    You're making assumptions based on nothing like reality. There is no "slot" as such. They're not abandoning eBooks altogether, as there will still be eBook editions of the print books, but the original eBook line is going on a hiatus. It has precisely zero to do with the Abrams movie -- the decision was made last May -- as book production is on a completely different schedule from movie production, and decisions about the line as a whole have very little to do with the release of a particular movie, except the direct tie-ins.


    Hell if I know. It'll be several years before we run out of eBooks to reprint, and therefore impossible to predict what even might happen then.
     
  19. Richard White

    Richard White Writer Red Shirt

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    First off, I want to thank KRAD for giving me the opportunity to play in the SCE/CoE sandbox. I had a great time working on my What's Past story.

    I'm a little disappointed that KRAD and I thought we were going to be able to green light my second story just when things came to a halt. I was really looking forward to the story (and picking on Tev a bit). I'm hanging onto the outline though. There's always next (whenever's) anthology I might be able to slip it in.

    I also am hoping one of these days to pitch that SI/CoE crossover I've been dreaming up for a while. What can I say, I'm a hopeless optimist. *grin*
     
  20. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    With just a few substitutions, this is exactly what I would say. Except my story wouldn't have been picking on Tev -- it would've been Tev in love. I'm so hoping I get the chance to do that someday.