I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant)

[Frontier]

I've only become an e-reader type in the last two or three years. I was slow to adapt to such for a variety of reasons. I see both sides of the typical debate over such - print versus electronic. That is not what this particular mini-rant is about though. Because that's been hashed out six ways from Sunday and will never be solved, lol.

No, my lament here and now is the disparity of titles being made available. More specifically, how a fair number of brick and mortar stores don't follow the release schedule rules.

It's a real bug to see other people posting on their social media about having their grubby little mitts on the latest Trek novel because their brick and mortar outlet does as it wants and releases the book two weeks early.

I know, I know. Pocket can't possibly control all the various such stores. I know, I know, early releases are likely a subtle tactic brick and mortar are using to stay alive.

I just remember the midnight release nonsense for the Harry Potter books, and think how much trouble those stores would have gotten into for releasing the latest of such a week or two early...

In the grand scheme of things it's certainly nothing that will likely change. Nor will even most people care about my writing and lamenting such!

But it's still something that does irritate me and I felt like expressing and sharing, in the vain hopes of commiserating with any other e-readers who are like wise in a foul mood because someone they know has had their hands on this months release for well over a week already!

 

[Anika Hanson]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

On the other side some of novella's only get released in ebook format, so physical book readers miss out too.

 

[Relayer1]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

my lament here and now is the disparity of titles being made available. More specifically, how a fair number of brick and mortar stores don't follow the release schedule rules.

It's a real bug to see other people posting on their social media about having their grubby little mitts on the latest Trek novel because their brick and mortar outlet does as it wants and releases the book two weeks early....I felt like expressing and sharing, in the vain hopes of commiserating with any other e-readers who are like wise in a foul mood because someone they know has had their hands on this months release for well over a week already!

Count yourself lucky ! I buy my Treklit mainly from Amazon UK in paperback and don't generally get my copy until weeks after the US and Australian copies are in stores. I'm lucky if there's still a decent discussion going on here about them by the time I've read them and can join in without worrying about spoilers.

I've given up 'keeping up' and have let the Trek novels get away from me while I read Game of Thrones and it's sequels. I should be six or seven Trek novels behind by the time I get back to them...

 

[Paris]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

First World Problems

 

[Corran Horn]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

I remember back in the psiphi.org board days Mary P. Taylor posted she'd found Avatar book 1 in a downtown B.Dalton or something. I actually left work earlier and drove down there to get it.

 

[RandyS]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

On the other side some of novella's only get released in ebook format, so physical book readers miss out too.

The MUCH bigger annoyance, in my opinion.

 

[CaptPapa]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

^^^ Yes, that!!!

ME

 

[JWolf]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

On the other side some of novella's only get released in ebook format, so physical book readers miss out too.

The MUCH bigger annoyance, in my opinion.

The annoyance I find is when people complain about eBook only releases.

 

[JD]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

I know several of the authors have pointed out that most smaller releases like the Trek books don't actually have a set official release date. So nobody is doing anything wrong by releasing them when they come into the stores.
The only time there is a hard set date is for big releases like the Harry Potter, or Song of Ice and Fire books.
Personally, I don't really care if other people are reading the book before I get it. As long as I get to read it eventually I'm happy. I also take at least a couple weeks to week a book on average, so usually even if I start a book on release day, there are still a lot of people who finish and start discussing it before I'm done.

 

[Stevil2001]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

I remember back in the psiphi.org board days Mary P. Taylor posted she'd found Avatar book 1 in a downtown B.Dalton or something. I actually left work earlier and drove down there to get it.

I think I called my local Borders every day for two weeks until that book came in. God, 2003 was amazing.

 

[Anika Hanson]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

On the other side some of novella's only get released in ebook format, so physical book readers miss out too.

The MUCH bigger annoyance, in my opinion.

The annoyance I find is when people complain about eBook only releases.

I was trying to be diplomatic!!

I own an ebook reader.

 

[Jedi_Master]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

To the OP: you win some, you lose some.

I am a devotee to the paper novel, but my schedule does not always allow me to run to the store to get a new book. So there are times when I get the book four or five days before its "official" release and there are times when I get the book a week or more after it comes out. It all evens out in the end.

 

[Frontier]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

I just think as soon as Pocket ships out the first issues to the brick and mortar stores, the e-versions should be available too. :P

 

[Sxottlan]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

I know several of the authors have pointed out that most smaller releases like the Trek books don't actually have a set official release date. So nobody is doing anything wrong by releasing them when they come into the stores.
The only time there is a hard set date is for big releases like the Harry Potter, or Song of Ice and Fire books.

I dunno. I go to B&Ns on a weekend before the last Tuesday of the month and they often point to that date in their computer and say "it'll be out Tuesday" even though we both know it's in a box in the back.

And yet there are all the months when the books are put out early anyway. Very inconsistent. It's the only real annoyance when trying to buy a book at a brick and mortar. For example, the B&N I frequent has put out the last three Trek books the weekend before the final Tuesday of the month.

But not this month.

I think what bothers me the most is when I'll mention that they will sometimes put a book out early and they act like they don't know what I'm talking about. I'm thinking they're probably playing dumb. But today they actually had misplaced all their copies of Protectors and didn't notice until I asked about it. I guess it's just the inconsistency of dealing with different employees at these stores.

 

[BobtheGunslinge]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

I know several of the authors have pointed out that most smaller releases like the Trek books don't actually have a set official release date. So nobody is doing anything wrong by releasing them when they come into the stores.
The only time there is a hard set date is for big releases like the Harry Potter, or Song of Ice and Fire books.

I dunno. I go to B&Ns on a weekend before the last Tuesday of the month and they often point to that date in their computer and say "it'll be out Tuesday" even though we both know it's in a box in the back.

And yet there are all the months when the books are put out early anyway. Very inconsistent. It's the only real annoyance when trying to buy a book at a brick and mortar. For example, the B&N I frequent has put out the last three Trek books the weekend before the final Tuesday of the month.

But not this month.

I think what bothers me the most is when I'll mention that they will sometimes put a book out early and they act like they don't know what I'm talking about. I'm thinking they're probably playing dumb. But today they actually had misplaced all their copies of Protectors and didn't notice until I asked about it. I guess it's just the inconsistency of dealing with different employees at these stores.

When I worked at Borders, all the mmpbs came unsorted in unmarked boxes on giant pallets. Inventory people would spend certain days working on certain pallets, opening all the boxes, scanning the books, and sorting them onto carts for shelving. Then, other employees would bring out the carts and shelve them. However, the people responsible for the displays in the store would poach any and all books on their lists--as well as any convenient books they might find useful for filling gaps--and put them on a different cart to put onto the displays every Tuesday morning.

This could create quite a bit of variety in book shelving times and placement.

 

[Relayer1]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

On the other side some of novella's only get released in ebook format, so physical book readers miss out too.

The MUCH bigger annoyance, in my opinion.

The annoyance I find is when people complain about eBook only releases.

I wouldn't have an issue with ebook releases if there was an undertaking to collect them in print at a later date, or to make them available 'print on demand'. I'm not a technophobe - I wouldn't be without my ereader, but I want to buy a physical copy of Trekbooks.

But back on topic, I'd REALLY like to see novels available in different countries on the same date. Or at least within a day or two...

 

[RandyS]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

On the other side some of novella's only get released in ebook format, so physical book readers miss out too.

The MUCH bigger annoyance, in my opinion.

The annoyance I find is when people complain about eBook only releases.

Eh, what can you do?

 

[DEWLine]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

Well, I still want my hardcopy editions, too. Not apologizing.

 

[JD]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

I have to admit, I am a little surprised they haven't done any kind of paper reprints of the e-book stories. They've pretty much all been unrelated to each other, so they would make for a rather disjointed SCE/Mere Anarchy style collection, but a lot of series, including SW, have included theirs in the backs of later paperbacks. This strikes me as probably the best way to print the last couple years worth of TrekLit e-books

 

[ronny]

Re: I Know, I Know... but Still! (A Different E-Readers vs Print Rant

I ended up splurging and buying the final Corps of Engineers and Slings and Arrows e-books because it's been years since the last collection, I wasn't getting a good feeling collection them was ever going to be focus except when a hole unexpectedly opens up which hardly ever happens and finally, I just wanted to read them because I wanted to read all the 24th century books. I thought the prices were a rip, some of them were upwards of $6 if I remember correctly. Maybe I'm part of the problem, if people are willing to pay $6 why should they lower the prices.

The only issue I've had so far with the current crop of e-books is they just haven't wowed me content wise. I've pre-ordered the Titan one already and am looking forward to the DTI one so I'm more hopeful than the track record is telling me I should be.