Corps of Engineers relaunch delayed

[KRAD]

^And you do realize that all I said was that I didn't prefer to read Books on my computer screen. What the heck was wrong with saying that?

I apologize, Technobuilder, but every single time anyone even mentions the eBooks, half a dozen people feel the need to chime in and talk about how much they hate eBooks and how awful eBooks are and how they refuse to read a book on a screen (which I always find a hilarious thing to post on an Internet bulletin board), and nobody ever wants to actually talk about the books. I spend a lot of time and effort trying to make a really good batch of Star Trek books, and actual discussion of the content is damn near impossible, because it always always always degenerates into "eBooks suck!!!!!!!!!!11111!!!!"

Still, that doesn't excuse churlish behavior, and I apologize for it.

I genuinely know NOTHING about the S.C.E. series of e-books other than what I've read about Capt. Gold in the Captain's Table Anthology.

Well, there are plenty of resources on the web, in particular this page on my web site, as well as stuff on Psi Phi, Memory Alpha, and Memory Beta.....

Recently I heard about a shift in the S.C.E. line to something else (and for some reason I was though it was a paperbook release), and when KRAD posted this, I just asked for a clarification. I personally thought it was odd to be publishing a "Paper" book release for a series that was E-Only, but I wasn't sure if Pocket was trying something new.

Well, there've been seven print compilations of past S.C.E. eBooks since 2002. The only change now is that we've moved them to trade paperback instead of mass market, in part so we can go back to doing two of them a year (which we did from 2002-2004), in part so we can put more eBooks per book. The eBooks themselves are novella length, only about a quarter the length of a full novel (another reason why the "I won't read a novel on screen" argument gets frustrating -- we're talking about a much shorter work).

 

[Technobuilder]

^I appreciate the apology, but you didn't really have to. I feel like I derailed your thread.

Thanks for the S.C.E. Webpage Link as well.

Also, just to clarify, the fact that I don't LIKE reading E-Books at my computer is solely a comfort issue and doesn't mean that I don't like the concept or the technology behind it. I made this decision after reading the first 4 Harry Potter Novels as E-Books sitting at my computer in a little less than a week. Totally threw my back out and killed my wrists. Said I'd never do that again, and I haven't. From what I've gathered if not for the E-Book, the S.C.E. series wouldn't even exist... How is that a good thing for any Star Trek Lit Fan?

I think the technology is a great advancement personally. I would just like the portable hardware to advance more before I adopt it myself. (We're getting closer from what I've seen to what I'd want) I like to read anywhere when I have a free hour or have a break between classes, but just because that's what I like to do doesn't mean it's the same for everybody.

 

[KRAD]

^ Any one of the first four Harry Potter books is longer than any of the individual S.C.E. eBooks. Of course, there are also now 66 of them....

And, again, you don't have to read all in one sitting. You spend lots of time online reading places like this, I assume. Why not cut out half that time and spend it reading a chapter of an eBook?

I'm not trying to convert you, just pointing out that there are ways to make it work for you on the computer. And, of course, there's a handheld device, which you read the same way you read a book, except no page turning, and you can also keep your schedule on it.

 

[Technobuilder]

I already spend to much time on the computer, reading a book is the way I like to get away from that. I just need to get away from the screen more, I'm even watching TV on my PC more than my actual Television.

In regards to the handheld you mentioned... what are the specs? I'm looking for something with low power consumption (ideally only using power when I turn the page) as well as the ability to be read in multiple light sources and in the dark (to go beyond what a regular book can do)

Also I'd like one that can support a variety of E-Book formats as well as compressed picture arcives and is about the size of a Comic Book.

I'm assuming they all have Bookmarking Capabilities and include the ability to search the entirety of the text for a particular passage.

Any recommendations?

 

[JWolf]

Personally, I prefer LIT format. I like the way MS Reader looks. And I can use it on our laptop as well as my desktop. I just recently got a 20.1" LCD monitor and MS Reader looks very nice on it.

 

[Christopher]

Technobuilder said:
^And you do realize that all I said was that I didn't prefer to read Books on my computer screen. What the heck was wrong with saying that?

I feel like I just got attacked a little bit. And that's not something I come to this board for.

I'm sorry, I had no intention of attacking. I was just trying to offer more information, to let you know that eBooks were shorter than novels and thus easier to enjoy on a computer screen. It was intended as encouragement, not insult or criticism. However, I realize the phrasing came off as a bit snarky, and I apologize.


Still, it does get frustrating for those of us who've written eBooks when any attempt to discuss what we've written inevitably gets hijacked by a debate about the format itself. I have a suggestion for the mods: create a pinned thread specifically for discussion of eBook-vs.-print-book issues, perhaps something that summarizes the perennial arguments made on both sides of the question. Whenever someone brings up the e-vs-tree issue in a thread about SCE, Mere Anarchy, etc., refer them to the pinned thread and ask them to discuss it there, so that the thread about the work can remain about the actual work rather than get derailed.

 

[FredH]

FWIW, I find I inexplicably read faster when reading manuscripts online--in Word or text format, that is. Something about being able to erase as you go, thus eliminating the temptation to go back over to reread stuff, I guess. That doesn't apply to PDFs, of course.

 

[Bobatiel]

KRAD said:
[I apologize, Technobuilder, but every single time anyone even mentions the eBooks, half a dozen people feel the need to chime in and talk about how much they hate eBooks and how awful eBooks are and how they refuse to read a book on a screen ..., and nobody ever wants to actually talk about the books.

That's simply not true. A very quick check of this http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/showflat....e=0#Post6636779 proves otherwise.

Also, there is plenty discussion of the ebooks all over this and other BBSs.

I'm sorry I could not let this go. I've tried e-books and voiced a preference without ever going down the "ebooks sucks" route. I'm tired of all the accusations of people "attacking" ebooks and devolving into "ebooks sucks" when someone politley expresses an opinion or prefernece. I've been a victim of that, and if anything, those of us who prefer printed books suffer just as much abuse, if not more, concerning our preference.

Just look at this thread and how Technobuilder was jumped on for SFA. I've stayed out of many such discussions to avoid this crap, and it keeps happening.

Christopher said:
...it does get frustrating for those of us who've written eBooks when any attempt to discuss what we've written inevitably gets hijacked by a debate about the format itself.

If anyone hijacked this thread by creating "a debate about the format itself" it was you and others who jumped on Technobuilder. Where was your discussion regarding the content? His intent was innocent and honourable. Was yours?

Hey, Mods, it's a two way street. Please keep that in mind.

Sorry, had to get that off of my chest, and that's all from me.

 

[JD]

I've just started reading the SCE paperbacks, and was pleasantly suprised to find that each single novvela is about 50-100 pages in length. It's nice to get fun little adventures that are rapped up fairly quicly, it makes them feel more like episodes of one of the TV shows. Where most of other books feel more like movies or a long story arc, not that that is a bad thing.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

*breaths in deeply...and releases*

*breaths in deeply...and releases*

*breaths in deeply...and releases*

Look, I'm just as frustrated about this eBook versus paper books as anyone, but this is NOT the place to discuss it. Let's drop the subject and return to the topic: Corps of Engineers delayed release.

 

[JWolf]

Is there something special happening for the relaunch?

 

[KRAD]

^ Well, we're retitling it, and there's a new person joining the crew (as for who, if you've read Progress, you'll know who it is ). The relaunch is designed to be a jumping-on point for people who might be intimidated by the high numbers on the S.C.E. eBooks, and also providing a more descriptive title, since S.C.E. won't necessarily mean anything to the average consumer.

 

[JWolf]

I really don't think the people who purchased the S.C.E. ebooks would be your average people. I know I'm not.

 

[KRAD]

^ I meant average Star Trek book consumer. I can't tell you the number of times I've had people who are already inclined toward Trek ask me what S.C.E. was. It's not an obvious acronym, and if I could hop into the wayback machine to 2000, I'd tell John Ordover and myself to come up with a more descriptive name for it.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yeah, but now everyone is going to call it C.E. or C.o.E.

 

[Bobatiel]

Emh said:
Yeah, but now everyone is going to call it C.E. or C.o.E.

I'm fine with either, although I'll miss the appellation Starfleet Corps of Engineers

I know the old title used the words Star Trek: S.C.E. I would have preferred forgoing the words "Star Trek" in favour of "Starfleet Corps of Engineers"

I guess the word "starfleet" wasn't deemed to be synonymous enough with the words "Star Trek" for the average reader.

I always thought that "starfleet" was such a cool word.

 

[KRAD]

I know the old title used the words Star Trek: S.C.E. I would have preferred forgoing the words "Star Trek" in favour of "Starfleet Corps of Engineers"

That was never going to happen. We don't want to hide the fact that this is Star Trek, and it's ridiculous to try to sell a Star Trek product without attaching the words "Star Trek" to it. (And yes, I'm aware of the fact Enterprise initially went out without those two words, and fat lotta good it did them, too!)

I guess the word "starfleet" wasn't deemed to be synonymous enough with the words "Star Trek" for the average reader.

You guess incorrectly. The reason we dropped "Starfleet" was because it would've made the title too long. "Corps of Engineers" is long enough as it is, and the repetition of the word "Star" wasn't really working, either. So "Starfleet" was dropped.

 

[tothebridge]

KRAD said:
The relaunch is designed to be a jumping-on point for people who might be intimidated by the high numbers on the S.C.E. eBooks, and also providing a more descriptive title, since S.C.E. won't necessarily mean anything to the average consumer.

So, someone like myself who is interested in the series but hasn't yet read the previous 66 titles could start in with the relaunch and (hopefully) not feel too terribly lost? That is good news for me.

I looked at the material on your S.C.E. webpage, and it does provide a good overview of the series and characters. I just wondered whether it would be helpful to read a few of the previous titles in particular to gain a better understanding of character backstories. It sounds like the "What's Past" titles, for example, might fit into that category.

 

[KRAD]

^ You can dive right in with Turn the Page, methinks.

 

[ATimson]

KRAD said:
^ Well, we're retitling it, and there's a new person joining the crew (as for who, if you've read Progress, you'll know who it is ). The relaunch is designed to be a jumping-on point for people who might be intimidated by the high numbers on the S.C.E. eBooks, and also providing a more descriptive title, since S.C.E. won't necessarily mean anything to the average consumer.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that you're also dropping the numbering? Or is that just on the print volumes?

(And if I'm correct, is that going to mean anything for the serialization we've seen before? For example, "Home Fires" through "Breakdowns" deal with the aftermath of "Wildfire", and there's also been the Androssi stories which build upon one another. Is there going to be a shift even further towards episodic storytelling than we've seen in the past?)

Ignoring my preference for the old title (or at least what I thought was the old title--I always thought it was officially Starfleet Corps of Engineers, not S.C.E., since that's how it is on the booklists), let me say that I'm not a big fan of the new logo either--it looks too imbalanced. I think that something like this might have worked better:

But then, I think that picture speaks for itself as to why I'm not a graphic designer... and that paragraph is written with the second quote in my sig fully in mind.