Beautiful Children by C. Bock 2 day free download

Liviu_5 · 02-27-2008, 09:29 AM

This is not particularly my cup of tea since I prefer fantastic or historical fiction whether mainstream or genre, and it's a pdf, but it has great reviews in NYT and others, and it's only a two day free download as of now (till Friday 2/29).

Link here:

http://www.beautifulchildren.net/read/

JSWolf · 02-27-2008, 10:43 AM

Again PDF. Why don't publishers realize that PDF is one god awful eBook format that is a real pain to convert?

badgoodDeb · 02-27-2008, 01:26 PM

Probably because ebook readers are such a small segment of the market, so far, that they are only consciously thinking about "computer user" and not "ebook user".

JSWolf · 02-27-2008, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Probably because ebook readers are such a small segment of the market, so far, that they are only consciously thinking about "computer user" and not "ebook user".

They'd better care about the market that read eBooks or they won't get many sales. This is why eBooks have so many problems. Too many publishers don't care.

tsgreer · 02-27-2008, 03:20 PM

Not sure where this news should go and I couldn't find any reference to it here on Mobileread, but Charles Bock is another author jumping into the "free ebook" fray. This is from Random House. I think publishers are finally starting to listen!

http://www.beautifulchildren.net/read/

Edit: Oops, someone beat me to it.

JSWolf · 02-27-2008, 03:27 PM

If they were listening, we'd not have PDF only as a format. In fact, we'd not have PDF at all.

tsgreer · 02-27-2008, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Again PDF. Why don't publishers realize that PDF is one god awful eBook format that is a real pain to convert?

Actually in the yahoo news article, they implied that Amazon was going to be involved in the freebie offering too, much like Suze Orman's book. Suze Orman's book was in Kindle format, but as of now, Bock's book isn't on there as a free download yet.

They news article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080226/...ZOZL8EO69xFb8C

JSWolf · 02-27-2008, 03:42 PM

But still, Kindle format does little good as well. What we need is a DRM free format that has easy conversion capability. AKA HTML or RTF.

tsgreer · 02-27-2008, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But still, Kindle format does little good as well. What we need is a DRM free format that has easy conversion capability. AKA HTML or RTF.

True, I think HTML would be the best format of all. I'm partial to .prc, but I realize HTML would be way more universal.

moz · 02-27-2008, 04:36 PM

Um, is it a book or a movie? The "website" seems to be a collection of linked flash movies with sound and video but no content. I'm impressed that Liviu_5 managed to work out enough about it to know they're not interested (or was it just that the Flash stuff put you off?) I'm not interested either, but purely because anything that dressed up has to have something to hide - normally appalling quality.

Kingston · 02-27-2008, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsgreer

Actually in the yahoo news article, they implied that Amazon was going to be involved in the freebie offering too, much like Suze Orman's book. Suze Orman's book was in Kindle format, but as of now, Bock's book isn't on there as a free download yet.

They news article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080226/...ZOZL8EO69xFb8C

Amazon also has a link for it:

http://tinyurl.com/39z2fo

and B&N
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/subjec...ion/index.asp?

Don't know if it also expires on Feb 29

Liviu_5 · 02-27-2008, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moz

Um, is it a book or a movie? The "website" seems to be a collection of linked flash movies with sound and video but no content. I'm impressed that Liviu_5 managed to work out enough about it to know they're not interested

I got the pdf file (you just have to click on the big Download in the middle) and it looks nice; the novel per se seems well written, it is just that the subject does not excite me that much and I already have 5 other novels I am reading and two more that I really want to read on arrival, one in the mail from the UK, due any day now, one to be released March 1st as e.

Kingston · 03-04-2008, 06:30 PM

Now that the download offer has expired USA Today has written an article about it.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/n...ownloads_N.htm
Quote from author:

"Does he fear he'll lose money if they read it free? "If someone wants to try to read all 432 pages online, I'd say 'Good job,' but I figure they'd want a copy of the book at some point."
As for printing it out, "it'd probably take a ream of paper and a whole printer cartridge."

Guess ebook readers never crossed his mind.

02-27-2008, 09:29 AM	#1
Liviu_5 Books and more books Posts: 917 Karma: 69499 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: White Plains, NY, USA Device: Nook Color, Itouch, Nokia770, Sony 650, Sony 700(dead), Ebk(given)	Beautiful Children by C. Bock 2 day free download This is not particularly my cup of tea since I prefer fantastic or historical fiction whether mainstream or genre, and it's a pdf, but it has great reviews in NYT and others, and it's only a two day free download as of now (till Friday 2/29). Link here: http://www.beautifulchildren.net/read/

02-27-2008, 03:20 PM	#5
tsgreer Lovin' the e-book life... Posts: 633 Karma: 2509 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Colorado Device: Ebookwise 1150, Sony PRS-505, Amazon Kindle, BeBook (with OpenInkpot)	Another free ebook Not sure where this news should go and I couldn't find any reference to it here on Mobileread, but Charles Bock is another author jumping into the "free ebook" fray. This is from Random House. I think publishers are finally starting to listen! http://www.beautifulchildren.net/read/ Edit: Oops, someone beat me to it. Last edited by tsgreer; 02-27-2008 at 03:29 PM.

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02-27-2008, 10:43 AM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,957 Karma: 128903250 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Again PDF. Why don't publishers realize that PDF is one god awful eBook format that is a real pain to convert?

02-27-2008, 01:26 PM	#3
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,501 Karma: 64095689 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	Probably because ebook readers are such a small segment of the market, so far, that they are only consciously thinking about "computer user" and not "ebook user".

02-27-2008, 03:27 PM	#6
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,957 Karma: 128903250 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	If they were listening, we'd not have PDF only as a format. In fact, we'd not have PDF at all.

02-27-2008, 03:42 PM	#8
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,957 Karma: 128903250 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	But still, Kindle format does little good as well. What we need is a DRM free format that has easy conversion capability. AKA HTML or RTF.

02-27-2008, 04:36 PM	#10
moz Addict Posts: 370 Karma: 1553 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Melbun Device: Kobo H2O	Um, is it a book or a movie? The "website" seems to be a collection of linked flash movies with sound and video but no content. I'm impressed that Liviu_5 managed to work out enough about it to know they're not interested (or was it just that the Flash stuff put you off?) I'm not interested either, but purely because anything that dressed up has to have something to hide - normally appalling quality.

03-04-2008, 06:30 PM	#13
Kingston Addict Posts: 238 Karma: 834 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: SW Tennessee Device: Kindle, Iliad v2 & v1,Gen 3 from NAEB, Sony PRS-505, Jetbook	Now that the download offer has expired USA Today has written an article about it. http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/n...ownloads_N.htm Quote from author: "Does he fear he'll lose money if they read it free? "If someone wants to try to read all 432 pages online, I'd say 'Good job,' but I figure they'd want a copy of the book at some point." As for printing it out, "it'd probably take a ream of paper and a whole printer cartridge." Guess ebook readers never crossed his mind.