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Old 11-30-2012, 01:58 AM   #1
gmw
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Real books

I have nothing against e-books. They're great: cheap, convenient, light, adaptable and easy to adjust, BUT ...

I've just received the proof copy of my book from Lightning Source. My book has never been more real to me than it is now.

I can hold it in my hand, smell the pages, flick through it from front to back with a brush of my thumb and stop at a random page and see what's there. I can pat the cover and keep picking it up and looking at it is as something new and different from the thousands of other books that sit on our shelves. It will wear and rumple and gain the patina of use and age. It is something that an e-book will never be ... for me.

Of course my flowery language could be result of the large whiskey poured to celebrate the arrival of my first born, but who cares? It's mine!
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Old 11-30-2012, 02:08 AM   #2
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Congratulations on your achievement gmw. I remember the 1st time I read something that I'd written in published format (it was in an anthology from a poetry contest) and there is no other feeling quite like it I think.
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Old 11-30-2012, 04:23 PM   #3
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When I was a youngster, I built a canoe using a plan adapted from Pop Mechanics, I think.
It was wood strips, canvas, fishing line, a lot of waterproof glue, and marine paint.

I was proud.
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Old 11-30-2012, 04:58 PM   #4
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I have nothing against e-books. They're great: cheap, convenient, light, adaptable and easy to adjust, BUT ...
Cheap? Are you nuts? $14.99 for Cold Days and $9.99 for Dead Beat a book published in 2006 and an eBook in 2007 is not cheap. I could give you many examples of not cheap, but these two will do.
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Old 11-30-2012, 07:25 PM   #5
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Cheap? Are you nuts? $14.99 for Cold Days and $9.99 for Dead Beat a book published in 2006 and an eBook in 2007 is not cheap. I could give you many examples of not cheap, but these two will do.
I can see a lot of new release e-books in the price range $0.00 to $5.00 (for less than the price of a cup of dubious coffee, in other words) ... and not too many new release paper-books in that range. Also, the list price for the hard-cover of Cold Days is $27.95, so that still makes $14.99 relatively cheap. It's not my fault you've got expensive tastes.

The other factor you have to consider is that, living in Australia, even $27.95 looks looks cheap up against the $34.99 .. $41.99 I've seen some asking for here. For the Dead Beat paper-back they want $18.99. Many trade paperbacks sell in the $25 range in shops. (Of course, it depends on where you shop, but books here in Australia are very expensive compared to what I see on Amazon.)

I could given more you many examples, but those will do.
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Old 11-30-2012, 07:33 PM   #6
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I can see a lot of new release e-books in the price range $0.00 to $5.00 (for less than the price of a cup of dubious coffee, in other words) ... and not too many new release paper-books in that range. Also, the list price for the hard-cover of Cold Days is $27.95, so that still makes $14.99 relatively cheap. It's not my fault you've got expensive tastes.

The other factor you have to consider is that, living in Australia, even $27.95 looks looks cheap up against the $34.99 .. $41.99 I've seen some asking for here. For the Dead Beat paper-back they want $18.99. Many trade paperbacks sell in the $25 range in shops. (Of course, it depends on where you shop, but books here in Australia are very expensive compared to what I see on Amazon.)

I could given more you many examples, but those will do.
Nobody charges list price for a new hardcover. B&N has Cold Days for $16.21. Walmart has it for $15.84. Amazon has it for $15.90. So you cannot compare the list price to the actual customer pays price.

I know there are a lot of inexpensive eBooks out there. But there are also a lot of expensive eBooks out there too. Ones that should not be so expensive give how old they are.
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Old 11-30-2012, 07:44 PM   #7
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[...]I know there are a lot of inexpensive eBooks out there. But there are also a lot of expensive eBooks out there too. Ones that should not be so expensive give how old they are.
I agree to a certain extent, but if people are willing to pay it, of course they are going to keep charging it. Would you rather the pricing was regulated?
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Old 11-30-2012, 08:17 PM   #8
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I agree to a certain extent, but if people are willing to pay it, of course they are going to keep charging it. Would you rather the pricing was regulated?
It's worse then regulated. It's agency.
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Old 11-30-2012, 10:27 PM   #9
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I have nothing against e-books. They're great: cheap, convenient, light, adaptable and easy to adjust, BUT ...

You are so right. There is something about having your books up on a shelf in someones home that stands out. It is probably just because of the world we are slowly growing out of where print media used to rule.
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Old 11-30-2012, 10:53 PM   #10
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You are so right. There is something about having your books up on a shelf in someones home that stands out. It is probably just because of the world we are slowly growing out of where print media used to rule.
Not sure I accept the "just", but yes, I grew up with books as a very important part of my life, and a father that made sure we kids took care of them (some special books accessible only under supervision until we got old enough to be trusted). I guess that sort of upbringing does instill its own mystique for the media beyond, but added to by, what's written on it.

It's hard to imagine finding similar attachment to your e-reader - they are consumables, disposable devices, in a way that paper-books never were, not in my family.
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Old 12-02-2012, 02:26 AM   #11
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Well, I'm with you gmw, but it's a changing world.

I had a few short stories published in the 70s and I still feel good just seeing the magazines (and paperback) on the shelf in the living room and knowing they're in there. It's fun to see your work on a website and download it as an epub to an ereader, but it's not the same.

On the other hand, I really like holding a CD in my hand when I buy music. Or, bought music. MP3 downloads really aren't the same, either.
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