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stxopher · 02-13-2008, 08:22 AM

Just by looking at the interest in Convert LIT and MobiDeDrm shows how much people want to get legitimate books (properly formatted, legal, and as a real purchase for ownership) as opposed to less ethical means.

Most of us want to do right by authors and publishers. We want to buy their wares. We want to fund their livelihoods. We want their blasted books! They want....time to stop and things to stay as they are. Change to them is often bad. (Old enough here to remember when the big argument was changing paper quality in paperbacks to a better grade. Publishers were sure that would bankrupt the paperback market since no one reads a PB more than once.)

Baen was the first publisher that really got my cash and that was due not so much to selection (of which we can agree there is a niche market compared to mainstream) but the fact that I could move the books where I needed them. Because of their openness and constant updating they now get cash from me every month. Even if the monthly selection isn't that interesting to me it's worth a gamble to see if there is something new.

ConvertLIT caused my book budget to increase even further. With that, more mainstream books became usable on the reading devices. Still, some books were Mobi only. Now that may be changed also and yet another budget increase is in the works.

Despite all that, yes, some books are just not available legitimately. Volumes 2 and 3 of the Dresden files. 12 volumes of the Wild Card series. Armor. The Sten novels. The infamous Harry Potter series. And on, and on. Seeing something like this just gives the impression that publishers either don't understand the markets that are growing (probably the main problem) or don't care (unlikely since it is what makes them money).

Kinda like here at work. If management doesn't understand something, they ignore it or try to regulate it out of existence. Even if it will cause longterm harm by ignoring it is still relegated to the closet with other bogeymen. If something is ignored, it can't affect you. (A bit like playing peek-a-boo with a baby.)

02-13-2008, 08:22 AM	#19
stxopher Nameless Being	Just by looking at the interest in Convert LIT and MobiDeDrm shows how much people want to get legitimate books (properly formatted, legal, and as a real purchase for ownership) as opposed to less ethical means. Most of us want to do right by authors and publishers. We want to buy their wares. We want to fund their livelihoods. We want their blasted books! They want....time to stop and things to stay as they are. Change to them is often bad. (Old enough here to remember when the big argument was changing paper quality in paperbacks to a better grade. Publishers were sure that would bankrupt the paperback market since no one reads a PB more than once.) Baen was the first publisher that really got my cash and that was due not so much to selection (of which we can agree there is a niche market compared to mainstream) but the fact that I could move the books where I needed them. Because of their openness and constant updating they now get cash from me every month. Even if the monthly selection isn't that interesting to me it's worth a gamble to see if there is something new. ConvertLIT caused my book budget to increase even further. With that, more mainstream books became usable on the reading devices. Still, some books were Mobi only. Now that may be changed also and yet another budget increase is in the works. Despite all that, yes, some books are just not available legitimately. Volumes 2 and 3 of the Dresden files. 12 volumes of the Wild Card series. Armor. The Sten novels. The infamous Harry Potter series. And on, and on. Seeing something like this just gives the impression that publishers either don't understand the markets that are growing (probably the main problem) or don't care (unlikely since it is what makes them money). Kinda like here at work. If management doesn't understand something, they ignore it or try to regulate it out of existence. Even if it will cause longterm harm by ignoring it is still relegated to the closet with other bogeymen. If something is ignored, it can't affect you. (A bit like playing peek-a-boo with a baby.)