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Points taken, Anamardoll. But here are a few points of my own that you might weigh up ...
*The 'prologues' (more correctly you mean 'back-story notes' and not formal book prologues, which foretell of future events) to trilogies and series volumes are not author-written. They're written by the in-house editing team for the benefit of those readers who might pick up on a trilogy mid-way ('Last week on New York Police Blue ...'). So -- in an omnibus intended to be read in sequence -- they become unnecessary and maybe even annoying. Rather than assist, they interrupt continuity.
*The opening chapter to the next in series is, likewise, not entirely an author effort. It's there for purely promotional purposes, a taster to the next title in line. We never publish a book in series until the next in line is already in edit. So the editor and author agree any necessary adjustment to chapter one of the book in the pipeline before proceeding so that the chapter (often much more then ten pages) can be added to the end of the new release. Again they become superfluous and a downright pest in a completed trilogy read in sequence, and they are helpful only on the last book in a bundle containing opening titles to a running series.
I explained before the contractual reasons why these bundle editions must be single-downloads in third-party retail stores with new and specific round-up titles and new ISBNs. When we have that major job done and dusted in two or three months, we can then offer an option of buying the bundles also as zipped individual downloads from our own site as 'an in-house promotional initiative', clear of contractual, legal hiccups.
Our main consideration in the first run at this is totally unabridged work by the authors, each title in the collection introduced with its original cover, offered in sequence in manageably light single downloads at a price that exceeds a 40% saving on the combined cover price of the novels contained in each bundle. Meantime, as I say, the titles remain available in all digital formats at all stores at the RRP of $5.95 each. A three-title BeWrite Books Omnibus will be $9.95.
Also the in-house editorial team (mostly my job on this project) must produce new side-notes to each trilogy and series that go the whole hog -- short of including the spoiler-effect of individual side-notes to each individual title. Not easy, I assure you. But do-able with a little thought and effort.
This same $9.95 price will also apply when we're able to also offer bundles of individual files at our own site's bookstore. Perhaps in September/October.
We are playing this the only way our individual store contracts will allow us and we really are trying hard to keep everyone happy. We always try to do that ... in spite of the utter impossibility of pleasing all of the people all of the time.
Our authors, who are closer to the nuts and bolts than their readers (though we're equally open with readers, as many here will affirm) are 100% behind the system we're implementing as of this month.
The whole game these days, Anarmardoll, is no longer a question of the tried-and-tested but one of suck-it-and-see. The industry is currently in a state of flux where careful experimentation is much more important than tradition.
After a long lifetime at the sharp end of publishing, even I -- in my dotage -- heartily accept this rolling revolution as a sign of health and vigour and ultimate change for the better. It is not turning my life upside down, but is an exciting challenge I welcome, embrace and will do my utmost to meet.
The motto these days is not the old 'we know from experience' but the new 'let's try it and find out'.
Very best. Neil
PS: With no offence implied or intended, when it comes to logging your reading score, I must refer you to a different point of view expressed clearly in the kiss-off line on the very first page of our website (the entire introduction takes all of thirty seconds to read) ... "You see, it does not matter how many of our books you get through. What counts is how many of our books get through to you." N
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