Harry Potter could go digital

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by ApK

It means "kids don't have ereaders" is still true in general even if a few schools are now starting to give kids ereaders.

Let's rephrase that, shall we? And then tell me why only adult literature should be available in ebook format, but children's literature shouldn't be.


"Adults don't have ereaders" is still true in general even if a few adults are now starting to buy ereaders.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

Seems strange for them to be able to read all the HP fanfic on-line, on various reading devices, but they can't buy the Originals in digital format to go along with it.

She can only make choices for her own work.
I'm pleased that she hasn't seen "everyone else is doing it" as a compelling argument for her to change her mind.

And no, please don't ask to me to explain her audiobooks or movies in this context. I prefer to hold this little glimmer of hope of noble motives.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by SolRaven

Let's rephrase that, shall we? And then tell me why only adult literature should be available in ebook format, but children's literature shouldn't be.


"Adults don't have ereaders" is still true in general even if a few adults are now starting to buy ereaders.

I didn't say that I agreed with her, I said your statement of "this no longer holds true" was not yet true.
I DON'T agree with her. I just bought my 8 year old an e-reader. For fear of self incrimination, I won't tell you what book he was reading on it tonight.

Also, as for the second part, Adults have hit a critical market mass...enough to make other companies decide to follow Amazon into the ereader biz....kids are, I'd guess, a trivial part of the market still.
Smartphones and iDevices have more of a chance of making young people a significant factor in the ebook market for the immediate future than dedicated ereaders do...if only the publishers could figure out how to get more of them to read.....

[crich70]

I think they also used a different cover image depending on which country (U.S. or U.K.) they were being sold in as well. J.K. Rowling's books aren't the 1st to have a different title depending on where the books are published either. Agatha Christie's books sometimes have the same thing. i.e. Murder in the Calies Coach = Murder on the Orient Express and others.

Originally Posted by HarleyB

Apart from the slang expressions and spelling that the others have already mentioned there is the minor detail about the title of the first book - the US edition is called Harry Potter and the Scorcerer's Stone - I never quite understood the reason for that change.
Honestly I thought that most explanations I read were rather insulting to American children!

Fortunately the later books were allowed to keep their original titles. Apparently American children had shown they were actually clever enough to work out what Deathly Hallows were!

One thing I've often wondered though is which versions were sold in Canada? In Australia we had the original versions.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by crich70

I think they also used a different cover image depending on which country (U.S. or U.K.) they were being sold in as well.

And the series with the more "adult edition" covers! (Not that kind of adult)

[ApK]

Originally Posted by kjk

(Not that kind of adult)

Rats. Emma Watson is smokin' these days.

[malliemcg]

I must say that I find it rather frustrating that (in this case) authors and publishers are not realising what they're purpose is (from my point of view). They're there to provide me with entertainment in the form of words detailing a story.

I do remember not long ago trying to locate a digital copy of the HP eBooks for sale (we already have the pBooks, along with the currently released movies), it took me some time to work out why I could find no store that sold them and only "darknet" sources. I find it utterly bizairre that all these content providers fight so hard to prevent people getting something they want.

Me - I feel nothing other than frustration when I attempt to locate a legitimate source for something I want, only to find it not availble and will happily turn to alternate sources in order to fulfill my wants - in the vain hope that those who make these stupid decisions will come to their senses and give me what I want (at a reasonable price). I have no problems hiring movies from iTunes as they're convenient, reasonably priced and have a great selection. I buy a swag of music too. Much more than I would have spent on CD's/DVDs/BluRays.

Now I'm just a little annoyed that the most brilliantly formatted eBook I have is the Amaericanised version of the very subject matter we're discussing here, not one of the several hundred legitimate eBooks I have are formatted (without OCR'd errors) as well as this version.

[jbjb]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Well...maybe you're not, but please don't believe for one minute that you speak for everyone.

Indeed.

If a book I want isn't available as an ebook, the available courses of action aren't limited to buying it on paper or getting an illegal copy (which I won't do). In practice, what I'll mostly do in this situation is simply read a different book which is available in ebook. There are more books I want to read than I'll ever have time for, so by failing to make a book available electronically, an author is simply pushing me away from them towards other authors.

/JB

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by ApK

She can only make choices for her own work.
I'm pleased that she hasn't seen "everyone else is doing it" as a compelling argument for her to change her mind.
I prefer to hold this little glimmer of hope of noble motives.

Quite - and I agree with your previous post too, ApK

From both her public statements, a couple of documentaries I've seen (very interesting, especially re: early days), newspaper articles, her actions in putting large amounts of money where it really helps others (M.S. Society, and medical research @ Aberdeen University, Volante, One Parent Families, Lumos, etc.. etc...), and much else, I feel far more inclined to believe whatever reasons she gives, frankly, than any inventions or conspiracy theories commentators here, or elsewhere, come up with.

And she is not afraid to debunk the Rowling myth herself - for example the stories of writing the early books in a cafe 'cos her flat was too cold, she described as rubbish ("I'm not stupid enough to rent a flat without heating" ) but said she sometimes found it was the only way to get her baby daughter to sleep !

She seems one of those rare people who have attained great financial wealth through her own efforts, while harming no-one,and justly warranted enormous "public" fame, (not all welcomed, I know), who seems to use her wealth sensibly, supports many good causes substantially, without shouting about it - and enjoys the fruits of her success.
At the same time, incidentally,helped a lot of children get into reading who might not have.

Also, being fortunate enough to have met her briefly, she just seems a very nice lady.

And, you know what ?
She doesn't have to justify what she does with her own work, anyway, no matter how much others moan and complain, usually for not desperately philanthropic reasons, and then belittle her reasons when she cares to give them.

'Cos she created it, and we didn't.



( I think I'm with Poppaea on this - addios )

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by ApK

It didn't work any better than the piracy concern, but I see no reason to assume her motive was other than what she says. I'm completely in favor of her make some values-based choices over her own work.

I'm completely in favor of ANY author making value based choices about their own work. I really don't care whether they ever come out in ebook form. I just don't believe the "for the children" reason she's given for why they haven't. That dog won't hunt. She just made a hasty misinformed judgement about ebooks (and stuck to it)... and she or--her representation--are trying to reverse-engineer some kind of noble integrity aspect into her decision.

[apastuszak]

Originally Posted by kjk

As Andrew mentioned earlier, the same arguments were made about The Beatles catalog-and even now, 40 years later, they sold remarkably well in iTunes format.

Two things about the Beatles catalog:

1. People will listen to the same music over and over again, which is why older music sells well.

2. The Beatles Catalog on iTunes included extras. Each album came with a video, and if you bought the whole boxed set, you got yet another video that was never released before. So, yes, people bought them again, but there was some added value.

Now if Rowling released each Potter book with some added value you don't get with the printed copy, such as an included short story then they'll sell like hotcakes. But if she just releases the books with the exact same content that's in them now, I tend to wonder how many people would buy them again, if they already owned a copy.

[apastuszak]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I believe in supporting the authors. When she releases the books as ebooks I will buy them. I was in no hurry to read the latest Wheel of Time book so I waited until it was released. Had I decided I could not wait, I would have bought the book when it was released.

The whole Wheel of Time infuriated me enough that I went and borrowed it from the Library rather than buy it.

It's a shame, because it looked like Sanderson wanted it out on day 1 in "e" format. He seemed quite shocked, from the comment on his Twitter feed, that it was not on the Kindle store.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by apastuszak

1. People will listen to the same music over and over again, which is why older music sells well.

Maybe I'm alone here, but much like the music I choose to buy and keep in my collection, the books I buy and keep are ones that I go back to again and again as well. The seven hardback volumes of HP on our shelf are indeed decorative, but they get used, too.
Maybe I'm not alone...this is perhaps why books get reprinted and become classics?

Originally Posted by apastuszak

Now if Rowling released each Potter book with some added value you don't get with the printed copy,

Added value? Like the ability to have all seven books in your jacket pocket, search the contents, read at any font size you chose, and get them delivered instantly?

BTW, on another topic, this is why I get a bit annoyed at the ebook price rants. Yes, I think they should probably cost less than the printed editions, but publishers are not non-profits who are bound to pass on every cent they save to the public. They are out to make money, and they can--and should, in my Capitalistic opinion--charge what the market will bear. There is real value to ebooks over DTBs , even if that value didn't cost the publisher anything to provide. Pay for the value. If the price is too high for the value you think you're getting, don't pay it, and the publishers will get the message.
Our market system has flaws, but that part of it works pretty darn well.

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

She doesn't have to justify what she does with her own work, anyway, no matter how much others moan and complain, usually for not desperately philanthropic reasons, and then belittle her reasons when she cares to give them.
)

They said the same thing a year ago, that the books were being looked into as coming out in ebook format. Word got out, people talked about it.

Then nothing.

Now, once again, the word that they're thinking about bringing them out in ebook format.

Why all the announcements? What are they looking for but public opinion? I'm assuming they already know who'd put the ebooks out, so are probably not looking for another publishing company to do it. Unless they're fishing for some sort of deal with another company in the background (and heaven help them if they chose to make it an exclusive in the Apple store) then why are we hearing about it?

All they have to do is decide one way or another, then announce it if they've become available. If they don't want people to talk about it, then they shouldn't keep bringing it up.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

They said the same thing a year ago, that the books were being looked into as coming out in ebook format. Word got out, people talked about it.

Then nothing.

Now, once again, the word that they're thinking about bringing them out in ebook format.

I wonder if this is really Rowling's camp making repeated announcements, or a less-than perfect press digging up the same news over and over again.

I mean, I could imagine a blogger on a slow news day, calling JKR's people and being told "We already told you last year...we're considering it. If anything changes we'll make an announcement."
And the next blog article reads (again) "Today's news: JKR considering...."

ApK