No ebook for the next Stephen King

[ApK]

Originally Posted by stonetools

IOW, this is a niche publisher dedicated to bringing out paperback novels ONLY. OK, time to move on folks. Nothing to see here.
King is experimenting with a paperback only publisher. This says nothing whatover about his feelings on ebooks.

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

SK likes pulps and probably just thought it would be nice to support a publisher like this, even if he isn't maximizing his current income.

That's how I see it. "Holding off on epublishing this one for the time being" is hardly a sign of turning against ebooks, and makes some gimmicky, novelty, nostalgia-y sense in this case.

[elemenoP]

Hard Case Crime does publish ebooks, such as this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Consummata-Har.../dp/B004LROX9W

On Overdrive's search page you can search by publisher, and Hard Case Crime is not in the list of publishers. So they do not allow library ebooks.

eP

[DiapDealer]

Go Steve! I have no problem allowing you to do anything you want. You'll never hear a peep out of me if I ever disagree with your publishing decisions. 'Cause you da Author, man. You da Author. All these people who voice their displeasure in the hopes of discouraging others from following in your footsteps—or just maybe, you know, letting you hear that they aren't nuts about your little experiment—are whack. The negative side-effects of experiments should always be ignored anyway... am I right? You are unimpeachable, man.

Please. Pulp-paperbacks were never about the "paperback." They were/are about content... with a side of "quick, and cheap." All of which can be attained in any medium.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Please. Pulp-paperbacks were never about the "paperback." They were/are about content...

Well, Coke was never about the glass bottle, it was/is about the content, but getting coke in a small glass bottle (preferably with a top that requires an opener, if you can still find such a thing, is a visceral, nostalgic experience that, to me, makes for a better drink (even aside from the actual taste improvement over drinking from aluminum or plastic).
Same for pulp novels (I guess, for some). The very NAME 'pulp' refers to the paperback medium, so it was ALWAYS an element. And pulp or hard back velum, it's not like it's the first time we've heard on this forum of some folks liking the sensuousness of DTBs.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by ApK

Well, Coke was never about the glass bottle, it was/is about the content, but getting coke in a small glass bottle (preferably with a top that requires an opener, if you can still find such a thing, is a visceral, nostalgic experience that, to me, makes for a better drink (even aside from the actual taste improvement over drinking from aluminum or plastic).
Same for pulp novels (I guess, for some). The very NAME 'pulp' refers to the paperback medium, so it was ALWAYS an element. And pulp or hard back velum, it's not like it's the first time we've heard on this forum of some folks liking the sensuousness of DTBs.

But those are arguments for a physical paper-back version, not arguments against a simultaneous ebook release. I fail to see how the existence of an ebook version alone could possibly lessen the "sensual experience" of a DTB-hugger diddling their beloved pages.

Does the mere existence of Coke in cans cheapen your visceral, nostalgic experience when tilting back that frosty, glass bottle you chose to purchase your cola in? If you went to the store for bottles of Coke and found they were only stocking cans and plastic two-liters, would you be disappointed? Might you voice that disappointment to someone (regardless of whether or not you purchased the cans)?

A book is still a product, after all. And as such, neither it, nor its creator deserves any special dispensation from "consumer complaints."

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

There's a nation-wide shortage of pixels. That's what I heard.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

That's what I heard, too. The pixel farmers just can't make a decent go of it in this economy... and the numbers of wild pixels are dwindling at an alarming rate.

Someone forgot to turn the pixel faucet off. Look at all those good pixels going to waste.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

and how do you know that?

5 kilos of primo dried banana peels say otherwise

[ProfCrash]

King can make what ever choice he wants. People are free to say they disagree with that choice.

I don't understand why that causes so much heartburn for folks.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

King can make what ever choice he wants. People are free to say they disagree with that choice.

I don't understand why that causes so much heartburn for folks.

Agreed. King is free to choose how he publishes his work. We are free to buy or not buy it.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

Agreed. King is free to choose how he publishes his work. We are free to buy or not buy it.

And complain. We can complain if we want.

And call him a Twit.

A rich, twit who can do whatever he wants.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

And complain. We can complain if we want.

And call him a Twit.

A rich, twit who can do whatever he wants.

Whatever happened to staying positive for the baby?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

And complain. We can complain if we want.

And call him a Twit.

A rich, twit who can do whatever he wants.

And to be fair... it's cool if King wants to call me a twit too. We'd all still be within our respective rights in that scenario as well.

[ProfCrash]

I am positive that he is a twit. (winks)

And at 36 weeks, the baby is starting to get to that point where, well, I am positive I would be ok with his arrival. I am also positive that my Mother will be most upset if he arrives early and she is not there so I guess I cannot ask the Doctor to induce tomorrow.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

But those are arguments for a physical paper-back version, not arguments against a simultaneous ebook release. I fail to see how the existence of an ebook version alone could possibly lessen the "sensual experience" of a DTB-hugger diddling their beloved pages.

Does the mere existence of Coke in cans cheapen your visceral, nostalgic experience when tilting back that frosty, glass bottle you chose to purchase your cola in? If you went to the store for bottles of Coke and found they were only stocking cans and plastic two-liters, would you be disappointed? Might you voice that disappointment to someone (regardless of whether or not you purchased the cans)?

A book is still a product, after all. And as such, neither it, nor its creator deserves any special dispensation from "consumer complaints."

If the Coke company (King) wanted to drive people toward a certain experience (as King says he is doing) then one strategy that would make sense is for them to make that option the only one available, at least for a time. Also, if Coke (King) wanted to boost a certain glass bottler (pulp press) as it seems likely that he (King) want to do, then giving that bottler (press...OK, I'm going to stop the Coke comparison parentheses thing now) an exclusive window is also a reasonable thing to do.

As for complaints, no of course not, I didn't say anything about that. I was only addressing the specific complaint that King "has turned against ebooks" or "has flip-flopped" or whatever. I see no indication of that.

[WT Sharpe]

I think if King could give a boost to the paperback format with this experiment, great and more power to him. I'm all for robust sales in paperbacks, hardbacks, and ebooks. Those of us who prefer electronic versions have nothing to fear. E-reading has arrived and is here to stay.