Where Did Things Go So Wrong?!?

[phenomshel]

Steve, I talked to a marketing guru about you yesterday. Sent her to your Amazon page, and here are her thoughts:

Better covers (this seems to be a recurring theme, I have a suggestion that I will pm to you about it.)
Fill out your Amazon profile more.
She says your pricing and lack of DRM strategies are correct, the problem is you need better word of mouth/advertising. Her suggestions for that were:

Get yourself on Goodreads. I'm not a Goodreads Librarian, or I would have already done this for you.
Contact Fantasticfiction.co.uk about getting an author profile on that site.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

No, it was being offered as a replacement, as user-based rather than device-based DRM. Steve was suggesting a fingerprint check instead of the current PID-based encryption for DRM'd ebooks.

Correct.

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Your laptop is fingerprint-locked for your benefit; ebooks are DRM'd for the seller's benefit. You have the choice of handing your password to anyone you feel comfortable accessing your laptop. They don't want to switch to a password-opens-this-book method; that allows more sharing than they want to allow.

Whoever's benefit it is, it remains that fingerprint-secured digital files could be very secure. If the fingerprint data is encrypted into the file upon purchasing, the user would have to use their finger-swipe to open the file. To make the entire system secure, devices designed to read the file would require a protocol designed to refuse to open a file without fingerprint encryption (or a code authorizing anyone to open it without fingerprint data).

Logistically, there is nothing preventing such a system to be applied given today's technology.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

I notice you advertise one of your books as being a bit like Star Trek. Do they have any form of replicator type device, or did the corporations crush it at patent stage?

Those would be the Kestral stories. No, I didn't put replicators (the kind common to Star Trek) into the series, because to my mind, the very existence of replicators would mean the end of need, want, commerce, value, finance, etc. They are literally the Genies of the future, able to conjure up literally anything your heart desires at an instant's notice. If they exist, there is no need to want or do... anything. Nothing to have conflict over. No reason to work.

And ironically, any attempt to control them would present a similar situation to ebooks: You can always use one to create more, and eventually, there's no keeping them contained.

To me, Trek-type replicators simply cannot exist in tandem to a world where people fight, strive and work for any goal. Perhaps big, complicated, expensive replicators could exist... but even they would be too disruptive, and probably sow nothing but chaos in any society.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

It's a combination of the terms "Renaissance" and "Onus" (which means responsibility); put together, Onuissance (pronounced "Own-e-sonse") means "The Age of Responsibility."

Renaissance is literally rebirth. Presumably you're trying to get a word for birth of responsibility, combined with the feeling of "The Renaissance" as a period in history. It's a nice idea.

I just hate the spelling and pronunciation you've come up with. And even if I liked the word, I don't think a hard-to-pronounce, non-obvious neologism is the right choice for a book title.

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

because to my mind, the very existence of replicators would mean the end of need, want, commerce, value, finance, etc. They are literally the Genies of the future, able to conjure up literally anything your heart desires at an instant's notice. If they exist, there is no need to want or do... anything. Nothing to have conflict over. No reason to work.

And ironically, any attempt to control them would present a similar situation to ebooks: You can always use one to create more, and eventually, there's no keeping them contained.

To me, Trek-type replicators simply cannot exist in tandem to a world where people fight, strive and work for any goal. Perhaps big, complicated, expensive replicators could exist... but even they would be too disruptive, and probably sow nothing but chaos in any society.

See, I was right-- you just described the exact future that I wish to live in-- as if it were a bad thing. My black is your white, my white is your black. "The end of need, want, commerce, value, finance, etc" is a good thing!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Whoever's benefit it is, it remains that fingerprint-secured digital files could be very secure. If the fingerprint data is encrypted into the file upon purchasing, the user would have to use their finger-swipe to open the file. To make the entire system secure, devices designed to read the file would require a protocol designed to refuse to open a file without fingerprint encryption

Such a system cannot be secure. Even if it's a closed hardware system, hardware hacking could determine the encryption algorithm and the key derived from the fingerprint, and then the books could be decrypted on a general purpose computer.

There is no DRM system that will prevent a determined and intelligent hacker from breaking it.

Even if such a theoretically impossible system was possible and implemented, the determined ebook pirate would just have an automated system to photograph and OCR every page with an automated 'next page' press. Since the screen would be sharp and clear with no smudged ink or poor reproduction the OCR output would be as near perfect as anyone could wish.

Digital data replicators are here, and here to stay. Attempts to restrict this by technological means are doomed to failure.

But I do not think that this means that authors and other creators of digital data are doomed to low to zero income as their work is reproduced by everyone for free. Enough people are willing to pay for (convenient, high quality, reasonably priced) digital work to support authors and other content creators.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

See, I was right-- you just described the exact future that I wish to live in-- as if it were a bad thing. My black is your white, my white is your black. "The end of need, want, commerce, value, finance, etc" is a good thing!

I'd also like to point out that replicators for physical objects do not eliminate the need for work. People would still need to create the originals (or designs for originals) that will be replicated. People will still need space to live, resources for the replicators, and energy to run them.

And in fact, very early replicators already exist. 3D printers. Extrapolate 3D printers a few decades down the line, and you get something very close to a replicator.

I'm very hopeful that the world will continue to improve over the next century, and that we will get to a state where people work because they want to, not because they have to in order to get enough to eat.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I just hate the spelling and pronunciation you've come up with. And even if I liked the word, I don't think a hard-to-pronounce, non-obvious neologism is the right choice for a book title.

Well, we are talking about future SF, where it is quite common to make up names for things that don't exist yet. If you don't like that one, you could try Worldfarm One...

[Penforhire]

Steve, just as an aside, replicator tech was used as a neat plot element by Charlie Stross (Singularity Sky) and Neal Stephenson (The Diamond Age). So it doesn't eliminate the possibility of a ripping good tale.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Renaissance is literally rebirth. Presumably you're trying to get a word for birth of responsibility, combined with the feeling of "The Renaissance" as a period in history. It's a nice idea.

I just hate the spelling and pronunciation you've come up with. And even if I liked the word, I don't think a hard-to-pronounce, non-obvious neologism is the right choice for a book title.

"It looks like 'o-needers'."
"No, it's ONE-ders! O-N-E....One!
"Got it. It looks like 'o-needers'."

--That Thing You Do.

Steven, you're wrong about replicators...they can't create just anything. They cannot create anything that would screw up the plot. :-)

Sort of like what Brannon Bragga said about 'tricorders.':

"What does a tricorder do? Tricorders are device that...well, they drive the plot forward, that's what they do."

So..did you fix Ouinsannce so I can read it, and did you decide about promo pricing on 'Kestral' 1?

ApK

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Digital data replicators are here, and here to stay. Attempts to restrict this by technological means are doomed to failure.

But I do not think that this means that authors and other creators of digital data are doomed to low to zero income as their work is reproduced by everyone for free. Enough people are willing to pay for (convenient, high quality, reasonably priced) digital work to support authors and other content creators.

You don't get much more inconsistent and contradictory as this...

The point is, creating a system that prevents the vast majority of people from bothering to break it is all you need to be successful. It doesn't have to be perfect, nor is its defeat at one point equal to being "doomed to failure." This isn't an all or nothing deal.

And at any rate, all of this is Take it back to the piracy thread, there are other matters to discuss here. Thanks.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'm very hopeful that the world will continue to improve over the next century, and that we will get to a state where people work because they want to, not because they have to in order to get enough to eat.

That should be the world in your next novel!

And, of course, it is pretty much the world of Star Trek. Love me some TNG.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Steve, just as an aside, replicator tech was used as a neat plot element by Charlie Stross (Singularity Sky) and Neal Stephenson (The Diamond Age). So it doesn't eliminate the possibility of a ripping good tale.

I know. For the record, I didn't like either story.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by ApK

That should be the world in your next novel!

And, of course, it is pretty much the world of Star Trek. Love me some TNG.

Sorry: I don't write for Paramount. Call J.J. Abrams, maybe you can work something out.

Originally Posted by ApK

So..did you fix Ouinsannce so I can read it, and did you decide about promo pricing on 'Kestral' 1?

I haven't made any decisions yet, and it'll be awhile before I can enact any changes I decide upon.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Well, we are talking about future SF, where it is quite common to make up names for things that don't exist yet. If you don't like that one, you could try Worldfarm One...

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer I gave a short time ago.

I'll also note that of the 220+ books I've read in 2010 and 2011, no more than 10% have a strange word in their title, and nearly all of those are easily pronounced, and with an obvious meaning, e.g.:

Quanty - a name
Shipscat - a series name
Darkship - a kind of spaceship
Tailchaser - a name
Bolo - a kind of machine
Reincarnationist - an occupation
Restoree - one who has been restored
Tigra - a species
Tuloriad - analogous to the Illiad
Vondish - someone from Vond
Cryoburn - injury from cryogenic suspension
Dusarra - a place
Bheleu - a name
Húrin - a name
Poirot - a name
Lyra - a name
Magyk - a terrible re-spelling of Magic


I will get back to your books eventually. Your space series sounds quite fun. All your books (except The Onuissance Cells) are on my TBR pile (currently at 358 books, not counting the numerous freebies).

And if you must keep Onuissance, how about Tales of the Onuissance Age, which at least gives a clue as to what the word means, even if people can't pronounce it.