Pottermania ? - Page 3

AlexGrama · 02-15-2012, 12:17 PM

I don't think the publisher has something to say if she has already made up her mind. One can not cross over someone's decision. Right?

ProfCrash · 02-15-2012, 12:19 PM

JKR owns the rights so the Publisher has no say. At least, I think that is the case.

AnemicOak · 02-15-2012, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

JKR owns the rights so the Publisher has no say. At least, I think that is the case.

Yes, she holds the digital rights. There was something about the publishers getting a percentage, but I don't remember how much.

DuckieTigger · 02-15-2012, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexGrama

And, ironically, Harry Potter e-books are rolling all over the internet. Just sayin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

No, she is against selling her books as e-books. Other e-books apparently are fine.

And this is why I have no problem having her books on my Kindle. When she gets off her butt and sells them I will buy them.

I think she knows exactly that there is high quality ebooks of Harry Potter floating around. And she also knows that there is no undoing it. She might even like that somebody put so much efford into scanning and OCRing the books in in an age where it is so much easier to simply copy a preexisting ebook. By not releasing official ebooks for sale or even free JKR has complete control over the ebooks. Why? Because nobody can steal her ebooks and change the text in it. Plus no worries if a certain copy is legit / legal since every ebook is not legit by default. Pretty clever if you think about it.

QuantumIguana · 02-15-2012, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

I think she knows exactly that there is high quality ebooks of Harry Potter floating around. And she also knows that there is no undoing it. She might even like that somebody put so much efford into scanning and OCRing the books in in an age where it is so much easier to simply copy a preexisting ebook. By not releasing official ebooks for sale or even free JKR has complete control over the ebooks. Why? Because nobody can steal her ebooks and change the text in it. Plus no worries if a certain copy is legit / legal since every ebook is not legit by default. Pretty clever if you think about it.

It doesn't take much effort to scan a book. Sure, it is more effort than to simply copy a file, but OCRing a book only has to happen once.

Her control of her books is limited the moment the book is offered to the public in any format. If it is only available on paper, OCRing the book is a minor speed bump, it barely delays anything.

At that point, nothing prevents anyone from changing the book. If I wanted to, I could get a hold of a Harry Potter e-book, and make changes to the story. However, no one would want it. Thus, it is not Rowling having the control over the book that prevents people from changing it. It is the book itself, if I made changes to the book, it wouldn't be the book that people wanted.

DuckieTigger · 02-15-2012, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

At that point, nothing prevents anyone from changing the book. If I wanted to, I could get a hold of a Harry Potter e-book, and make changes to the story. However, no one would want it. Thus, it is not Rowling having the control over the book that prevents people from changing it. It is the book itself, if I made changes to the book, it wouldn't be the book that people wanted.

Of course you can change the ebooks right now if you wanted. The thing I wanted to mean her beeing in control was: JKR can honest and truthfully say that her ebooks never once got copied or changed. How can you mess with something that does not officially exist.

I believe a public key encryption system is needed for ebooks to verify that a book has not been modified. Very interesting in fact that DRM is thought of, but not a digital signature for a ebook. With that it would even be possible to keep track of revisions of a ebook similiar to different print runs in pbooks (e.g. typos get fixed, revision number goes up).

QuantumIguana · 02-15-2012, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Of course you can change the ebooks right now if you wanted. The thing I wanted to mean her beeing in control was: JKR can honest and truthfully say that her ebooks never once got copied or changed. How can you mess with something that does not officially exist.

I believe a public key encryption system is needed for ebooks to verify that a book has not been modified. Very interesting in fact that DRM is thought of, but not a digital signature for a ebook. With that it would even be possible to keep track of revisions of a ebook similiar to different print runs in pbooks (e.g. typos get fixed, revision number goes up).

She can say that her authorized e-books have not been altered, and that is true, but only trivially true, it doesn't mean anything. She can't say that her e-books haven't been altered, because even if they are not authorized, they still remain her books.

I don't think there is a widespread phenomenon of people altering illegally copied books. I suppose someone could alter books, but other than pranks, what is the incentive. I could see someone altering a mystery, and just as the detective is about to reveal who the killer was, the book could switch over to rutabaga recipes. Or someone could be reading Lord of the Rings and wondering how John Carter got into the story. Or wondering how Winnie the Pooh got into your H.P. Lovecraft.

By not selling them as e-books she has no control at all over her book. If she sells the book as e-books, then she regains a degree of control. If you buy a copy of Harry Potter as an e-book, you have a very good expectation that they book you purchased is the book you intended to purchase.

Sil_liS · 02-15-2012, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Very interesting in fact that DRM is thought of, but not a digital signature for a ebook.

I thought that this exists already. I think that torrents use something like that, so that even when the filename is changed it is still recognized as the same file.

anamardoll · 02-15-2012, 02:42 PM

I find the whole thing frustrating. Apparently Rowling gives f**k-all about disabled children who can only read on computers and eReaders. *sigh*

DuckieTigger · 02-15-2012, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

I thought that this exists already. I think that torrents use something like that, so that even when the filename is changed it is still recognized as the same file.

Usually torrents use a MD5 checksum on each file or block to make sure the torrent does not break while spreading it around.

I did not mean torrents, I meant the e-book file itself. Of course technology exists to digitally sign files so that you know that they are from who it says they are. I was not aware that e.g. epub files have that included in the standard.

ucfgrad93 · 02-15-2012, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I find the whole thing frustrating. Apparently Rowling gives f**k-all about disabled children who can only read on computers and eReaders. *sigh*

There are audio books.

anamardoll · 02-15-2012, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

There are audio books.

Well, that makes it all hunky dory, then ya? Because all disabled children have pitch perfect hearing, and it's perfectly reasonable for them to not be allowed to read with their eyes the most popular kids' book series of practically all time.

Sorry, you're probably trying to help, and I'm being touchy because I have personal experience with a family of people who are both (a) hard-of-hearing and (b) unable to lift and handle the heavy Harry Potter books. Life is fun sometimes, but that's what 1DollarScan is for, yeah?

ProfCrash · 02-15-2012, 09:58 PM

Or you can watch the movies (great for people with vision problems), build the legos (cause that works well for learning about the plot), play the video games, or play with the action figures.

You just can't read the e-books.

ucfgrad93 · 02-15-2012, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Sorry, you're probably trying to help...

Yeah, I won't make that mistake again.

DuckieTigger · 02-16-2012, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Well, that makes it all hunky dory, then ya? Because all disabled children have pitch perfect hearing, and it's perfectly reasonable for them to not be allowed to read with their eyes the most popular kids' book series of practically all time.

Sorry, you're probably trying to help, and I'm being touchy because I have personal experience with a family of people who are both (a) hard-of-hearing and (b) unable to lift and handle the heavy Harry Potter books. Life is fun sometimes, but that's what 1DollarScan is for, yeah?

Have you tried yet to write JKR an email or letter explaining the extend of the disabilities and simply ask her if that family can get the ebooks? Maybe she will send you an evaluation copy or something of the ebooks?

Just a thought.

02-15-2012, 12:17 PM	#31
AlexGrama Writer Posts: 275 Karma: 345042 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Nexus 7	I don't think the publisher has something to say if she has already made up her mind. One can not cross over someone's decision. Right?

02-15-2012, 12:19 PM	#32
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	JKR owns the rights so the Publisher has no say. At least, I think that is the case.

02-15-2012, 02:42 PM	#39
anamardoll Chasing Butterflies Posts: 3,132 Karma: 5074169 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: American Southwest Device: Uses batteries.	I find the whole thing frustrating. Apparently Rowling gives f*k-all about disabled children who can only read on computers and eReaders. sigh*

02-15-2012, 09:58 PM	#43
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Or you can watch the movies (great for people with vision problems), build the legos (cause that works well for learning about the plot), play the video games, or play with the action figures. You just can't read the e-books.

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