05-11-2009, 03:34 PM | #1 | |
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Jerry Pournelle on the Kindle DX
Chaos Manor Review is the current version of Jerry Pournelle's BYTE column on personal computing issues. Jerry has a Kindle2 and is a well known science fiction author. His columns often include ebook topics from an authors and a readers point of view. In the May 10 issue, Jerry comments on the Kindle DX, although most of the commentary isn't DX-specific but rather about newspapers and text books.
He includes a summary of what Amazon told the annual meeting of the Science Fiction Writers of America: Quote:
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05-11-2009, 03:57 PM | #2 |
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I'm not seeing anything particularly earth-shattering or revealing here... is the point the content of the post or just that this guy is writing about it?
(really not trying to be a jerk here, just not sure what to make of it.) |
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05-11-2009, 04:16 PM | #3 |
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He says a lot more about the Kindle DX, Amazon, and ebooks in general in his post. He's a big name author talking about it.
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05-11-2009, 04:18 PM | #4 |
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Yeah, I read the post I just didn't see anything I've not seen a dozen other places. But I get it if he's someone people know - I've just never heard of him before.
Though I think I've been at that website before. |
05-11-2009, 04:21 PM | #5 |
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I agree that his opinions as a reader have no more weight than anyone else's. I had not seen a discussion of Amazon's brief to authors before, which is why I quoted part of this (and why I created a thread). What I did not quote, was the concern authors might have about books staying in print if an ebook is available. That was interesting, but I did not want to quote too much of the column.
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05-11-2009, 04:22 PM | #6 |
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Yeah I had not heard of any publisher considering the ebook to be "in print".
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05-11-2009, 07:40 PM | #7 | |
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Quote:
Dale |
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05-11-2009, 08:08 PM | #8 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
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05-12-2009, 04:49 AM | #9 |
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I cut my teeth on Jerry's Chaos Manor column since it's beginnings in Byte Magazine. In fact I learned more about the industry from his column and a couple others in that mag than all other sources as a group. Jerry is almost never off target or wrong when he looks at the workings of the business side of things. Think of him as the Anti-Dvorak...meaning not only is he a cool dude, even with his health as it is, causing a bit more crankiness now and then than is really there, I trust Jerry's commentary 100000%. I always question it, but that is to develop even more understanding from the info he provides.
The guy has sold more books then all the authors who post here combined, he knows the business. |
05-12-2009, 08:29 AM | #10 |
"Assume a can opener..."
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Not to flame overly much, but Rowling has sold more books than most writers in the world, pretty much only being eclipsed by God. And she thinks the opposite (and does so quite forcefully, hiring a billion lawyers to try to make sure she will stay off-line (I imagine because she got some sort of sweet deal on hardbacks?)), seemingly quite afraid of ebooks. Is it just that she doesn't have a blog about her thoughts that's making you choose to read Pournelle's instead, or are you interested in his opinion for another reason than his book sales?
Last edited by zerospinboson; 05-12-2009 at 08:37 AM. |
05-12-2009, 09:22 AM | #11 |
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But Rowling's distates for ebooks is personal, not a business decision. She doesn't need to make a living at writing anymore; Pournelle probably still does. (Although he's sold enough by now that he might be able to retire, just nowhere near in Rowling's style.)
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05-12-2009, 09:36 AM | #12 | |
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Quote:
Thanks. |
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05-12-2009, 10:25 AM | #13 |
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Pournelle is pro-technology, has enough military contacts to have access to cutting-edge tech (not exactly "unavailable to civilians" tech, AFAIK, but stuff that's just not widely marketed), and is actively involved in sci-fi fandom. He likes gadgets, and he knows what makes them tick, and he's been working & playing with them long enough to know what features make or break a device in the long run. He can spot the difference between "fun techie toy for geeks" and "early version of the device everyone's going to be carrying a decade from now."
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05-12-2009, 10:33 AM | #14 | |
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Quote:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...020400654.html |
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05-12-2009, 01:10 PM | #15 | |
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And the marketplace responded by pirating each and every one of her books. You know, had she consented to releasing ebook versions, some people would STILL have chosen to pirate ebook versions, but at least she'd have made SOME ebook sales. As it is, millions of people have read the Harry Potter series in ebook format and she's not made one single dime of royalties off those ebooks. Talk about penny-wise and pound-foolish. Derek |
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