Ebook Bundles Anyone?

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

I like the idea of bundles so long as the download contains three books that are separate books. If it is just one big file with no clear separate books, I wouldn't be interested even if it did save me money.

+1 on this. I do NOT want all my series books lumped into a single file.

Cutting out "superfluous" pages has no value to me -- and possibly a bit of a drawback.

Cutting them has no value because you can't be saving more than a few pages (what, 10? tops?) per book, all for the low, low cost of making it harder for me to find my place, particularly if my eReader-of-choice doesn't respect whatever nested TOC that has probably been implemented. (We've ALL gotten those "classics!" anthologies where each TOC entry is 1,000+ pages apart. Ugh.)

Cutting them has a potential drawback because the author wrote those prologues for a reason. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with just excising them entirely... not to mention the fact that just because you've chucked an entire series into one file doesn't mean people are going to read it cover to cover -- they may want those recaps.

Also, this:

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

D'uh and I tought I 'd never read anything more silly than "kernelupdates would be perfect if the restarts wouldn't screw up my uptime."

Do you read for the sake of reading or showing off?

Some people do care about tracking how many books they've read in a year. GoodReads makes that easy, with lots of groovy import options. You don't need to understand it, but you should probably accept that just because someone likes tracking their stats doesn't mean they're reading to "show off".

I recently switched to the Kobo app on my phone because I REALLY REALLY REALLY like their reading stat tracker. I'm not showing it off to anyone, nor am I even trying to "improve" anything or collect all the badges. I just like tracking my reading habits. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[neilmarr]

Points taken, Anamardoll. But here are a few points of my own that you might weigh up ...

*The 'prologues' (more correctly you mean 'back-story notes' and not formal book prologues, which foretell of future events) to trilogies and series volumes are not author-written. They're written by the in-house editing team for the benefit of those readers who might pick up on a trilogy mid-way ('Last week on New York Police Blue ...'). So -- in an omnibus intended to be read in sequence -- they become unnecessary and maybe even annoying. Rather than assist, they interrupt continuity.

*The opening chapter to the next in series is, likewise, not entirely an author effort. It's there for purely promotional purposes, a taster to the next title in line. We never publish a book in series until the next in line is already in edit. So the editor and author agree any necessary adjustment to chapter one of the book in the pipeline before proceeding so that the chapter (often much more then ten pages) can be added to the end of the new release. Again they become superfluous and a downright pest in a completed trilogy read in sequence, and they are helpful only on the last book in a bundle containing opening titles to a running series.

I explained before the contractual reasons why these bundle editions must be single-downloads in third-party retail stores with new and specific round-up titles and new ISBNs. When we have that major job done and dusted in two or three months, we can then offer an option of buying the bundles also as zipped individual downloads from our own site as 'an in-house promotional initiative', clear of contractual, legal hiccups.

Our main consideration in the first run at this is totally unabridged work by the authors, each title in the collection introduced with its original cover, offered in sequence in manageably light single downloads at a price that exceeds a 40% saving on the combined cover price of the novels contained in each bundle. Meantime, as I say, the titles remain available in all digital formats at all stores at the RRP of $5.95 each. A three-title BeWrite Books Omnibus will be $9.95.

Also the in-house editorial team (mostly my job on this project) must produce new side-notes to each trilogy and series that go the whole hog -- short of including the spoiler-effect of individual side-notes to each individual title. Not easy, I assure you. But do-able with a little thought and effort.

This same $9.95 price will also apply when we're able to also offer bundles of individual files at our own site's bookstore. Perhaps in September/October.

We are playing this the only way our individual store contracts will allow us and we really are trying hard to keep everyone happy. We always try to do that ... in spite of the utter impossibility of pleasing all of the people all of the time.

Our authors, who are closer to the nuts and bolts than their readers (though we're equally open with readers, as many here will affirm) are 100% behind the system we're implementing as of this month.

The whole game these days, Anarmardoll, is no longer a question of the tried-and-tested but one of suck-it-and-see. The industry is currently in a state of flux where careful experimentation is much more important than tradition.

After a long lifetime at the sharp end of publishing, even I -- in my dotage -- heartily accept this rolling revolution as a sign of health and vigour and ultimate change for the better. It is not turning my life upside down, but is an exciting challenge I welcome, embrace and will do my utmost to meet.

The motto these days is not the old 'we know from experience' but the new 'let's try it and find out'.

Very best. Neil

PS: With no offence implied or intended, when it comes to logging your reading score, I must refer you to a different point of view expressed clearly in the kiss-off line on the very first page of our website (the entire introduction takes all of thirty seconds to read) ... "You see, it does not matter how many of our books you get through. What counts is how many of our books get through to you." N

[anamardoll]

Well, it sounds like you already have your mind made up and your business model in place. Good luck.

[neilmarr]

We've listened to all advice here and we've implemented it to the best of our ability. Your own -- perfectly reasonable and understandable wish for separate zipped files, Anamardoll -- will be available soon, but we can only run that from our own bookstore. Third-party retail won't play.

Do rest assured that we're quick on our feet, but we don't make snap decisions. Everything is democratic and open to a vote. In-house and with our authors, that vote must be enthusiastically unanimous. With readers, we listen and open a move with the popular consensus.

So we launched the programme tonight (that's midnight CET on Thursday/Friday). If you're interested, you can read my blog piece about it http://bewritebooks.blogspot.com/201...es.htmlhttp://. You're welcome to express views for and against on the blog. We only censor out blatant spam, not genuine comment, whether it be positive or negative.

Promise ... if you want them, these e-bundles WILL be available as zipped individual files around September/October.

Thanks for your invaluable input, everyone. Very best wishes and happy weekend. Neil

[tompe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

This really does sound more like omnibus editions, which are also good (e.g. Baen's recent omnibus editions of the Vorkosigan series).

I do not like omnibus editions at all. I want a cover in my library so I can see what the book I am reading looks like since it helps me to remember a book. And an omnibus with books by different authors would not work at all.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

D'uh and I tought I 'd never read anything more silly than "kernelupdates would be perfect if the restarts wouldn't screw up my uptime."

Do you read for the sake of reading or showing off?

I'm trying to keep track of how many read books in 2011. Having an omnibus does screw up the stats as I'd have to put in omnibus and if there are say 4 books in it like the Song of Fire and Ice omnibus, I'd have to read all 4 to count as one.

[Tony Szmuk]

Originally Posted by tompe

I do not like omnibus editions at all. I want a cover in my library so I can see what the book I am reading looks like since it helps me to remember a book. And an omnibus with books by different authors would not work at all.

Nobody said that we want to publish omnibus editions with titles from different authors, only books in series by the same author. And, yes these 'omnibuses' come with their own covers. This is just a clarification. Of course, you're free to dislike omnibus editions.

[Tony Szmuk]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Do you read for the sake of reading or showing off?

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm trying to keep track of how many read books in 2011. Having an omnibus does screw up the stats as I'd have to put in omnibus and if there are say 4 books in it like the Song of Fire and Ice omnibus, I'd have to read all 4 to count as one.

Question answered.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm trying to keep track of how many read books in 2011. Having an omnibus does screw up the stats as I'd have to put in omnibus and if there are say 4 books in it like the Song of Fire and Ice omnibus, I'd have to read all 4 to count as one.

I suppose it depends on how you track things. When I read the Liaden series earlier this year I bought what I could as omnibus editions because of the serious savings I got that way (they do sell the books individually for those that want them that way), but for tracking purposes on my books read spreadsheet I entered the individual titles.


Personally, the only thing I like about omnibus editions is if there is a great deal of savings. If they cost the same as the individual volumes added together I'll buy individual volumes instead. Of course if I really hate the omnibus (I had one once with not TOC to get to the individual books) I just split it into individual volumes myself.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm trying to keep track of how many read books in 2011. Having an omnibus does screw up the stats as I'd have to put in omnibus and if there are say 4 books in it like the Song of Fire and Ice omnibus, I'd have to read all 4 to count as one.

Then buy the separate books.

[teadonkey]

I love bundled ebooks. I've already bought a few, but I have trouble finding them sometimes. I wish more backlog books were bundled!

[neilmarr]

All potential hitches brought up here have been carefully taken into account, folks, and incorporated into our e-bundling system, which is subtly different from existing models in that each title is completely unabridged and carries its original cover within the collection. Many thanks for your input.

The only extra feature to add is bundles containing a zip of individual title files for those who prefer it that way. As I explained before, for retail contractual reasons, we can do this only at our own online store as a 'promotional initiative' to get around strict legal issues involved in third-party retail. That will happen as soon as the main bundling job is done and dusted by September.

Meantime all books are also available individually at $5.95 RRP across the board and at all stores. The beauty of our bundles is that they are on sale at more that 40% off the combined cover price of titles included. Three titles for $9.95, which is a few cents below the very minimum for a SINGLE title under the Agency 5 Model of ebook pricing.

Best wishes and happy weekend. Neil