Shareware ebooks

Puffball · 02-23-2008, 05:08 AM

I came across this:

www.richardherley.com

where an author has posted his books as shareware. They go back quite a long way, so maybe they're out of print. The reviews, if true, are quite impressive, but then maybe he left out the bad ones ... I downloaded the first book, looks OK, but haven't got too far with it yet.

carandol · 02-23-2008, 08:08 AM

Thanks for the link. The books look promising, and the author also has an interesting essay on the economics of publishing in the age of the e-book:

http://www.richardherley.com/FTCebooks.html

Puffball · 02-24-2008, 03:59 AM

My pleasure, carandol. I only found it when following up a blog post. I finished the first book (The Stone Arrow) yesterday, in fact it kept me up 'til after 1 o'clock. It's pretty neat - vivid, like a movie in your head. It reminded me of when I was a kid and used to read under the bedclothes with a torch so my parents wouldn't know I was still awake. You've just got to know what happens!

I'm going to try his new book next. Are there any other authors doing this? 85p certainly beats the price of Sony's offerings.

Razi · 02-24-2008, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carandol

Thanks for the link. The books look promising, and the author also has an interesting essay on the economics of publishing in the age of the e-book:

http://www.richardherley.com/FTCebooks.html

Excellent article. An independent author is the future of literature. Soon the fatcats in publishing houses will start trembling in their suits. I will check out his books, although I only read classics, if I like his books, I will definitely pay the 'suitable' price.

Puffball · 02-25-2008, 09:01 AM

Razi, if you read the article carefully you'll see he's not exactly against publishers, it's just that they've got rather too powerful. I like paper-based books, leastways if they're well made. I'm a big fan of typography and book design, even the smell of a new book is a treat! But to pay £15 ($30) for some crummy thing with glue binding that falls to bits and paper that foxes after 5 years is just not reasonable. At least ebooks don't fall to pieces on you.

Amazon is too powerful as well. I don't like the way the Kindle is gobbling up all those potential ebook-reader owners. They'd be much better off with a Sony or similar. At least with such devices you can upload your own files directly.

Incidentally I've started on "The Tide Mill" and (peace be upon you, carandol!) will soon be posting a proper review in the appropriate thread. It's in another league from "The Stone Arrow".

carandol · 02-25-2008, 11:08 AM

I'm reading The Stone Arrow and quite enjoying it in a bloodthirsty sort of way. I've got the other two in the trilogy too, so I'll probably wait until I've read all three and then do a joint review.

Taylor514ce · 02-25-2008, 11:35 AM

Thanks for this link. I loved the essay and analysis of the publishing industry. I think he's absolutely correct, that shareware, DRM-free distribution of authors' works makes the most sense today.

I also love the idea he alluded to of patronage and subscription. There are some authors I'd subscribe to immediately if I had that choice. "Here is my payment, in advance, for your next published work."

HarryT · 02-25-2008, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puffball

Amazon is too powerful as well. I don't like the way the Kindle is gobbling up all those potential ebook-reader owners. They'd be much better off with a Sony or similar. At least with such devices you can upload your own files directly.

I'm not sure that I follow your argument. It's just as easy to create and upload your own content to a Kindle as it is to a Sony, given that it uses the popular MobiPocket book format, for which a wealth of free book creation tools exist.

You can copy files to a Kindle via a USB connection in exactly the same way you can with a Sony, or a CyBook, or an iLiad. Can you elaborate about what way you consider the Kindle to be more restrictive?

Puffball · 02-25-2008, 01:39 PM

I stand corrected. I thought the Kindle didn't have a USB connection - that you had to get Amazon to load your content for you, for a fee.

Sorry if I misunderstood! I'm quite happy with my PRS-500 ...

HarryT · 02-25-2008, 01:46 PM

Heavens no! It has a USB port and appears as a drive on your computer when you plug in the USB cable, just like the CyBook or the Sony 505 does. You can just drag files to it directly.

I suspect you're thinking of the optional file conversion service. This allows you to e-mail a file in some format you want converted to Kindle format, and have it transferred wirelessly to the Kindle for a 10c fee. The fee is for the wireless transfer, not for the conversion. If you copy the file yourself, there's no fee.

moz · 02-25-2008, 04:13 PM

Obviously Amazon are heavily pushing their various paid services for the Kindle, but it seems that everyone else mostly cares that it has USB. I read quite a few reviews and PR pieces before it became clear to me that it's possible to load your own content for free. Which has left me with a lingering low regard for the device. I'm sure it's fine but I just don't really like it.

TallMomof2 · 02-25-2008, 09:35 PM

@ Puffball

I have over a thousand books on my Kindle and only two were purchased at Amazon. What I do like from Amazon is the subscription service for blogs, newspapers, and magazines. It's quite convenient to have that content pushed to my Kindle as it's updated.

I really wanted to like the Sony Reader but it never felt good in my hands. My hands are a bit arthritic and I found it difficult to grip the Reader but the Kindle I find easy to hold. The silicon skins for the Sony would've helped with the grip but I'm quite content with my Kindle.

Richard Herley · 02-26-2008, 06:50 AM

Thanks for the exposure, everybody! The experiment is going quite well at the moment, and some very kind people have even made payment before having had a chance to read the books. Early days yet, though.

BTW, be utterly fearless if you want to post reviews, carandol and Puffball. I can take the knocks.

Hadrien · 02-26-2008, 06:58 AM

Received a nice e-mail from Richard Herley about a week ago, asking me if I could add these books on Feedbooks.
The trilogy is already available and all five books will be online in a few minutes: http://www.feedbooks.com/discover/author/323

Edit: All five books are available, and there's a list for The Pagans.

Richard Herley · 02-26-2008, 08:33 AM

Hadrien, I discovered them a few minutes ago. Thanks for a spiffing job! I really believe this Free-to-Copy thing could take off, and Feedbooks could be at the heart of it.

Thanks again for all your hard work.

02-23-2008, 05:08 AM	#1
Puffball Member Posts: 20 Karma: 181 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scotland, UK Device: Sony Reader	Shareware ebooks I came across this: www.richardherley.com where an author has posted his books as shareware. They go back quite a long way, so maybe they're out of print. The reviews, if true, are quite impressive, but then maybe he left out the bad ones ... I downloaded the first book, looks OK, but haven't got too far with it yet.

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02-23-2008, 08:08 AM	#2
carandol Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 2153430 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: BeBook	Thanks for the link. The books look promising, and the author also has an interesting essay on the economics of publishing in the age of the e-book: http://www.richardherley.com/FTCebooks.html

02-24-2008, 03:59 AM	#3
Puffball Member Posts: 20 Karma: 181 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scotland, UK Device: Sony Reader	My pleasure, carandol. I only found it when following up a blog post. I finished the first book (The Stone Arrow) yesterday, in fact it kept me up 'til after 1 o'clock. It's pretty neat - vivid, like a movie in your head. It reminded me of when I was a kid and used to read under the bedclothes with a torch so my parents wouldn't know I was still awake. You've just got to know what happens! I'm going to try his new book next. Are there any other authors doing this? 85p certainly beats the price of Sony's offerings.

02-25-2008, 09:01 AM	#5
Puffball Member Posts: 20 Karma: 181 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scotland, UK Device: Sony Reader	Razi, if you read the article carefully you'll see he's not exactly against publishers, it's just that they've got rather too powerful. I like paper-based books, leastways if they're well made. I'm a big fan of typography and book design, even the smell of a new book is a treat! But to pay £15 ($30) for some crummy thing with glue binding that falls to bits and paper that foxes after 5 years is just not reasonable. At least ebooks don't fall to pieces on you. Amazon is too powerful as well. I don't like the way the Kindle is gobbling up all those potential ebook-reader owners. They'd be much better off with a Sony or similar. At least with such devices you can upload your own files directly. Incidentally I've started on "The Tide Mill" and (peace be upon you, carandol!) will soon be posting a proper review in the appropriate thread. It's in another league from "The Stone Arrow".

02-25-2008, 11:08 AM	#6
carandol Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 2153430 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: BeBook	I'm reading The Stone Arrow and quite enjoying it in a bloodthirsty sort of way. I've got the other two in the trilogy too, so I'll probably wait until I've read all three and then do a joint review.

02-25-2008, 11:35 AM	#7
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	Thanks for this link. I loved the essay and analysis of the publishing industry. I think he's absolutely correct, that shareware, DRM-free distribution of authors' works makes the most sense today. I also love the idea he alluded to of patronage and subscription. There are some authors I'd subscribe to immediately if I had that choice. "Here is my payment, in advance, for your next published work."

02-25-2008, 01:39 PM	#9
Puffball Member Posts: 20 Karma: 181 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scotland, UK Device: Sony Reader	I stand corrected. I thought the Kindle didn't have a USB connection - that you had to get Amazon to load your content for you, for a fee. Sorry if I misunderstood! I'm quite happy with my PRS-500 ...

02-25-2008, 01:46 PM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Heavens no! It has a USB port and appears as a drive on your computer when you plug in the USB cable, just like the CyBook or the Sony 505 does. You can just drag files to it directly. I suspect you're thinking of the optional file conversion service. This allows you to e-mail a file in some format you want converted to Kindle format, and have it transferred wirelessly to the Kindle for a 10c fee. The fee is for the wireless transfer, not for the conversion. If you copy the file yourself, there's no fee.

02-25-2008, 04:13 PM	#11
moz Addict Posts: 370 Karma: 1553 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Melbun Device: Kobo H2O	Obviously Amazon are heavily pushing their various paid services for the Kindle, but it seems that everyone else mostly cares that it has USB. I read quite a few reviews and PR pieces before it became clear to me that it's possible to load your own content for free. Which has left me with a lingering low regard for the device. I'm sure it's fine but I just don't really like it.

02-25-2008, 09:35 PM	#12
TallMomof2 Kindlephilia Posts: 2,017 Karma: 1139255 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Snowpacolypse 2010 Device: Too many to count	@ Puffball I have over a thousand books on my Kindle and only two were purchased at Amazon. What I do like from Amazon is the subscription service for blogs, newspapers, and magazines. It's quite convenient to have that content pushed to my Kindle as it's updated. I really wanted to like the Sony Reader but it never felt good in my hands. My hands are a bit arthritic and I found it difficult to grip the Reader but the Kindle I find easy to hold. The silicon skins for the Sony would've helped with the grip but I'm quite content with my Kindle.

02-26-2008, 06:50 AM	#13
Richard Herley Author Posts: 203 Karma: 1164907 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	Thanks for the exposure, everybody! The experiment is going quite well at the moment, and some very kind people have even made payment before having had a chance to read the books. Early days yet, though. BTW, be utterly fearless if you want to post reviews, carandol and Puffball. I can take the knocks.

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02-26-2008, 06:58 AM	#14
Hadrien Feedbooks.com Co-Founder Posts: 2,263 Karma: 145123 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Paris, France Device: Sony PRS-t-1/350/300/500/505/600/700, Nexus S, iPad	Received a nice e-mail from Richard Herley about a week ago, asking me if I could add these books on Feedbooks. The trilogy is already available and all five books will be online in a few minutes: http://www.feedbooks.com/discover/author/323 Edit: All five books are available, and there's a list for The Pagans.

02-26-2008, 08:33 AM	#15
Richard Herley Author Posts: 203 Karma: 1164907 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	Hadrien, I discovered them a few minutes ago. Thanks for a spiffing job! I really believe this Free-to-Copy thing could take off, and Feedbooks could be at the heart of it. Thanks again for all your hard work.