Comments on: [publishing] An open letter to Kindle enthusiasts and ebook activists http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/ Jay Lake's Official Web Site Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:52:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: shopping basket http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-13146 shopping basket Sun, 23 May 2010 09:26:46 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-13146 To add to your comment about social networking in-game, it also needs a user-friendly block system. (this is what I get for reading the bad_rpers_suck community on LiveJournal–500,000 complaints about bad roleplayers on WoW that people never, ever want to deal with again.) To add to your comment about social networking in-game, it also needs a user-friendly block system. (this is what I get for reading the bad_rpers_suck community on LiveJournal–500,000 complaints about bad roleplayers on WoW that people never, ever want to deal with again.)

]]> By: Week 2 What is and isn’t Mass Media today, Media Effects, Publishing http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-10297 Week 2 What is and isn’t Mass Media today, Media Effects, Publishing Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:29:58 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-10297 [...] [publishing] An open letter to Kindle enthusiasts and ebook activists (jlake.com) [...] [...] [publishing] An open letter to Kindle enthusiasts and ebook activists (jlake.com) [...]

]]> By: ART PARHAM http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-9774 ART PARHAM Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:16:17 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-9774 Eric, putting a MS Word into unencrypted Kindle format only takes about 5 min with the Mobipocket reader which is a free download. The .mobi files that the Mobipocket reader uses are readable by the Kindle with no modification whatever. Don't be scared about the lack of DRM. See Eric Flint's many remarks about that on Baen's website. Eric, putting a MS Word into unencrypted Kindle format only takes about 5 min with the Mobipocket reader which is a free download. The .mobi files that the Mobipocket reader uses are readable by the Kindle with no modification whatever. Don’t be scared about the lack of DRM. See Eric Flint’s many remarks about that on Baen’s website.

]]> By: ART PARHAM http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-9773 ART PARHAM Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:55:49 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-9773 Jay, I'm a 50+yr SF Fan and a Kindle owner. I'm sorry to say that I'm not familiar with your work but may have read some in passing and not remembered your name. Please believe me that low price or free will make for new readers! I have picked up several new authors because they had free or limited time offers mentioned on the Kindle Daily Post. I have discarded several books that after exam had topics or themes that I didn't like, much as I would in a bookstore. Its harder with e-books since you don't usually see even the covers. If you write a lot, giving away the first book of a series will get you fans for the next one. Back to the topic of your original post, I think that the real villian(sp?) of the piece was Jobs. Jacking up the price of e-books so the books for his new device would make more money. There is a reason that I'm writing this on a Dell and not a Mac = $ vs $$$. Jay, I’m a 50+yr SF Fan and a Kindle owner. I’m sorry to say that I’m not familiar with your work but may have read some in passing and not remembered your name. Please believe me that low price or free will make for new readers! I have picked up several new authors because they had free or limited time offers mentioned on the Kindle Daily Post. I have discarded several books that after exam had topics or themes that I didn’t like, much as I would in a bookstore. Its harder with e-books since you don’t usually see even the covers. If you write a lot, giving away the first book of a series will get you fans for the next one. Back to the topic of your original post, I think that the real villian(sp?) of the piece was Jobs. Jacking up the price of e-books so the books for his new device would make more money. There is a reason that I’m writing this on a Dell and not a Mac = $ vs $$$.

]]> By: Laura B http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-9772 Laura B Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:24:53 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-9772 I thank you for the information you have given me. I bought a kindle so I could read books on it. I didn't buy it to save money. I bought it so I could get books I wanted to read quicker, with out having to run from store to store to find the books, or having to pay shipping. What I got without knowing it is a way to store my books without collecting dust, or having to waste paper to print more books. I love ebooks, and I love a bargain too. But people deserve to be paid for their work, and the actual printing of the book seems to be a very small part of it, even though it is the only part some people see. I will pay what is asked, I don't whine about it. To me, the story is what I pay for, and a good story is worth every penny. Where else can you get transported to a world or place that only a few get to go to, and live an incredible story, for the price of 6-10 dollars. No where I know of. I read at least a book a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. But that is an average. Thanks for your comments. Laura I thank you for the information you have given me. I bought a kindle so I could read books on it. I didn’t buy it to save money. I bought it so I could get books I wanted to read quicker, with out having to run from store to store to find the books, or having to pay shipping. What I got without knowing it is a way to store my books without collecting dust, or having to waste paper to print more books. I love ebooks, and I love a bargain too. But people deserve to be paid for their work, and the actual printing of the book seems to be a very small part of it, even though it is the only part some people see. I will pay what is asked, I don’t whine about it. To me, the story is what I pay for, and a good story is worth every penny. Where else can you get transported to a world or place that only a few get to go to, and live an incredible story, for the price of 6-10 dollars. No where I know of. I read at least a book a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. But that is an average.
Thanks for your comments.
Laura

]]> By: New Media & the Future of Publishing « The Undiscovered Author http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-9668 New Media & the Future of Publishing « The Undiscovered Author Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:23:44 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-9668 [...] to the AmazonFail/Macmillan Kerfuffle, a lot of writers – many of them published (especially those published by Macmillan and its imprints) have written a lot about the state of the publishing industry right now.  [...] [...] to the AmazonFail/Macmillan Kerfuffle, a lot of writers – many of them published (especially those published by Macmillan and its imprints) have written a lot about the state of the publishing industry right now.  [...]

]]> By: Christopher http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-9532 Christopher Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:16:56 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-9532 This whole thing has left me torn. I think Amazon pulled a bully move but I don't think MacMillian did much better in trying to force a price point. As someone who wants to be a published author i understand this fight. As a consumer it is harder to get behind the publishers. It feels way to much like the music industries price fixing scheme. I typed up my thoughts on my blog (Book Publishing Goes Boom http://tinyurl.com/yhctsh9 & Amazon Slap Down http://tinyurl.com/yl3l5cz) but after rereading them I am still not 100% sure where I fall in this. I think variable pricing is fine. I don't have to buy the more expensive copy if I don't want to. I still have a problem with telling a retailer it can't see at a loss. This is a pretty common practice. Ultimately I hope it gets worked out in a way that doesn't feel like price fixing and keeps the readers at the front of the process. This whole thing has left me torn. I think Amazon pulled a bully move but I don’t think MacMillian did much better in trying to force a price point.

As someone who wants to be a published author i understand this fight. As a consumer it is harder to get behind the publishers. It feels way to much like the music industries price fixing scheme.

I typed up my thoughts on my blog (Book Publishing Goes Boom http://tinyurl.com/yhctsh9 & Amazon Slap Down http://tinyurl.com/yl3l5cz) but after rereading them I am still not 100% sure where I fall in this.

I think variable pricing is fine. I don’t have to buy the more expensive copy if I don’t want to. I still have a problem with telling a retailer it can’t see at a loss. This is a pretty common practice.

Ultimately I hope it gets worked out in a way that doesn’t feel like price fixing and keeps the readers at the front of the process.

]]> By: Eric Welch http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-9465 Eric Welch Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:51:46 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-9465 Great, I will look forward to it. Great, I will look forward to it.

]]> By: Jay http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-9453 Jay Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:39:36 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-9453 Excellent. I am the middle of revising the sequel right now. Excellent. I am the middle of revising the sequel right now.

]]> By: Eric Welch http://www.jlake.com/2010/02/02/publishing-an-open-letter-to-kindle-enthusiasts-and-ebook-activists/comment-page-1/#comment-9452 Eric Welch Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:37:52 +0000 http://www.jlake.com/?p=11021#comment-9452 Hi, Jay. I hope things went really well over the weekend. Am enjoying Green! Hi, Jay. I hope things went really well over the weekend. Am enjoying Green!

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