I am an avid book reader and collector personally as is all my family. I also impact students and their reading as an educator and librarian.
I support the authors and I like to support independent book stores.

The reality with the ereaders is we don’t own the books, they are licensed to us and not permanently when you read the licenses. I buy them or lease them for space, to quickly access new releases before I can get to the book store to buy the hardcovers which I will still also buy to have permanently, for travel, and for checking out new authors and titles for review before recommending them for library purchases or for personal purchases in physical paperback or hardback format. Since the e-versions are licensed, I do have a problem with the huge over-pricing, lac of access, and control issues I now see going on a result of the publisher agency model politicking and politicking by Steve Jobs with Apple and Bezos with Amazon. And I am a big consumer of products of all of these groups.

I have also noticed faulty tax formula software collections overcharging by a half penny in sales tax by the agency model publisher groups in internet sales and now that they have my attention I am ready to bring them all to the attention of my city’s mayor in Houston and to the state comptroller and get audits done to make sure our state and city are getting proper tax revenues sent from these groups. I am also going to be giving an earful to the publishers and Apple. Have already done so for three to four hours worth to amazon at higher levels. I will also be contacting all my favorite authors represented by these publishers who are now causing me problems at times accessing author work and trying to control and play political games at pricing and marketing but also doing so very inconsistently and playing all kinds of favoritism games rather than using good business practices. I also am researching LibreDigital to see if they have a role in some of this with marketing ploys on driving up prices of internet sales on collusion with the afore-mentioned publishing houses four of which are their clients in marketing and using software for digitalizing ebook services and business practices, according to the LibreDigital website. Well now you have some of your readers’ attention like mine… It was not a smart thing to do.

I love your books. I want you to be fairly compensated for your work.

But I won’t go back to paper format. And Amazon, for all its warts, is my favorite place to shop. I love my Kindle, and I will find ebooks to read on it. I hope they will include yours.

a sincere fan,
doug baxter

Apparently, as a result of the terms under which the iPad and iBooks are operating, the prices at which their books can be sold to other mediums is restricted and new contracts need to go into place. This has not been reported on as widely as the Amazon issue (yet), so if anyone has other details please advise..

I don’t care about a behind-the-scenes pissing contest, and I loathe stupid stunts. I know that at the midnight hour on March 30th when I downloaded a Patricia Briggs’ Silver Borne (which is excellent,btw) because I just couldn’t wait to start reading it– even though I knew my reserved library copy would be available in 1-2 days at most– I checked on my pre-order of Changeless by Gail Carriger. Yep, still due out March 30th in stores and April 1st for e-book format.

Unfortunately, I woke up to find a not-so-funny April Fool’s day surprise. No book. I spoke with an Amazon rep. and discovered it wasn’t a glitch with the format of the book that had to be fixed. There was no future date that I could expect the book given. I contacted Orbit publishing. They wouldn’t comment or respond. And I blame them as much as Amazon, which everyone seems to be hating on. (Both parties need to man up and quit with the pissing contests.)

If I knew that it wouldn’t be hurting the author, I would have cancelled my order for the book — and I was mad enough to do it, but it had been past 7 days so I couldn’t return my kindle version of Soulless — the marvellous first book in this particular series. So, I might as well tough it out. (note- I had already read it via the library. I only purchased the ebook version so I could have the set.)

My opinion for what it is worth — as I can’t figure out what all the in-fighting and bickering is about:

> e-books are not hurting the sales of hardcover books as much as publishing houses want to believe. If I collect a book in hardcover, I will buy the book in hardcover. If not, I get it from the library and wait to buy it in paperback. The alternative, which actually would help sales— as the ebook price of just released hardcovers is higher than the paperback price would be when released— is to buy the e-book.

> e-books should not cost as much as a regular book as I cannot loan it out, sell it or trade it or donate it later. They have less value. No chance of getting it signed by the author or admire the cover artwork.

> If the publisher’s want to set a later date for the e-book version, fine… but don’t keep switching it or delaying it. Or make it available for the same day at the same price (if it is paperback anyway)… whatever. *I still cling to my above belief about pricing.

> I don’t really buy e-books to save money (at least not for paperback copies) as I can get them easily and at a better price than the list price, usually. It is to save space – both in my home and in my suitcase.

For the record, I buy books in all formats: hardcover, paperback, kindle format, and audio. I even own many series in multiple formats. I have no interest in the iPad as I want an non-backlit e-reader not a hand-held computer. I mostly read Urban Fantasy, but I will now search out something by Mr. Scalzi to read. Thank-you for letting me rant. Have a nice day.
—DEW—

You got a comment deleted because you were being an aggressive dickhead to one of the other commenters, and I don’t appreciate that. Beyond that, see the comment policy; it should help you understand who I moderate and why. And quite obviously, if you don’t like it, don’t comment here.