David Weber

[murphy]

Baen did that with Sharon Lee/Steve Miller's latest book, Ghost Ship. I ended up buying both.

 

[Vertigo]

Ah now you're clearly the kind of person the publishing marketing people just love!

I think I shall wait until the final release at a price more suited to my current pocket size!

 

[murphy]

I only do it for my favorite authors and while I like David Weber, I don't like him well enough to spend that kind of money.

 

[Moggle]

I wonder if this means the beginning of the end for physical ARCs.

 

[Vertigo]

I must admit I wondered that. It does seem like the obvious technology for ARCs. But don't forget Baen are pretty forward looking when it comes to eBooks. It's interesting though that it is charged at over double their normal ebook price.

 

[Timba]

I must admit I wondered that. It does seem like the obvious technology for ARCs. But don't forget Baen are pretty forward looking when it comes to eBooks. It's interesting though that it is charged at over double their normal ebook price.

I like the fact that Baen does this but I never buy the ARC for the reason you mention, the price is outlandish. I love the HH series and if I was going to buy an ARC it would probably be in that series but I can wait for it to drop to $6.00.

I do think it is a nice service to those who simply cannot wait or have money burning a hole in their pocket and I assume the author and Baen both make a tidy sum off those sales so it is all good.

I always keep an eye on these ARC editions and then surf to the author's list of books at Baen and the final version is always there in a half finished version or so but it allows me to add that to my wish list allowing me to keep a closer eye on it. I have also noticed usually it is available for purchase and download a day or two or even three before the book is in the stores and every little bit helps when you are waiting with bated breath.

 

[Vertigo]

He he patience....

 

[Timba]

He he patience....

I would have never held out when I was 20 or even 30 but a few added decades have taught me patience or perhaps it is just that time seems to speed by the older I get

 

[Vertigo]

Yeah, that's because when we were young we moved so much faster that relativity time dilation meant that time passed more slowly now we've slowed down time passes ever quicker!

 

[Parson]

I can tell that I really don't belong with the batch of writers. I had to discover what an ARC book was. I can also tell that I need to do more online searching for books. There were a some books on the Baen site that looked interesting that I have never seen at Barnes and Nobles. (the only big book store within 150 miles of where I live.)

 

[Timba]

I can tell that I really don't belong with the batch of writers. I had to discover what an ARC book was. I can also tell that I need to do more online searching for books. There were a some books on the Baen site that looked interesting that I have never seen at Barnes and Nobles. (the only big book store within 150 miles of where I live.)

Parson,

I think you would enjoy a number of the authors on the Baen site just based on your enjoyment of Weber. Don't forget to check out the free library where you can frequently get a no cost look at an author you have not tried before.

 

[Abernovo]

I have to (shamefacedly) admit that I'd never heard of David Weber before seeing this thread. Just one of those authors that passed me by, I suppose. Anyway, I followed the trail of crumbs to Baen and got a copy of On Basilisk Station, so I could start at the beginning.

I have to say I'm liking what I'm reading so far. That's one of the many reasons I like this site - how all our similarities and differences throw up new and unexpected treats. So, thanks guys.

 

[Timba]

I have to (shamefacedly) admit that I'd never heard of David Weber before seeing this thread. Just one of those authors that passed me by, I suppose. Anyway, I followed the trail of crumbs to Baen and got a copy of On Basilisk Station, so I could start at the beginning.

I have to say I'm liking what I'm reading so far. That's one of the many reasons I like this site - how all our similarities and differences throw up new and unexpected treats. So, thanks guys.

I am almost envious. I have been thinking about going back and reading the HH series again but there is so much on the to be read list. If you find you enjoy this you would probably enjoy his Safehold series also. Truth be told, I have enjoyed everything he has done.

I have the same reaction to this site, I now have a number of authors on my list that I had not heard of before I came here.

 

[murphy]

Yeah, that's because when we were young we moved so much faster that relativity time dilation meant that time passed more slowly now we've slowed down time passes ever quicker!

And then when you get really old (like me) you lose the patience because you don't have that much time left and there are so many good books out there to be read. "Sigh"

 

[Timba]

And then when you get really old (like me) you lose the patience because you don't have that much time left and there are so many good books out there to be read. "Sigh"

I am beginning to feel that sense of urgency also Some days it seems a toss up whether the author's I am following will finish the series they are doing before they die or before I die. Heck of a way to think but mortality has a way of pushing in on you as the years roll on.

 

[Parson]

I have to (shamefacedly) admit that I'd never heard of David Weber before seeing this thread. Just one of those authors that passed me by, I suppose. Anyway, I followed the trail of crumbs to Baen and got a copy of On Basilisk Station, so I could start at the beginning.

I have to say I'm liking what I'm reading so far. That's one of the many reasons I like this site - how all our similarities and differences throw up new and unexpected treats. So, thanks guys.

Hey you're welcome. I think you are in for a treat.

I am almost envious. I have been thinking about going back and reading the HH series again but there is so much on the to be read list. If you find you enjoy this you would probably enjoy his Safehold series also. Truth be told, I have enjoyed everything he has done.

I have the same reaction to this site, I now have a number of authors on my list that I had not heard of before I came here.

I have read all of the early Honor Harrington books a minimum of 4 times.
And reading these posts has made me think it might be fun to go back to the beginning again. --- I can't say the same for the last couple. They've been read maybe 2 times each. The last one only once. I'm not sure what that says. Probably that I'm reading wider and have more things that I enjoy. Right now I'm reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's intriguing so far, but a little slow to get on with the show.

And Timba, I think you're right about the other Baen titles. When in the bookstore I always give them special attention. I assumed, naively, that all the books from a major publisher like Baen would be stocked.

 

[Moggle]

I must admit I wondered that. It does seem like the obvious technology for ARCs. But don't forget Baen are pretty forward looking when it comes to eBooks. It's interesting though that it is charged at over double their normal ebook price.

There's only one thing stopping it though: piracy. I think the last thing a publisher wants is a copy of their book being widely released to the WWW months ahead of the actual physical release of the book/ebook. A first time author might benefit from free ebook ARC copies of his book being spread around for free though.

 

[Vertigo]

Good point Moggle, but thrn it seems Baen are being quite brave doing it with an established and very popular author like Weber. It will be interesting to see if they do it with his next release.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

There's only one thing stopping it though: piracy. I think the last thing a publisher wants is a copy of their book being widely released to the WWW months ahead of the actual physical release of the book/ebook. A first time author might benefit from free ebook ARC copies of his book being spread around for free though.

Personally, I find the whole piracy brouhaha to be overkill. Piracy will always be there; there's nothing that is really going to stop it. The Harry Potter series has never officially been released in ebook form (yet, though it will be soon) and yet you can find them on the net in about 3.6 seconds. The fact remains - if there is something that someone deems worth pirating, they will find a way to do so. (And that's without getting into the debate of how much piracy really affects the industry. A lot of figures have been thrown around, but no one really seems to know how they came about...)

Years ago, the music labels had approached Apple when the iPod was taking the world by storm and they were in the process of launching the iTunes Music Store, and expressed concern over piracy. Apple essentially told them to stop whining about it; they said that as long as you provided a solid experience, a quality product, and priced it appropriately, customers will come. On a related note, iTunes is today the world's largest music retailer. Publishers take note.


On the topic - I actually got the first two Honor Harrington books from Baen several months ago, but have yet to start them. Judging from the praise I see on this thread, maybe I should soon...

 

[Vertigo]

They are good military space opera DA. A Tale of Two Cities they are not but they have well thought out politics, good action (sometime drowning in a little too much detail but you can skip some of that) and good believable characters.

And actually as I said above it will be interesting to see what they do with the next HH book. They must have a pretty good idea of expected sales from a new HH book by now and by offering an ARC book for one of these in eBook format, which will inevitably be pirated, they will very quickly see what impact it has on the sales of the final book release. If little or none they will probably do it again, if it does impact sales they will probably stick to printed ARC editions next time. So it will be interesting to watch what happens. I suspect it will not have much impact on the sales.