originally posted by Nadeem Memon
Will there be an ebook version of Initiate's Trial be available when the hardback comes out?
I've been re-reading the series on a TabletPC and I was wondering if there is a reason that Barnes & Noble doesn't carry an ebook version of Fugitive Prince?
Also, just as an FYI, the ebook version of Ships of Merior that Barnes & Noble could probably do with a review/re-edit. There are a number of misspellings that look like OCR mistakes.
Finally I'm curious how, if at all, the compensation resulting from ebooks differs from the dead tree versions.
Thanks,
shadowmmn
originally posted by Izzy
I'm currently reading Curse on my iPhone (iPad coming soonish), and found a few things that detract from the experience.
The main annoyance I've found is that the "triplets" between chapter sets doesn't have clear separation from the preceeding and following chapters. The first set I came across just looked like paragraphs in a new chapter, and that is how I read them. Took me a few minutes to realise what I had just gone over.
Regards,
CJ
Izzy, thank you, I will send word on to see if this can be corrected…it would be an annoyance, and definitely confuse a new reader.
originally posted by Nadeem
Hi Izzy,
This seems like a common ebook issue. I think publishers fail to place value on properly formatting/editing book scans for distribution as an ebook.
I've heard of some authors actually self publishing their backlist and taking a lot more care with the quality and formats of ebooks they distribute than what many publishers do.
It seems like the potential of the ebook medium is really being given short shrift, if not being overlooked entirely.
Nadeem
originally posted by Nadeem
Hi Janny,
When you have a moment, I would really appreciate any insight you can offer on my questions above.
Thanks,
Nadeem
Nadeem, rest assured, I do get a royalty on e book sales.
I will report the formatting issue you have on Ships.
And I don't yet know when Initiate's Trial will be out in e format. I am still asking about getting the pre-order info for the hardback straightened out. Once they've got that, I can load the deck with more questions.
Sorry I didn't respond straightaway.
originally posted by Nadeem
No problem.
Is there any chance of seeing an ebook version of Fugitive Prince available via Barnes & Noble?
It seems odd for it to be on Amazon for the Kindle and not on B&N, especially since all the other books in the series are currently on B&N, but I don't know how those agreements work.
Incidentally, I was not concerned about you getting compensated for the ebooks (I figured you would be), rather I was curious how ebook compensation compared to regular book sales.
It seems to me that you should get a significantly larger cut of the ebook sales since the publishers have already recouped their investment from the original book and the costs for ebook conversion are relatively nominal.
Thanks,
Nadeem
originally posted by Izzy
Janny, do/did you supply your books to the publishers in an electronic format? And I mean all of them back to Curse? If so, I'd find it kind of staggering that there might be OCR errors. Why scan something when you have an esource?
Regards,
CJ
Whew - grin.
Yes, I get a good compensation when the books sell in e-format.
Legitimate in E books ONLY (via HarperCollins) are the Wars of LIght and Shadows series and To Ride Hell's Chasm.
I own the e-rights to all of my backlist and will see what can be done with them; rest assured, there will not be formatting issues. WAIT to buy for an announcement, here - there are other sources for e books that are NOT LEGITIMATE but pretend to be…
HarperCollins is generally more careful than most with regard to formatting errors - however the triplets are such an 'unusual' feature, it may have been missed out. I did put in a request asking.
Thanks for all the eyes and ears and interest in my behalf - I am using all of the information reported, here.
originally posted by Trys
I just checked the Kindle version of Curse of the Mistwraith to see how the triplets were handled. Firstly there is no page break between sub-chapters. There is a heading on each sub-chapter as well as on the triplets so the separation is clear.
(Message edited by admin on March 31, 2011)
originally posted by Nadeem
Forgive my obtuseness, but are you saying that the B&N WoLaS ebook versions are not legitimate? That's a bit disconceting, if true, because I've already purchased all the WoLaS books available through them.
Incidentally, I just realized that B&N doesn't have Peril's Gate in ebook format either. If you ask about Fugitive Prince (assuming it is legit), I would appreciate it if you would ask about making that book available as well.
FYI I noticed that the B&N ebook version of Grand Conspiracy didn't have a significant number of OCR issues aside from some places where words were run together (i.e. missing spaces)
Finally, if you do end up re-releasing corrected e-book editions, would we have to re-purchase them? As much as I enjoy your books, I'd rather not have to buy them a fourth time. 
Thanks,
Nadeem
originally posted by Sleo
Why are you asking if the B&N ebooks are not legitimate? Yes, they are. And Perils' Gate is available (or was the last time I looked) but is listed when you search all of Janny's books. For some reason it doesn't come up when you just search nookbooks.
And the only reason to repurchase them would be if you want the corrected versions. BTW, Janny doesn't release them, her publisher does.
originally posted by Annette
Amazon still does not have Ships of Merior available in the kindle format for Australians unfortunately. I am starting to think they do not want the aussies to have a full set.
originally posted by Nadeem
Hi Sleo,
I got the impression from Janny's response that there was some question about the provenance of the WoLaS ebooks on the B&N site, but on re-reading I believe she was talking about the rest of her backlist instead of the WoLaS books.
Overall the scan quality of the WoLaS books I've purchased from B&N has been fair, but the Ships of Merior and Warhost of Vastmark books had some pretty egregious scan errors. I'm more concerned about text errors than I am about section separators, but I would hope that some effort would be made to preserve the "dead tree" experience for ebook purchasers.
I thought I had seen an ebook version of Peril's Gate listed on B&N before, but I can't seem to find it now. If you have a link, please pass it along. I'm still not clear on why Fugitive Prince and Peril's Gate ebooks would not be available via B&N when all the other books are.
What I was hoping was that if corrected versions of the WoLaS books were released (corrected for OCR errors), people who had purchased the original versions would be able to download the "v2" copies since there is a record of us already having purchased the e-book version. It doesn't seem fair for folks who have already purchased the ebook to have to pay for a "corrected" version when that's what they should have gotten in the first place.
Thanks,
Nadeem
originally posted by Sleo
Hi Nadeem, I don't know what gives with B&N. At one point they had both Peril's Gate and Fugitive Prince for sale as ebooks but now they don't. It's very frustrating. Right after my post here, I checked and could not find Peril's Gate although it was available last time I checked. Insanity, that must be what it is. Plain old insanity.
I see your point about corrected versions, but I doubt they'll give us that kind of break.
I do know that all 8 of the books are available from iBooks if you have an iPad or iPhone.
originally posted by Trys
I suggest politely contacting the publisher directly. Perhaps if they are questioned in sufficient numbers…
In my opinion there is rampant incompetence at work here. I decided to buy The Lord of the Rings for my Kindle. The Two Towers is not available. It simply makes no sense.
originally posted by Annette
Australians can now finally buy Ships of Merior for the kindle, and it is even the first of the series to actually show the cover for the book as part of the book rather than just the thumbnail image when selecting the book. No map but cannot expect everything. Unfortunately we lost Curse of the Mistwraith and Warhost of Vastmark, it seems Amazon just likes to make it hard for Australians to get the full set.
If they update the earlier kindle books, does Amazon offer free upgrades if we have already brought the book?
originally posted by Sleo
It's so frustrating to me the way ebooks are available, then not available, in seeming arbitrary ways. B&N in the US had all the series available for a while, but now only has 4 or 5 of them, while Amazon had them all. When I first started reading them, I was desperate for ebooks because the paperbacks (that were all that were available new) had print so tiny that my eyestrain was horrible. I got them all from Amazon and read them on my computer - all, that is, except Fugitive Prince, which I was able to get through some kind of fluke from Waterstone's in the UK. They later emailed me and said that they could no longer sell me ebooks because of license issues (since I'm in the US). I wondered at the time because most often these things are not available across national boundaries. This in itself is totally ridiculous in my opinion. What does it matter to an author or a publishing company where the money comes from???
Later, I was able to get them all from B&N which delighted me, as I have a Nook. And the books from Waterstone's were in epub format which is readable on my Nook.
The last time I checked, the whole series was available from iBooks for the iPad.
I sent an email to B&N protesting the removal of the books that had previously been available and got an unsatisfactory answer from them… they basically had no excuse. I think some idiot somewhere made a bad decision.
With ebooks they can't argue lack of shelf space, after all. How much can it cost to keep a file available online?
originally posted by Annette
I see Trys noticed the problem with the Fugitive Prince cover for the kindle version, and uploaded a decent cover. Unfortunately you buy it you still get that faulty thumbnail image. I notice Amazon takes suggestions for the kindle, they are shortly going to be inundated with suggestion from this user.