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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
 Posted - 03 Dec 2010 : 11:41:28
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| paperbacks, cause after I read the novel I find it very hard to read the same plot twice, there's a very short list of fantasy novels that I keep |
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GRYPHON
Senior Scribe
USA
527 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2010 : 14:39:49
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| Paperbacks, although e-books are nice... |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36945 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2010 : 16:00:29
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I'm a fan of paperbacks, myself. I like to have a book in my hand, rather than just a bunch of 1s and 0s. I've not always had a lot of money, so paperbacks have long been a better option than hardbacks. Plus, it's the same content, for less money. And paperbacks take up less room on my bookshelves, where space is already at a premium.
Additionally, there are a lot more paperbacks out there than hardbacks.
Lastly -- and this is important for me -- I like that I can read a paperback with just one hand. You can't do that as readily with a hardback. The reason this is important to me is that even though I'm married, I still like it when I get time to eat a meal by myself, with a book in hand. I do that every weekday morning, for breakfast, and I generally get to do it at least once or twice a week for dinner. |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2010 : 16:22:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'm a fan of paperbacks, myself. I like to have a book in my hand, rather than just a bunch of 1s and 0s.
...snipped!
I havent seen any FR novels available in Binary...
There are only 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2010 : 17:11:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Arik
Tally the votes, edit OP, login as a Guest and fix the count if you must ... just sayin'
Back to Xlibris (and similar outfits) ... if you find a good one you can buy books in single units at "hardcover" prices, build a pdf and ship it to them so they don't charge you for computer/layout time. Prices vary, but some are less expensive than big-chain books (even after shipping/freight costs).
The more substantial cost for using the printing house as a short-run "publisher" seems more like a business/career move to me. If you want to make money as a writer then at some point you'll have to risk some monetary investment (yours or someone else's) and have faith. I'd look at it as a "marketing" expense: you'll never see the money again, it's gone, but if the product is good then there's no such thing as bad advertising and your investment will return and multiply. Successful entrepreneurs are the ones who gamble big (on successful products), you don't win every hand but you come out ahead if your strategy for playing the odds is good. And you can never win the jackpot at all if you don't play.
Given this mindset, it's not a scam, it's just the price of a service. Shop around, compare prices and services, just part of the price of "breaking in" to the industry I suppose.
I've looked into this a bit in my own attempts to "break in" and to me, the cost (at 400$ and up for the basic packages) seems too steep for the possible payoff. Yes, you get the thrill of seeing yourself in print, and a few copies to give to friends and family, and a bit of marketing, but if the book doesn't sell worth crap, you're out the money and often don't even get back what you put in to begin with. That's not much different from a vanity press. Granted, POD is more professional and has a bigger market, but no one is going to buy it unless they go looking for it, or they already know it's out there. Doesn't seem like a good investment to me unless you have the money to burn. I for one, don't. I'd rather play the lottery of larger publishers and take the same chance as all my favorite authors did. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 04 Dec 2010 : 09:33:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
I've looked into this a bit in my own attempts to "break in" and to me, the cost (at 400$ and up for the basic packages) seems too steep for the possible payoff. Yes, you get the thrill of seeing yourself in print, and a few copies to give to friends and family, and a bit of marketing, but if the book doesn't sell worth crap, you're out the money and often don't even get back what you put in to begin with. That's not much different from a vanity press. Granted, POD is more professional and has a bigger market, but no one is going to buy it unless they go looking for it, or they already know it's out there. Doesn't seem like a good investment to me unless you have the money to burn. I for one, don't. I'd rather play the lottery of larger publishers and take the same chance as all my favorite authors did.
Agreed. That's precisely why POD is called the "cousin" of vanity press. There's hardly a difference. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8015 Posts |
Posted - 04 Dec 2010 : 12:13:59
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| "Vanity press" sounds interesting. POD is just an alternative, even a luxury. Not at all tenable for mass-distribution softcovers and hardcovers. |
[/Ayrik] |
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BARDOBARBAROS
Senior Scribe
Greece
581 Posts |
Posted - 04 Dec 2010 : 14:38:20
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| Hardbound – For most or all FR novels. |
BARDOBARBAROS DOES NOT KILL.
HE DECAPITATES!!!
"The city changes, but the fools within it remain always the same" (Edwin Odesseiron- Baldur's gate 2) |
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BARDOBARBAROS
Senior Scribe
Greece
581 Posts |
Posted - 04 Dec 2010 : 14:42:54
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| For a similar topic look here: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10163 |
BARDOBARBAROS DOES NOT KILL.
HE DECAPITATES!!!
"The city changes, but the fools within it remain always the same" (Edwin Odesseiron- Baldur's gate 2) |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8015 Posts |
Posted - 04 Dec 2010 : 17:31:26
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You mean identical topic. I can't believe I didn't remember it ... even after commenting only a few weeks ago, even after the last voting option made me chuckle - twice. I blame dennis.
Note the very different voting results, although this poll has had less participation. I didn't vote there, either. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 04 Dec 2010 18:54:36 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 05 Dec 2010 : 00:24:03
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Didn't know it exists. Blame the Search Spell of this site. I did use it before posting my OP, but it never showed that thread. Besides, the options are somewhat different.  |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Cyril Lokner
Seeker
USA
63 Posts |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2010 : 17:18:06
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| I voted to keep things Status Quo. I like the hardcovers, but they hurt the budget and aren't as portable (e-book is TOO portable for me). The big trade paperbacks I HATE (if it's big, it's gotta be hardcover). As long as I get big hardcover books sometimes and small paperbacks usually, I'm happy. Same thing the other way around. I don't like the tiny hardcovers (I don't think there are any FR ones though). Anyways that's my take on it. |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2010 : 18:34:53
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I'm undecided on the issue, so I didn't vote.
What *I* would most prefer is a fourth option: "Whatever cost/benefit option gets out MORE FR novels, more frequently, with greater availability and marketing."
I would also like to write about a dozen or so of those myself, unsurprisingly. 
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2010 : 23:19:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
I'm undecided on the issue, so I didn't vote.
What *I* would most prefer is a fourth option: "Whatever cost/benefit option gets out MORE FR novels, more frequently, with greater availability and marketing."
I would also like to write about a dozen or so of those myself, unsurprisingly.
Cheers
I'm the Sage, and I approve this message. |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 11 Dec 2010 : 20:04:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
I'm undecided on the issue, so I didn't vote.
What *I* would most prefer is a fourth option: "Whatever cost/benefit option gets out MORE FR novels, more frequently, with greater availability and marketing."
I would also like to write about a dozen or so of those myself, unsurprisingly.
Cheers
That whatever is hardbound. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Hooch9
Acolyte
USA
20 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2010 : 08:47:30
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I can appreciate both paper and hardcover.
Generally, I go for paperback. I find it easier to hold (weighs less). Also, I guess a bit more portable.
My only real gripe with hardcover is price. I understand it is made with sturdier materials, but the price seems a little uneven in comparison to the paperpback. It seems like it's 4-5x times the price. Still, I guess you get what you pay for. For that reason, I'd never lend hardbacks out. In fact, I'd rather let a cheap paperback go to it's doom than a hardcover (even though I still prefer paperback)
I would also have to agree with Thauramarth. Electronic versions are nice too (I'd buy a kindle if they had some of the older FR novels available). |
Sheriff: Oh one other thing Earlie. Your boy needs to be in school.
Earlie Cuyler: School? Ain't dat da damn place where they got all dem uhh lets see, whatcha call um uhh? Fold outs covered in scriblins wrote up all over.
Earlie Cuyler: uhh? Books?
Earlie Cuyler: uh-uh, uh-uh, No they square like a magazine.
Sheriff: Books Earlie.
Earlie Cuyler: Noo not not that, but something like that, I wanna say boooooo...
"Don't you start with me. I have hobbies. I collect autographs. I don't Judge you for all those books you read!"
-Both of those quotes are from Squidbillies. |
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Hardbound, Paperback, or the Usual?
