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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Dec 2011 : 02:25:28
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Alright, this is kinda embarrasing for me cause it makes me feel like a web 1.0 grandaddy, but I simply cannot belive that this is everything that appears on my Kindle when browsing the store regarding realms novels:
Search "Forgotten Realms":
1) The Spectral Blaze
2) Dawnbringer
3) Unbroken Chain
4) The Orc King
5) The Pirate King
6) The Ghost King
Search "Paul S. Kemp"
1) none FR
Search "Richard Lee Byers"
1) The Spectral Blaze
Search "Elaine Cunningham"
1) none FR
Search "Erik Scott de Bie"
1) none FR
So the question here is:
a) am I condemned to be one of the guys to ask if "the Beatles are still on number 1 in the billboards" and go and change my adult diapers instead of trying to operate a digital device? 
b) My Kindle has been hacked by an evil organization of "no e-books" gremlins 
c) efectively the Kindle Store has almost no FR eBooks and I have not lost my (digital) mind. 
Thanks for comments, opinions, pity, reinforcements, whatever...
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"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2011 : 04:55:37
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There are plenty more FR Kindle eBooks, including more of mine.
I don't know why you're having problems pulling them up on your Kindle. But this is the specific address that will take you to the part of Amazon devoted to yours truly:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Richard+Lee+Byers&x=0&y=0
I believe that if you buy e-stuff on Amazon, no matter what device you are using at the time (for instance, if you're using your computer as opposed to your Kindle), Amazon will download your new purchases to your Kindle the next time you fire it up. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2011 : 05:04:04
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Are you in the US, skychrome?
Because that's the only reason I can think of at the moment, for why you would not be seeing all the Realms novels available as e-books through the Kindle.
It's exactly the reason why I can't access some of them, because they aren't "available" for e-purchase in Australia. Yet.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2011 : 00:08:26
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Are you in the US, skychrome?
Because that's the only reason I can think of at the moment, for why you would not be seeing all the Realms novels available as e-books through the Kindle.
It's exactly the reason why I can't access some of them, because they aren't "available" for e-purchase in Australia. Yet.
Hi Sage, I think that's probably the reason. I bought and delivered the Kindle in the US, with payment from my European amazon account and now living neither in the States nor Europe. So as soon as I log on amazon.com with my user, eBooks disappear from the list.
I don't know what this policy is good for, but I wrote an email to the Kindle customer service and asked them to tell me what I have to do to change my account and unlock "US only content".
I really don't get it... |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2011 : 00:10:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
There are plenty more FR Kindle eBooks, including more of mine.
I don't know why you're having problems pulling them up on your Kindle. But this is the specific address that will take you to the part of Amazon devoted to yours truly:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Richard+Lee+Byers&x=0&y=0
I believe that if you buy e-stuff on Amazon, no matter what device you are using at the time (for instance, if you're using your computer as opposed to your Kindle), Amazon will download your new purchases to your Kindle the next time you fire it up.
Thanks Richard! That basically reconfirms that the problem here is a non US amazon account, which is kinda lame as the Kindle was bought in the US and now they shut me out of content. |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2011 : 00:50:46
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quote:
Originally posted by skychrome
Hi Sage, I think that's probably the reason. I bought and delivered the Kindle in the US, with payment from my European amazon account and now living neither in the States nor Europe. So as soon as I log on amazon.com with my user, eBooks disappear from the list.
That's largely what happens with my account as well. So long as I'm not logged in, I can see each and every FR e-book listed for purchase. As soon as I've opened my account, the majority of those e-books disappear or are listed as "unavailable."
quote:
I don't know what this policy is good for, but I wrote an email to the Kindle customer service and asked them to tell me what I have to do to change my account and unlock "US only content".
I really don't get it...
I didn't have much luck with my own attempt. But if you learn anything new, I'd appreciate any info you can share on the problem.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2011 : 01:45:33
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by skychrome
[quote]I don't know what this policy is good for, but I wrote an email to the Kindle customer service and asked them to tell me what I have to do to change my account and unlock "US only content".
I really don't get it...
I didn't have much luck with my own attempt. But if you learn anything new, I'd appreciate any info you can share on the problem.
I will Sage! Keep you posted! |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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Tarrok of Halruaa
Acolyte
United Kingdom
37 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2011 : 10:17:07
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When I made contributions to the e-book thread and complained to WoTC (via snail mail) about my concerns regarding publishing Realms novels as e-books with no paper edition I made the point that I didn't want to read these novels on a screen as I spend far too much time in front of a screen anyway. I did not realise that, as a UK resident, I wouldn't be able to purchase the e-books anyway as I was not in the USA.
Here comes the hyperboly  : this is outrageous! I have been buying Realms novels ever since 1987's Darkwalker and have every single paper-published book. The fact that new e-books aren't available to those of us outside of the USA is nothing but discriminatory!
On top of this, when I wrote very polite letters to Messers Wyatt and Myers they did not even reply.
What can I conclude? Only that my custom is no longer required by WoTC 
I will continue to buy paper editions of new Realms novels but I am saddened that what appears to be exciting new story lines (i.e. the Drow's attempts to turn Lloth into the godess of magic) are now inaccessable to me.
Fair enough that Erik SDB implores us to comment on the e-book thread on the WoTC website, but having looked at that thread there appears to be no official response from the powers that be at WoTC on the issue. That, along with their lack of reply to my letters suggests that they are disinterested in the issue... |
Edited by - Tarrok of Halruaa on 28 Dec 2011 10:18:11 |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 01:32:52
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Ok, here is what I have done so far:
1) Complaint in Kindle Store
2) Complaint on reply from Kindle Store
3) Chat with Amazon service representative
4) Complaint to customer service
Here is one reply from amazon:
"Hello, I understand your interest in purchasing the books. Publishers grant eBook rights on a country by country basis. As a result availability of titles in the Kindle Store can vary based on your country of residence. We are actively working with publishers to increase our selection. I'll consider this as a feedback and pass your comments to our Kindle investigation team. Customer feedback like yours helps us continue to improve the service we provide, and we're glad you took time to write to us. The Kindle Team will carefully review your comments. Thanks for using Kindle."
Basically I told them that blaming publishers for not being able to access content is still fraud from my perspective, because I bought my Kindle in the US and paid from an european amazon account. Amazon is very detailed on everything. They see my IP and/or user ID and according to the country they show me the content and block my access to other content. But they had no problem to sell me the hardware without a warning on that I will not be able to access the content for which I bought the Kindle, which was precisely for buying FR eNovels!
So what is my conclusion from that? I will not buy paper Fr novels anymore because I live outside of Europe right now and logistics is just too expensive and above all loathsome. And I cannot access the eContent I was buying the device for: Godborn, the newer novels from Richard Lee Byers, Shadowbane from Erik etc etc. So I guess that's it with new realms novels then and I just have to stick to what I already have.
Because I know that amazon will not bother to negotiate the content for smaller or non-english-speaking markets. So if WotC don't want it, then this is the final point for me in terms of new realms stuff I guess.
And amazon provides no help neither. Unless I try to fake an US account pretending to be US resident and using proxies and other "gray" methods to try to fool amazon's country detection programs, there is no way to get access to digital content in the digital era.
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"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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scererar
Master of Realmslore
USA
1618 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 04:00:20
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| my 2 coppers worth, but can't you purchase a product, save it on your PC with a program like Calibre, and then side-load it into your Kindle? if possible, you would not have to worry about storage in the amazon cloud and the product would still be purchased legally. Would there still be a DRM or other issue? just asking. I have been researching methods for storing collections other then in the amazon cloud and I think as Ebooks progress, storing collections or using a book cross platform will be an issue. |
Edited by - scererar on 29 Dec 2011 04:07:17 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8027 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 04:31:59
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You can circumvent regional distribution channels and national copyright firewalls on the internet by conducting your transactions through a proxy service. Very strange that it's legal (in most places, anyways) to buy your ebooks or software "through a friend" on the internet while it's illegal to buy them yourself from the internet or from your local retailer.
Some people might be queasy with such liberal applications of ethics. Others are happy to have an option where "no crime is committed" because the customer can buy the book while the author and publisher (and usual logistics chain of parasitical middlemen) still get their usual payment. The vast majority of us just want to read the books, but yes of course it's loopholes like these which criminals and pirates will exploit.
Buying books in Australia before they're officially "available" in Australia shouldn't be an issue if you're willing to endure an additional (usually very reasonable) surcharge for this service. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 29 Dec 2011 04:38:21 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 05:07:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Buying books in Australia before they're officially "available" in Australia shouldn't be an issue if you're willing to endure an additional (usually very reasonable) surcharge for this service.
Foreign book publishing laws [and their associated shipping surcharge] are currently being reviewed by the Australian Federal Government.
Currently, the system works somewhat like you've noted here. But with the increased willingness of the government to ensure a GST on books purchased overseas, it will undoubtedly be changed to reflect the new costs soon-to-be involved in the buying of foreign-published books.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8027 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 05:30:24
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Ah, proxy purchasing is basically the same thing as buying the item at the proxy's location. Taxes and other fees are paid at the point of purchase, transportation costs are added (zero cost for digital items), a small percentage or flat fee added, and the item arrives by courier or email asap.
We have a reviled GST in Canada. Also, where I live, a PST and now an HST and a variety taxes "hidden" in the price (which are then taxed again) already factored into fuel, recycleable packaging, luxury items, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. |
[/Ayrik] |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 06:43:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Ah, proxy purchasing is basically the same thing as buying the item at the proxy's location. Taxes and other fees are paid at the point of purchase, transportation costs are added (zero cost for digital items), a small percentage or flat fee added, and the item arrives by courier or email asap.
That's all under revision, given the Federal Government's new proposal on ensuring the protection of domestic book selling agencies. And from the latest reading I've made of the new laws to be voted on by the Senate and the House of Representatives, taxes and fees established via proxy purchasing will end up working somewhat differently once the proposal becomes law.
Either way, it's just going to make the sale of foreign e-books for overseas companies in Australia that much more difficult to bring those said e-books to local consumers. At least for the time being. I think this is shaping up to become yet another example of technological marketing outpacing the law. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 14:24:19
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quote:
Originally posted by skychrome
Ok, here is what I have done so far:
1) Complaint in Kindle Store
2) Complaint on reply from Kindle Store
3) Chat with Amazon service representative
4) Complaint to customer service
Here is one reply from amazon:
"Hello, I understand your interest in purchasing the books. Publishers grant eBook rights on a country by country basis. As a result availability of titles in the Kindle Store can vary based on your country of residence. We are actively working with publishers to increase our selection. I'll consider this as a feedback and pass your comments to our Kindle investigation team. Customer feedback like yours helps us continue to improve the service we provide, and we're glad you took time to write to us. The Kindle Team will carefully review your comments. Thanks for using Kindle."
Basically I told them that blaming publishers for not being able to access content is still fraud from my perspective, because I bought my Kindle in the US and paid from an european amazon account. Amazon is very detailed on everything. They see my IP and/or user ID and according to the country they show me the content and block my access to other content. But they had no problem to sell me the hardware without a warning on that I will not be able to access the content for which I bought the Kindle, which was precisely for buying FR eNovels!
So what is my conclusion from that? I will not buy paper Fr novels anymore because I live outside of Europe right now and logistics is just too expensive and above all loathsome. And I cannot access the eContent I was buying the device for: Godborn, the newer novels from Richard Lee Byers, Shadowbane from Erik etc etc. So I guess that's it with new realms novels then and I just have to stick to what I already have.
Because I know that amazon will not bother to negotiate the content for smaller or non-english-speaking markets. So if WotC don't want it, then this is the final point for me in terms of new realms stuff I guess.
And amazon provides no help neither. Unless I try to fake an US account pretending to be US resident and using proxies and other "gray" methods to try to fool amazon's country detection programs, there is no way to get access to digital content in the digital era.
Skychrome, I understand your frustration, but everything I know about e-book publication indicates that Amazon.com is giving you the straight truth.
I've e-pubbed a couple of books, so I know what steps a publisher needs to go through to get a book online. When you upload a book, you're asked to indicate in what territories you hold rights. This is an important distinction to make.
Say, for example, that you wrote a fantasy novel in 2001. Your agent sold it to a New York publisher for First American Rights. He then sold it to three different publishers in France, the UK, and Poland. Each publisher bought the right to publish the book in a certain territory (and perhaps in translation.) So, fast-forward to 2011. Your NY publisher is busily formatting the backlist books and uploading them to various e-bookstores. Depending upon the wording of their contracts with you and your contracts with the foreign publishers, the NY house might not have the right to sell your book in France, the UK, or Poland. If they did make it available to customers in these countries, this would impinge upon the rights of the other publishers to market your book.
My Forgotten Realms books have been translated into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Russian, Hebrew, and a couple of others that I don't recall at the moment. Since these arrangments where made by Hasbro/WotC, I don't know the particulars. But it seems likely to me that WotC may be prohibted by contract from selling e-books in some of these territories. If that is the case, then they cannot allow Amazon.com to make FR books available to readers in those countries. If they did, they would be in violation of copyright law and vulnerable to all sorts of legal unpleasantries.
I might not know what sort of arrangements WotC has with its various foreign licensees, but I DO know that the publisher negotiates these deals, not Amazon.com. The publisher decides what territories to include when they upload an ebook file, not Amazon.com.
So when Amazon.com tells you that the issue resides with the publishers, they are not playing a blame game. Nor do I see how they could reasonably be accused of fraud. You purchased a Kindle in the US with the intention of buying FR e-books in your home country. How could Amazon.com know what books you planned to purchase?
I suppose it might be possible to create some sort of algorhythm that analyzed your past purchases, checked for similar titles, and generated a list of "likely purchases" and their availability to your IP, but that seems....cumbersome. Where would this information be made available to you? At point of purchase? If you bought the Kindle in a Staples store, should there be some sort of print-out generated with a list of unavailable titles before the sale can go through? When you look at the logistics, this is problematic.
The only thing Amazon.com can do for you is what they offered to do: Contact the publisher with feedback. If a publisher knows that lots of people in other countries are trying in vain to purchase their books, perhaps they'll take steps to remedy the situation.
It seems to me that your best bet is to contact WotC and tell them your story. The ebook revolution is spreading swiftly, but there are still a lot of bugs to work through. Publishers WANT to sell books. That's the business they're in. Feedback helps them do a better job.
In the meanwhile, I'm not sure how to advise you. If you know someone in the US who's willing to purchase and mail you hard copies of the books, this might be less expensive than having them shipped from an e-bookstore, but that doesn't address the whole Kindle/ebook issue.
I'm sorry to hear of your problems with Kindle and FR books, and hope that publishers and e-booksellers will come up with solutions in the very near future. |
Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 29 Dec 2011 14:51:42 |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 14:48:14
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Here, copied from the Amazon.com self-pub pages, are the options available to independent authors. I assume publishers have the same choices. So if you can't select "World-wide," you have to go down the list and check where you want the books to be sold.
Sometimes specific requests are more easily addressed. Try emailing the folks at WotC with a request to include your particular country in their Amazon.com availability. It's possible that they CAN'T sell to that area, due to a contract in place or in the pipeline, but it's worth a shot. Just so you know, this seemingly easy process could lose the company quite a few sales, since any change made to an Amazon.com listing makes the book unavailable EVERYWHERE for up to 12-48 hours. But it's worth a try.
United States
United Kingdom
Guernsey
Isle Of Man
Jersey
Canada
Andorra
United Arab Emirates
Afghanistan
Antigua And Barbuda
Anguilla
Albania
Armenia
Netherlands Antilles
Angola
Antarctica
Argentina
American Samoa
Austria
Australia
Aruba
Åland Islands
Azerbaijan
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Barbados
Bangladesh
Belgium
Burkina Faso
Bulgaria
Bahrain
Burundi
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Saint Barthélemy
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Bolivia
Brazil
Bahamas
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Bouvet Island
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Belize
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Central African Republic
Congo
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Cook Islands
Chile
Cameroon
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Colombia
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Cuba
Cape Verde
Christmas Island
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Dominica
Dominican Republic
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Western Sahara
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Jamaica
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Kuwait
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Montenegro
Saint Martin
Madagascar
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Mali
Myanmar
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Mauritania
Montserrat
Malta
Mauritius
Maldives
Malawi
Mexico
Malaysia
Mozambique
Namibia
New Caledonia
Niger
Norfolk Island
Nigeria
Nicaragua
Netherlands
Norway
Nepal
Nauru
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New Zealand
Oman
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Peru
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Togo
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Virgin Islands, British
Virgin Islands, U.S.
Vietnam
Vanuatu
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Zambia
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Seravin
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1303 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 16:43:36
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Bah. In making it difficult for paying customers to purchase intellectual property they are encouraging pirates. I live in Canada and the loops we have to go through to get American content sometimes is absurd.
I received an eReader as a birthday gift last year and returned it as none of the titles I wanted to buy were available (FR and otherwise). The downloadable ones (read: pirated) were poor quality and didn't line up right. I will stick to my paper books in the meanwhile! Keep fighting the fight authors and get your new and old content out there if you can :) Some of us want to buy! |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2011 : 16:53:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Seravin
Bah. In making it difficult for paying customers to purchase intellectual property they are encouraging pirates. I live in Canada and the loops we have to go through to get American content sometimes is absurd.
I received an eReader as a birthday gift last year and returned it as none of the titles I wanted to buy were available (FR and otherwise). The downloadable ones (read: pirated) were poor quality and didn't line up right. I will stick to my paper books in the meanwhile! Keep fighting the fight authors and get your new and old content out there if you can :) Some of us want to buy!
Serevin, this is one of the reasons I decided to e-publish my new fantasy series. Bypassing traditional publishing has its challenges, but it also gives authors (and readers) more options. |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2011 : 00:43:13
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Thanks Elaine, very interesting to get a deeper understanding of e-Publishing!
Anachronistic from a digital perspective nevertheless.
I will get in touch with WotC, although I guess it is clear there will not come anything out of it, especially taking into account the 24-48 hours reset, which they will not do unless it is a major market.
Thanks again for sharing the processes! |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8027 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2011 : 01:34:21
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| I view "protection" as a euphemism meaning "monopoly privilege". Ah well, no world is perfect. |
[/Ayrik] |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2011 : 01:48:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
I view "protection" as a euphemism meaning "monopoly privilege". Ah well, no world is perfect.
aka "conservation of inefficiency" |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2011 : 07:49:12
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I am so sorry you're having trouble, Skychrome. I wish you luck.
Believe me that I have been trying to make myself heard by the powers that be, and the more voices join in the discussion, the louder we all become.
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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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2012 : 23:34:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
I am so sorry you're having trouble, Skychrome. I wish you luck.
Believe me that I have been trying to make myself heard by the powers that be, and the more voices join in the discussion, the louder we all become.
Cheers
Thanks Erik, I suppose I will just have to live with that then. It is a shame though as I was already visualizing myself as the grand e-book consumer and enjoying Shadowbane on the Kindle.
Well, I'll try to make my voice heard at WotC nevertheless. At least no one can say then I did not try. |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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Spoon
Acolyte
Australia
18 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2012 : 07:58:09
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As an Australian, I was disgusted when I saw the amount of FR novels available on the Aus Kindle store. I soon figured out that if I select a US address for my shipping address and use a US VPN, I suddenly have access to all the available books. I simply pay for them and download them to my Kindle. Not once have I had a book revoked.
What does annoy me more is the lack of complete series' available on the Kindle store. For example The Wizards series only has Frostfell available on the Kindle store, which is incredibly unhelpful as I would like to buy all the books at the same time.
Also, what can the authors, such as Elaine, Erik and Paul do about getting their novels published on the US kindle store?
Edit: I even resorted to scouring the internet for ebook versions of the books I already own. The ones I managed to find were so horribly formatted it made me want to hurl abuse at the people who converted them. No paragraph or chapter breaks, horrible formatting and the like -- just a constant wall of text. Here is an example of Elaines' I pulled from my collection on my computer. http://bit.ly/si5sRi If you open it with an ebook reader program, such as the one Calibre comes with, you will see exactly what I mean.
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Edited by - Spoon on 03 Jan 2012 08:08:33 |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2012 : 14:03:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Spoon
As an Australian, I was disgusted when I saw the amount of FR novels available on the Aus Kindle store. I soon figured out that if I select a US address for my shipping address and use a US VPN, I suddenly have access to all the available books. I simply pay for them and download them to my Kindle. Not once have I had a book revoked.
What does annoy me more is the lack of complete series' available on the Kindle store. For example The Wizards series only has Frostfell available on the Kindle store, which is incredibly unhelpful as I would like to buy all the books at the same time.
Also, what can the authors, such as Elaine, Erik and Paul do about getting their novels published on the US kindle store?
Edit: I even resorted to scouring the internet for ebook versions of the books I already own. The ones I managed to find were so horribly formatted it made me want to hurl abuse at the people who converted them. No paragraph or chapter breaks, horrible formatting and the like -- just a constant wall of text. Here is an example of Elaines' I pulled from my collection on my computer. http://bit.ly/si5sRi If you open it with an ebook reader program, such as the one Calibre comes with, you will see exactly what I mean.
Spoon, is that the version WotC uploaded to Kindle? If that's the case, I can email the Powers That Be and advise them of formatting errors. But if it's something you found when "scouring the internet for ebook versions," there's nothing I can do. Funny thing about pirates. They put any ol' thing up on the web, without regard for such things as proper formatting.
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Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 03 Jan 2012 14:04:44 |
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Spoon
Acolyte
Australia
18 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2012 : 14:15:43
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
Spoon, is that the version WotC uploaded to Kindle? If that's the case, I can email the Powers That Be and advise them of formatting errors. But if it's something you found when "scouring the internet for ebook versions," there's nothing I can do. Funny thing about pirates. They put any ol' thing up on the web, without regard for such things as proper formatting.
Elaine, the one I linked was just something I found on the web, an example of what one has to resort to reading if there's nothing available through the proper channels. Sadly a LOT of the FR novels aren't available on the Aussie Kindle store, so we end up trying to read versions like the one I linked. Thankfully, I've found a way to bypass these silly publisher restrictions.... For now.
Edit for clarity: I do own the physical books, I have them all in near perfect condition on my FR shelves of my bookshelf behind me. When I got my Kindle and was looking for the Starlight and Shadows series on Kindle, they weren't available, which is why I went hunting on the web for something I could read on my Kindle. Boy was I disappointed at the general quality of fan produced ebooks. |
Edited by - Spoon on 03 Jan 2012 14:27:18 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8027 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2012 : 14:24:24
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Yes, +1 to Sage's skills as a book-diviner.
There is never any need to obtain pirated materials as long as the genuine articles are still reasonably available anywhere on the market (or aftermarket), I've already outlined one acceptably not-illegal option for circumventing restrictions on regional availability.
Is there an option (email linky) for contacting the Powers-That-Be with feedback or requests to broaden their market? I'd be surprised if overseas freight would be an issue on ebook data, although there might be modest costs involved in getting the legal people to approve each item. The problem might be a higher link on the supply chain, defined by Kindle's agreements within each foreign market, if so then it's unlikely Wizbro could accelerate schedules directly without throwing their weight around or contacting another ebook distributor. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 03 Jan 2012 14:29:24 |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2012 : 15:33:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Spoon
Also, what can the authors, such as Elaine, Erik and Paul do about getting their novels published on the US kindle store?
Nothing I know of, other than mentioning it to the book department and seeing what happens. The nature of WotC contracts is such that WotC holds pretty much all the cards as regards one's book and its fate.
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Is there an option (email linky) for contacting the Powers-That-Be with feedback or requests to broaden their market?
Not that I know of, though I'll offer that link to the WotC forums again, where the issue is being discussed. I know WotC looks at that thread: http://tinyurl.com/Shadowbane-ebook
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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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2012 : 02:58:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Spoon
As an Australian, I was disgusted when I saw the amount of FR novels available on the Aus Kindle store. I soon figured out that if I select a US address for my shipping address and use a US VPN, I suddenly have access to all the available books. I simply pay for them and download them to my Kindle. Not once have I had a book revoked.
Spoon, what is your payment method when you use that way to circumvent the download restrictions? Do you pay with aussi credit card or do you have a US payment medium? |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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Spoon
Acolyte
Australia
18 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2012 : 03:01:59
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quote:
Originally posted by skychrome
Spoon, what is your payment method when you use that way to circumvent the download restrictions? Do you pay with aussi credit card or do you have a US payment medium?
I just use either my ING Direct Visa Debit or my CBA Debit Mastercard for payment. I get the books instantly and the payment usually clears a couple of days later.
Edit: I suppose you could try St George as well, as they have a Visa Debit option available. I haven't used them with the Amazon store, so I can't vouch whether they accept it or not. |
Edited by - Spoon on 04 Jan 2012 03:03:53 |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 19:19:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Spoon
I just use either my ING Direct Visa Debit or my CBA Debit Mastercard for payment. I get the books instantly and the payment usually clears a couple of days later.
Edit: I suppose you could try St George as well, as they have a Visa Debit option available. I haven't used them with the Amazon store, so I can't vouch whether they accept it or not.
Right, I do not live in Australia, but basically you are saying that with a supposed US account they accept foreign credit cards? Looks that way, doesn't it? |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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Kindle store and the realms (!?)
