Comments on: Stross makes the case for ebooks going DRM-free http://boingboing.net/2012/04/24/stross-makes-the-case-for-eboo.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:02:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: angusm http://boingboing.net/2012/04/24/stross-makes-the-case-for-eboo.html#comment-1404816 angusm Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=156473#comment-1404816 When Tor/Forge announced their plans to go DRM-free yesterday, Nightshade Books (a small SF publisher) pointed out that they'd been selling DRM-free ebooks through Baen Books (whose stuff is also multi-format DRM-free) for a while. I went on a minor spending spree ... Now is the time to make a point of buying from vendors who offer DRM-free/multi-format ebooks, so that they know that the experiment is working. Otherwise, when the sales prove disappointing (and the 'everything should be free' dipshits Torrent everything they can get their hands on), some snake-oil salesman promising 'better' DRM will get the ear of the publishers and we'll be back where we started. When Tor/Forge announced their plans to go DRM-free yesterday, Nightshade Books (a small SF publisher) pointed out that they’d been selling DRM-free ebooks through Baen Books (whose stuff is also multi-format DRM-free) for a while. I went on a minor spending spree …

Now is the time to make a point of buying from vendors who offer DRM-free/multi-format ebooks, so that they know that the experiment is working. Otherwise, when the sales prove disappointing (and the ‘everything should be free’ dipshits Torrent everything they can get their hands on), some snake-oil salesman promising ‘better’ DRM will get the ear of the publishers and we’ll be back where we started.

]]> By: Jim Davison http://boingboing.net/2012/04/24/stross-makes-the-case-for-eboo.html#comment-1404639 Jim Davison Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:34:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=156473#comment-1404639 #4 Would be especially nice, if only for the fact that your average indie seller isn't going to "publish" the tragic quantities of self-published bloatware that clutter up the kindle store. While I really like the disruptive factor that this sort of author empowerment provides and have read some very decent self-published ebook-only material, Amazon's method of presentation, combined with the unweighted  reviews that favor shills, makes the situation worse than the app store for discerning signal from noise and quality from crap. #4 Would be especially nice, if only for the fact that your average indie seller isn’t going to “publish” the tragic quantities of self-published bloatware that clutter up the kindle store.

While I really like the disruptive factor that this sort of author empowerment provides and have read some very decent self-published ebook-only material, Amazon’s method of presentation, combined with the unweighted  reviews that favor shills, makes the situation worse than the app store for discerning signal from noise and quality from crap.

]]> By: digi_owl http://boingboing.net/2012/04/24/stross-makes-the-case-for-eboo.html#comment-1404629 digi_owl Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:11:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=156473#comment-1404629 That seems to sum up commercial media in general. That seems to sum up commercial media in general.

]]> By: Mark Tomlinson http://boingboing.net/2012/04/24/stross-makes-the-case-for-eboo.html#comment-1404588 Mark Tomlinson Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:25:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=156473#comment-1404588 And Lo... TOR/Forge are doing just that. Thanks McMillian. And Lo… TOR/Forge are doing just that. Thanks McMillian.

]]> By: han http://boingboing.net/2012/04/24/stross-makes-the-case-for-eboo.html#comment-1404499 han Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:54:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=156473#comment-1404499 The point important to the customer is the other side of point #1: with a DRM-free ebook you can be certain that your ebook is readable ten years from now, on whichever device is in vogue then. The point important to the customer is the other side of point #1: with a DRM-free ebook you can be certain that your ebook is readable ten years from now, on whichever device is in vogue then.

]]> By: BookGuy http://boingboing.net/2012/04/24/stross-makes-the-case-for-eboo.html#comment-1404345 BookGuy Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:40:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=156473#comment-1404345 Seeing #4 happen would be very exciting.  As someone who works in publishing, however, I can tell you that most publishers are in the same place, technologically, as they were when I started working in the industry 15 years ago:  "Um, should we do something with the Interwebs, or whatever?" Seeing #4 happen would be very exciting.  As someone who works in publishing, however, I can tell you that most publishers are in the same place, technologically, as they were when I started working in the industry 15 years ago:  “Um, should we do something with the Interwebs, or whatever?”

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