The Problems of the Future

[missroserose]

So there's a new book out I'd like to read.

I'm on a pretty tight budget this month.

I could pirate a copy, but given that [a] I'm not really in a socioeconomic position to justify depriving the author of royalties, and [b] I've got plenty of stuff to read in the interim, I'm okay with waiting to read it until I have enough money to purchase it outright.

Of course, that leads to the question of whether to purchase the paper version or Nook version. I've had one version or another of the Nook for years now, and while the e-reader is wonderfully convenient, I just plain prefer paper books. Plus it's nice to feel like I'm getting something physical in return for my cash.

On the other hand, the book is only out in hardcover, which makes it a little more difficult to tote around. And my bookshelves are, not to put too fine a point on it, full to bursting.

What's my point? I don't have one, really, other than that I'm indecisive. And that I realize that I'm a pretty lucky person just to have this set of problems. :)

Comments

Oh, THAT book

[amanda_lodden.livejournal.com]

... and then I read Facebook, and saw the "Rose wants to read [book] on Goodreads" post.

I had the pleasure (and it was very much a pleasure) of hearing the author read a portion of the book at a local convention, and I plan to pick it up. (In fact, I took a break from typing and bought the eBook). You could "borrow" my copy for the time being, until the paperback comes out, if you'd like.

Re: Oh, THAT book

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

I totally hear you on the donation-button thing - I often feel the same way about CDs and such. The problem is, traditionally-published authors (and musicians, and other people in creative pursuits) aren't working on their own; there's a whole infrastructure of editors, publishers, promoters, advertisers, etc., etc. that support them and allow them to have the relative security of things like advances and royalties.

Are these institutions and their associated structure of middlemen bloated and inefficient compared to self-publishing? Absolutely, but they are (in most cases) beneficial to the author, and often are what allow him/her to write as a career instead of in what spare time they can eke around a full-time gig elsewhere - and in the case of editors, often they're what make the difference between a good, readable book and an unreadable bloated mess (see: Tad Williams, or any other author whose first, heavily-edited book was so popular that they got free reign with their next few books despite their dire need of editing). So even though I'm paying for a lot of questionably-necessary services, ultimately I don't feel comfortable shorting the publisher; the author theoretically is benefiting from the relationship.

I do think the rise of self-publishing (and small independent e-publishers) is a boon in the long run; it's not for every author, but the very real threat of competition is likely to force the major publishers to find ways to trim the fat and keep prices down.

As to the book itself, I wasn't avoiding naming it for any real reason except that [a] I didn't want to make it sound like I was going "Would someone please buy this for me?" and [b] it's a problem that isn't specific to this book, it in fact recurs with some regularity. :) I'm a little jealous; I haven't met Mr. Hines but I've generally enjoyed his novels and I'm a big fan of his blog posts on gender issues. Thanks for your offer, but I've got plenty of stuff to read for now, so I'll just buy Libriomancer when I have a little more spare cash. :)

Re: Oh, THAT book

[amanda_lodden.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm well aware that while self-publishing is nice, some people need editors. I'm also aware that publishing is a business and some writers, while well-suited to writing, are poorly suited to the business side. I meant that I'd like the donation button to be on the publisher side (or on something like Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble, where the funds would funnel through the distribution channel as normal).

Mr. Hines is relatively local to me, so he makes it to some of the larger cons in the area. He's genuinely a nice guy. If you find yourself with a case of wanderlust in the general vicinity of late April/early May, you could probably share my/our room at the biggest convention in the area. And the con fee itself can be recouped through volunteer hours. I have an in with the person who runs registration there (this year, it's me), so I can pretty much guarantee you'd get enough hours to get your badge back.

Re: Oh, THAT book

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Ahh, okay. Yeah, that makes sense, although I'm sure I don't have to point out to you why it wouldn't work as a distribution model on the large scale. :)

That's good to know! My experience with conventions has been a bit mixed; for an extrovert, I don't make friends as easily as I'd like, and going to PAX for a couple of years just with Brian was enough to convince me that I'd probably enjoy myself a lot more if I went with a bunch of people I know. (Waiting in line is one of my least favorite activities, but having company would probably mitigate the problem.) I'll keep it in mind, definitely; and thanks for the offer!