Good:
Downloads of samples. A chance to test-read stuff never seen/checked before.
Bad:
1. PDF-only, which can't be tucked into my Palm and which forces a page size on 60-year-old eyes.
2. Other books in a given series not available as eBooks, have to jump through hoops to find the links to ebook vendors.
Ugly:
eBooks available are all DRM-infested.
Great idea, but low marks on execution. I've tried to read novel length books in PDF format on my computer years ago, and gave up. To come out with all these free books and not have them in a format that the Amazon Kindle can read easily (it doesn't handle PDF that hot) is plain bad business sense.
Personally, I was pretty happy initially, since I've been considering starting the Mars series and reading Turtledove at some point. Now I'll continue putting it off.
Put aside the Kindle suggestion, DRM is just bad business sense all around, and I urge some rethinking to happen around this topic.
Agreed. If it is truly a free library then there should be no DRM in the files. PDF doesn't work on iPhones, Palms, or Kindles, and is cumbersome on PCs. MobiPocket (.mobi) format would be much better, IMHO.
As far as I can tell, the PDFs aren't DRM-protected, although they may be protected from editing or changes (I haven't tested).
My objection to PDFs is that they're desktop-friendly, not netbook- or palmtop-friendly. They're a symptom of trying to keep control while attempting at the same time to give it away.
No comment on the pdf format (I'm okay with it, but I have a Sony reader), but if you want it for the Kindle, check the Amazon site. Her Majesty's Dragon is free right now. It's also free through the Sony bookstore.
HATE PDF!
I may try turning it into text and then into an eReader file, but I resent having to do that.
Jesus, nice going, guys. Comments like these only reinforce the stereotype of F/SF fans as whiny, nitpicking nerds with no social graces. My mama raised me to say "Thank you!" to gifts, even if they weren't in my favorite color ... if only because rudeness might mean no more presents.
* I'm sure it was easier for the publisher to produce PDFs, as the final production copies of the books are in QuarkXpress (according to the file metadata), not in a plain-text format. Maybe given more time, and if this service is popular and increases sales of the sequels, they'll have a chance to extract the text in a more small-screen-friendly format.
* The one PDF I downloaded has no DRM on it at all, as far as I could tell. The inspector panel in Apple's Preview app says there are no access restrictions.
* If the text is too small, use the Zoom In command to make it as big as you like. At full screen width it ought to be readable by anyone with any eyesight.
* I am assured by my officemate, who has a Kindle 2, that it supports PDF, although not quite as well as its native format.
1. These PDFs are NOT "gifts." They are sales materials, intended to entice the customer into purchasing the items offered for sale, in this case, the books in the series. "Thank you" is not customarily required for such, although I agree it is polite to say it.
2. "Sales materials" must meet the *customer's* needs, not the seller's. As such, the customer has final say over the appropriateness and usefulness of the "brochure."
3. "Easier to produce PDFs" That's funny, Baen's webscriptions site has, to my certain knowledge, received raw typeset files such as QuarkXpress on one day, and had the eBooks up, DRM-free, in HTML, RTF, Micro$oft LIT, MobiPocket, and eBookwise formats the next day.
4. I never said the PDFs were DRM-infested. I merely noted I hadn't tested for it. The assumption some people appear to have made that they are is a natural one, given the ePublishing industry's history of suspicion and distrust toward its customers. (The subtext for *all* DRM is: "We know you're a thief or thief wannabe and we're going to stop you now.)
5. I am aware of zoom-in in PDF, but I find having to use it, and having to scroll down more than once to read a single page, distracts from the content. For a textbook, this is (somewhat) tolerable. It utterly destroys pleasure in reading a story. This, be it noted, is entirely contrary to the publisher's stated intent in releasing these books.
Personally I like the pdf-format. It is perfect for my laptop so I have no complaints.
Free is free... and bitching is bitching.
I'll take what I can get and convert what I can't use.
I have to agree with Sehlat.
If Random House wants to give away free books, to attract new readers, then great. I'll try reading some. But why make it hard to do? Wouln't you get more potential customers if it was easy to get the books?
I read my ebooks on an old HP PDA. It can handle MicroSoft .lit files, and with some difficulty, PDB.
So, I downloaded Blood Engines in .pdf. Converted the .pdf to rtf. Opened the .rtf in my word processor and cleaned up the file (deleted the headers on every page, reconnected broken paragraphs, etc.) The I converted the .rtf to .lit. It took about 2 hours. I probably won't spend the time to convert another book.
Since it was _possible_ to do this, however, why not make it easy for me to do it in the first place? Just post the file in .rtf (or html) in the first place.
As for the other links, the kindle link is nice if you own one, which I don't. Ditto the Sony reader link. As for the scribd.com link, that just takes me to another way to get the book in .pdf.
Gary
Wow, tough crowd but a really great response from the team here! (In case you haven't noticed all books are now available in multiple formats now.)
Very nice to see another publisher exploring the ebook possibilities. I've been a customer at Baen Books for years and spend around $40 a month there. While I've also watched Tor's efforts I find that their format and books are not as interesting. Random House's intro the field is very exciting, I already own both His Majesty's Dragon (all the Temeraire books actually) and Red Mars so I have great hopes that this site will bring me as much joy as Baen does.
Thanks very much for the freebies and good luck with the site!
Norm
This seems to be the nitpicking thread a little, so while I think I've made a thread of my own I'll just add the gist of it here.
Could we possibly have the books real titles and authors in the Title and Authors fields on the pdfs? It makes using eBook library software so much easier. Who's Mike Kingcaid?
This seems to be the nitpicking thread a little, so while I think I've made a thread of my own I'll just add the gist of it here.
Could we possibly have the books real titles and authors in the Title and Authors fields on the pdfs? It makes using eBook library software so much easier. Who's Mike Kingcaid?