|
Post by Havoc on Jul 1, 2011 15:50:14 GMT -4
Can anyone deny that iTunes has destroyed the music industry? Yes, the music industry is fine. You're just old and hate anything new. Go fire up Freebird on your eight track. You'll be alright. For about 10-15 years I didn't buy but 1 or 2 CD's a year. With itunes I can sample bands to see if I'll like them and store my whole collection on one device. Since I got my first iphone, I've downloaded more albums than I should have and enjoy music more now than I have since college. No, they're trying to make a bigger profit without having the overhead of printing costs and sales personel. I know it sucks for you but books will still be written if bookstores go the way of Newpapers, video rental chains and record stores. You make the point of books being cheaper numerous times and it just isn't true. Yeah, USED books can be got on the cheap but most people don't live near a used book store and you don't know that they'll have what you want. Please, you're grasping now. You read more than most people. Most people aren't re-reading books so collecting them is just clutter. There are plenty of cheap or free options to read if you are willing to read them, similar to buying used books from a garage sale. They're $19.77 ON SALE. Regular price 35.96. They are on sale because they have stock they want to unload. But at $19.77, you have to pay shipping which will get you to about $29.99 but on the Kindle I don't have to wait a week for them to deliver. Amazon is great for books on sale. Go to Borders or any other books store and you're not getting that deal. I love the old books that were special but anymore the hardcovers are just basic mass produced clutter with a lame book cover that I have to store away when I'm reading it. You re-read books. Most don't. In my whole life, I think the only books I re-read were the Dragonlance Chronicles. I'd like to re-read the Book of Amber series but it is 10 books and I've got 2 Steven White, 1 John Sandford and the new GRR Martin to read on my kindle.
|
|
|
Post by maddog1981 on Jul 1, 2011 18:46:05 GMT -4
Some things about the Kindle.
I got the entire Conan series of books for a $1.99. I got the complete Sherlock Holmes for $.99. I got the entire Baum written Oz for $1.99. I got the Assassin's Apprentice for free. I got the History of Computer RPGs for $15 when the actual book is $40. I got Bill Simmons book for $12. I paid $16 and the refunded me $4 because they dropped the price. I got Ten Thousand Leagues Under the Sea for free. I got the complete H.G. Wells for $1.99.
|
|
|
Post by maddog1981 on Jul 1, 2011 18:46:57 GMT -4
I also have 5 book shelves full of books in my house and there are bags of books sitting around that have no place to go. The Kindle was essential for getting my book collection under control.
|
|
|
Post by Dustin on Jul 1, 2011 19:31:10 GMT -4
With the Kindle, I spend less, read more, and have zero clutter.
|
|
|
Post by kingwiththeax on Jul 1, 2011 21:55:29 GMT -4
I just don't read enough these days to justify buying a Kindle or any type of e-reader. And I have at least 20 books that I have gotten as gifts or bought cheap that I haven't read yet. If I ever get these books read, maybe at that point I would get an e-reader of some sort.
|
|
|
Post by wildfire on Jul 1, 2011 23:26:51 GMT -4
@ Havoc: you are definitely the exeption about music. I don't think anyone will argue the music industry is in the toliet right now. I USED to by CDS all the time... I probably have about 400 of them... I'd hear a couple good songs on the radio and go by the cd. Before that I did have some cassettes, but not that many.. I'm not THAT old I think I've bought 4 in the last 2 years. Between You Tube and Pandora, there's no reason to spend money on music unless you REALLY want it. As a result, there's no reason for talented people to try to make their fortune writing it. Take a look at the big bands in the last 10 years.. they're all popular based on look and marketing, not music. All they need is one hit song so that enough teenie boppers go to the concert and they're set of life.. they spend a few years spending the millions, then grudgingly make another song or two to try to do it again. Few artists make it to a 3rd album these days. It's great you're finding stuff you like, but that's the exception, not the rule. As to the George Martin books, they're not on sale because they have alot, they're on sale because A) it's the most popular fantasy series out there right now because of the TV show and B) there's a new book coming out. The box set is brand new.. it didn't exist until a couple months ago. I strolled around the kindle store this afternoon, I surprised by some of the selection... there's a bunch of sci fi stuff that just isn't there. Makes me feel better, actually TBH, kindle doesn't really effect my job at all... academic books won't sell on kindle until they come up with FAR better ways for people to mark them up. Besides that, the sales volume is pretty low, so it's probably not nearly as worthwhile as a novel is. It's the principle of the thing. Maybe I've just read too much Sci Fi about the potential evil of everything being on the computer, but I really think it's a bad thing.
|
|
|
Post by maddog1981 on Jul 1, 2011 23:28:56 GMT -4
On the selection. It's come a long way. When I got one 2 years ago, the selection was pretty limited. Now, it really is just a matter of time until that book shows up for Kindle.
|
|
|
Post by wildfire on Jul 1, 2011 23:36:41 GMT -4
Some things about the Kindle. I got the entire Conan series of books for a $1.99. I got the complete Sherlock Holmes for $.99. I got the entire Baum written Oz for $1.99. I got the Assassin's Apprentice for free. I got the History of Computer RPGs for $15 when the actual book is $40. I got Bill Simmons book for $12. I paid $16 and the refunded me $4 because they dropped the price. I got Ten Thousand Leagues Under the Sea for free. I got the complete H.G. Wells for $1.99. OK, I'll try to stop being annoying.. y'all clearly disagree with me. It's fine, I can take it. Instead, I'll comment on Maddog's list Just one last thing: I agree that's a nice stash.. but most of it is public domain, which was available for free years ago via PDF. I actually have the 12 'real' Conan books (the stuff writting by REH and later Sprague and De Camp) in cool paperbacks from the 60s I got on e-bay for like $15... I've definitely read those a couple times. It's really fun to compare them to the Marvel versions, IMO. I have Holmes in a giant compendium I got for $5 at a used book store.... it's actually not that great an edition, but it's better than nothing, I'll probably get a better on some day. I actually like the later take offs on Holmes but others more the the original stuff. If you like Holmes, check out 'The Italian Secretary' by Caleb Carr... great Holmes story by a 'modern' writer. Are the Oz books any good? When Wicked came out I was intrigued by them, but I've not come across cheap versions... those perhaps are nice in electronic form Love the Bill Simmons book... even if he tried too hard to not be biased. Assassin's Apprentice is newish.. mush be one of those they give you the first one to get you to pay full price for the rest That's the one with Fitzroy as the main character? I've read it, but I don't recall it. The fact there's a history of computer RPG book at all is amazing...do they go back as far as MUDS? I'd love to see which the mention Jules Verne and HG Wells are always entertaining.. IMO they kinda invented Sci Fi between the two of them... it's great reading that stuff and seeing the archtypes they use today.
|
|
|
Post by wildfire on Jul 1, 2011 23:39:56 GMT -4
On the selection. It's come a long way. When I got one 2 years ago, the selection was pretty limited. Now, it really is just a matter of time until that book shows up for Kindle. I'm sure that's so.. but the two things I looked up (Asimov and George Martin) had some stuff missing. They didn't have the old Wild Cards stuff (which would be cool) and they're missing half of the Foundation books (2 of the 5 main ones, anyway)
|
|
|
Post by maddog1981 on Jul 2, 2011 0:07:53 GMT -4
|
|
|
Post by Dustin on Jul 2, 2011 10:03:10 GMT -4
I'm mainly reading Hard Case Crime stuff, L. Ron Hubbard, and looking into Bizarro. Currently, I'm reading Grifter's Game by Lawrence Block. I like old pulp stuff, especially crime.
|
|
|
Post by wildfire on Jul 2, 2011 21:18:08 GMT -4
I read one of the books from the Bones TV show today... pretty decent.
|
|
|
Post by graymar on Jul 5, 2011 9:04:14 GMT -4
Just for completness...my experiance of book purchases is similar to maddog1981...
I went to Amazon and counted everything up (yes, I actually do things like this)...67 books at $79.83. Several complete works I purchased and counted as 1 book, but included several stories, novelas and novels (including Twain, Poe, Howard and Dick).
7 books totaled $62.93 of these purchases including "The Bad Guys Won", "The Story of the Development of NWATNA", "Witches Abroad", "Drawing Heat the Hard Way", "The Big Bam", "Thank You Notes" & "Deane Beman: Golf's Driving Force".
Our local library is going to offer ebooks including Kindle versions starting this fall.
|
|
|
Post by wildfire on Jul 5, 2011 10:39:00 GMT -4
It'll be interesting to see if libraries having kindle stuff more often effect sales much... with actual books, it's more the 'rent or buy' kinda thing, but with electronic stuff... I get the impression most people consider it 'disposable'... why pay if you can get it for free?
Seems like it could hurt the market more than is does for real books.
|
|
|
Post by graymar on Jul 5, 2011 10:41:35 GMT -4
|
|