Lois’s answer to “Thanks, albeit for the bad news. (Uncle Hugo's ran out some time ago, sadly.) Not only your Britis…” > Likes and Comments
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Fortunately we don't have to worry about the defects of the paper-book-publishing business any more, because we have e-books. I've given up on paper books and don't buy them any more. The only thing that worries me about e-books is that they're not future-proof: paper books can be read until the books disintegrate, but Kindle books are an Amazon thing, and Amazon won't last forever. In fact, Kindle technology may not even last as long as Amazon. Sigh.
Those of us who already have to read too much on screen, or who just like handling and owning books, infinitely prefer books printed onto paper, though. They're not indestructible but fortunately don't depend on the survival of Amazon!
I have plenty to read on screen, I work on screen, play on screen, and spend most of every day in front of the computer. It makes a change to sit down with my Kindle… 🙂
I used to think I liked handling and owning books, but the house is full of them and I don't have room for more. In bulk, they take up too much space.
I’m super grateful for those two Baen hardbacks here in the UK! I got them for a Christmas gift and am still savouring them. 😍
I've never seen any in print here in Australia. Thank goodness for ebooks!
I recall Lois saying that the UK publisher's verdict on Paladin was "it didn't sell", as if this were somehow Not Their Fault(TM). Right. A publisher who can't sell a novel that won the trifecta of Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards, in a country where said novel doesn't even need to be translated or anything, deserves to go under.
The sad truth is that British publishers aren't interested in good SF/F. They're heavily influenced by British reviewers, none of whom seem capable of recognising a godd and well-written story if it isn't 'woke' and therefore unreadable. Perhaps I should mmention the I'm a Brit, spent all my 80 years in England, and gave up any hope of fibding good SF or F stories by British authors many years ago.
John Prigent: The British publishing industry may be a dead loss, but you can't just write off British authors—arguably a bit weak in the sf area, but quite strong in fantasy. Consider Tolkien, Pratchett, Rowling (not a personal favourite, but popular), Adams, Fforde, Kapp, Aldiss (not a personal favourite, but respected). I don't know whether I should mention Wyndham. I'm just now reading through Ben Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" series, which is much more up to date and should also be considered.
Tolkien - dead; Pratchett - dead; etc, etc. The only one still writing is Rowling and I don't classs her current books as fantasy. I grant you Aaronovitch.is good, but he's the only one - and he doesn't get reviewed.
John: Well, you said you gave up hope "many years ago", and many years ago those authors weren't dead. 🙂
Apart from Aaronovitch, Fforde is still alive and still writing. I'm not the best spokesman for British authors, because I find they're often gloomy or not to my taste in other ways, but there have been plenty of them, and not without ability. I see that Moorcock is still alive, although frankly I've read very little of his stuff. Reynolds? McAuley? Gaiman?
Jonathan: with some effort, it is possible to make backups of even Kindle eBooks. I respect copyright but feel that's ok so long as not selling the copies or profiting. But with backups one is no longer at the mercy of corporation whims. I believe it's over a decade ago that Kindle had a snit with a publisher and erased all readers' copies of their books, on the readers' Kindle machines! Many of my author friends have boycotted Amazon in its entirety ever since, although there was hurried restoration made of the content (and I hope the responsible vp was fired). Me, I do backups.
Judy: Yes, I can and do back up my Kindle e-books, that in itself is not difficult; but I have to use Amazon's software to read them. There may be software out there capable of converting them to other formats, but it's not straightforward, it takes time and effort to investigate and use that kind of software, and I think most people wouldn't try or wouldn't succeed. I have occasionally installed and briefly used calibre, but as far as I remember it requires further add-ons to do the job, and it all becomes very geeky.
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Jonathan
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May 25, 2021 10:34PM
Fortunately we don't have to worry about the defects of the paper-book-publishing business any more, because we have e-books. I've given up on paper books and don't buy them any more. The only thing that worries me about e-books is that they're not future-proof: paper books can be read until the books disintegrate, but Kindle books are an Amazon thing, and Amazon won't last forever. In fact, Kindle technology may not even last as long as Amazon. Sigh.
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Those of us who already have to read too much on screen, or who just like handling and owning books, infinitely prefer books printed onto paper, though. They're not indestructible but fortunately don't depend on the survival of Amazon!
I have plenty to read on screen, I work on screen, play on screen, and spend most of every day in front of the computer. It makes a change to sit down with my Kindle… 🙂I used to think I liked handling and owning books, but the house is full of them and I don't have room for more. In bulk, they take up too much space.
I’m super grateful for those two Baen hardbacks here in the UK! I got them for a Christmas gift and am still savouring them. 😍
I've never seen any in print here in Australia. Thank goodness for ebooks!
I recall Lois saying that the UK publisher's verdict on Paladin was "it didn't sell", as if this were somehow Not Their Fault(TM). Right. A publisher who can't sell a novel that won the trifecta of Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards, in a country where said novel doesn't even need to be translated or anything, deserves to go under.
The sad truth is that British publishers aren't interested in good SF/F. They're heavily influenced by British reviewers, none of whom seem capable of recognising a godd and well-written story if it isn't 'woke' and therefore unreadable. Perhaps I should mmention the I'm a Brit, spent all my 80 years in England, and gave up any hope of fibding good SF or F stories by British authors many years ago.
John Prigent: The British publishing industry may be a dead loss, but you can't just write off British authors—arguably a bit weak in the sf area, but quite strong in fantasy. Consider Tolkien, Pratchett, Rowling (not a personal favourite, but popular), Adams, Fforde, Kapp, Aldiss (not a personal favourite, but respected). I don't know whether I should mention Wyndham. I'm just now reading through Ben Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" series, which is much more up to date and should also be considered.
Tolkien - dead; Pratchett - dead; etc, etc. The only one still writing is Rowling and I don't classs her current books as fantasy. I grant you Aaronovitch.is good, but he's the only one - and he doesn't get reviewed.
John: Well, you said you gave up hope "many years ago", and many years ago those authors weren't dead. 🙂Apart from Aaronovitch, Fforde is still alive and still writing. I'm not the best spokesman for British authors, because I find they're often gloomy or not to my taste in other ways, but there have been plenty of them, and not without ability. I see that Moorcock is still alive, although frankly I've read very little of his stuff. Reynolds? McAuley? Gaiman?
Jonathan: with some effort, it is possible to make backups of even Kindle eBooks. I respect copyright but feel that's ok so long as not selling the copies or profiting. But with backups one is no longer at the mercy of corporation whims. I believe it's over a decade ago that Kindle had a snit with a publisher and erased all readers' copies of their books, on the readers' Kindle machines! Many of my author friends have boycotted Amazon in its entirety ever since, although there was hurried restoration made of the content (and I hope the responsible vp was fired). Me, I do backups.
Judy: Yes, I can and do back up my Kindle e-books, that in itself is not difficult; but I have to use Amazon's software to read them. There may be software out there capable of converting them to other formats, but it's not straightforward, it takes time and effort to investigate and use that kind of software, and I think most people wouldn't try or wouldn't succeed. I have occasionally installed and briefly used calibre, but as far as I remember it requires further add-ons to do the job, and it all becomes very geeky.
