What do you think of story bundles?
So, I just went ahead and purchased this historical fantasy bundle. I can’t download it just yet because I don’t have a good enough connection here, but I’ll follow the download link sometime soon-ish.
It’s not the first story bundle I’ve picked up, but I think it’s just the second. Normally I’m not too keen. I don’t know the authors, usually, and you know, I have PLENTY of books on my TBR pile already. No real need to add more that haven’t been specifically recommended by someone.
Also, this particular bundle has Death of a Necromancer and Between Worlds by Martha Wells and Lord of the Two Lands and Pillar of Fire by Judith Tarr. These are good to great books, but after all, I already have them. But their inclusion made me feel like the other books in the bundle are more likely to be really good as well. I don’t know if that follows.
Let me see, other titles in the bundle …
Trafalgar and Boone by Geonn Cannon
The Emperor’s Agent by Jo Graham
Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones
The Orffyreus Wheel by David Niall Wilson
Stag and Hound by Geonn Cannon
Steel Blues by Melissa Scott and Jo Graham
The Armor of Light by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett
You can read summaries and snippets from them at the StoryBundle website if you click through, but I will admit, I didn’t take the time to look them over too exhaustively. Who has the time? But if you happen to have read any of these authors before, what did you think?
I guess I’ll think about other story bundles in the future partly in response to how I like all these.
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I like these--great way to find new authors and books. And even if it turns out I'm not the audience for one or the other, the price is so reasonable I don't feel stung, like I would if I'd paid retail.
I would have to say it would depend on the author. I have come across too many author where I purchased a bundle and regretted reading the first book let alone the rest. Which I did read and those additional books were just as bad.
I felt it ought to be safer to try a bundle that includes books I slready know I like -- we'll see! If I like at least 4 of them, the price for the bunlde will seem like a good deal. And hopefully I will discover a couple authors I really enjoy.
I’ve gradually learned I’m better off avoiding book bundles. I don’t read a ton; my TBR pile is endless; and the last thing I want to do is add a handful of books to my Kindle that I’ll later notice and go, “Huh, why do I have this one?”. It’s just not going to get read.(I’ve kind of gotten to a similar policy even on discounted ebooks. If it’s not something I want to read in the immediate future, I prefer waiting until I’m actually intending to read it, and buying it then at a higher price. Better one $10 ebook I do read than ten $2 ebooks I don’t.)
An ebook bundles, almost by nature, are a grab bag. It makes more sense to bundle a few heavy-hitters with some others that wouldn’t draw as much of a crowd on their own, than to bundle everything together. I definitely wouldn’t assume uniform quality.
I’d say ebook bundles are great in a few different cases:
* You’re looking for great authors you’re not familiar with; it’s a kind of sampler for a great price.
* There are enough books in the bundle that you’re interested in reading immediately to justify however much you’re paying them.
* As a gift for a friend, who hasn’t read the “staple” books yet.
But basically, the moment that you’re picky about what you’re reading, bundles shouldn’t disable your pickiness filter.
You're probably right, but I like historical fantasy, so I hope I like enough of these to make the bundle wothwhile. Plus when I'm working on something of my own, books I like but not all that much are perfect. That way I can put them down...
I didn't get this bundle though because I already have most of these books. Daughter of Mystery is absolutely fab, by the way, I loved it to pieces. Armor of Light has a lot of typos in the edition I bought from Amazon, to the point where I had to give up on it because I couldn't focus on the story. Hopefully the copy that made it into the bundle had those fixed!