Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
Tharayn wrote: "Na wrote: "I don't understand how you could ask for a refund when you have read the book. If you have read it you have consumed it, you have to pay. It's not fair."Well, but if it's an ebook from..."
Returning ebooks hurts the authors and publishers. You can't unread a book. It's like eating a meal and finishing it but if you don't like it, you can get your money back. Nothing fair about that. Returning ebooks should only be when the format is damaged.
Na wrote: "Why don't you own it ? Is it the fact that the format is digital instead of being tradtionnally printed that makes it unreal ? A copy is a copy no matter the media."It's more license than ownership.
You can't even back up the files on your computer/ harddrive?
Cleon wrote: "You can't even back up the files on your computer/ harddrive?"Yes you can back up and if you want to get sneaky you can break DRM.
I wouldn't get too paranoid about it though if I were you. Amazon would not stay in business very long if they began to do this.
They did it once with 1984 two years ago when someone uploaded and sold that book and they did not own the copyright.
I really thought it was ironic that the title that happened with was 1984. Heh.
Think about it. Wouldn't you want an author protected if for example, some fan uploaded a copy of one of Josh's books to sell at a reduced price. Amazon would be bound to remove it since that person doesn't hold copyright. That is what happened with 1984.
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Of course you can discuss books you don't enjoy!
That one sounds deliciously dreadful, by the way. You know what I mean? Books that are so bad, they're entertaining.
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I think we all have our triggers. For me intelligence and competency are big ones. I don't like dumbness in real life or in fiction. That's not to say that I can't forgive a smart character who does something dumb, provided the character is mostly smart and I understand why the dumb move was made.
I just don't want to read any characters like "Binky". No TSTL thank you! :)One very popular four book series by a fairly prominent m/m author felt very Binky to me. Poor kid never walked anywhere without being hoisted up by his boyfriend or guided by hand on the back of his neck by the guy who sort of adopted him as a family member. Toward the end of the series, I really got tired of it.
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I do have the impression that in some books the protagonists can't differ between lust and love. Or it's just the same for them with the label "love". Sleep with one human and you have to love him... err no...."
Yeah. To me that's lazy writing. Characters had sex = characters are now magically in love = FAIL.
Maybe there are readers who decipher character interactions that way, but for me that's too big a shortcut. (Never mind the fact that it's totally unrealistic.) The whole point of a romance novel is following the steps that make up the journey of falling in love with someone.
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You know, it's been years since I've read a good Love at First Sight romance. I'd kind of like to experience one again. I don't know about love, but it's true that you do sometimes feel a powerful, instant connection to someone. And sometimes that does turn into love with startling speed.
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Yeah. I think I've only twice ever asked for refunds. And that was in the case where I had forgotten I'd already bought the print book (and hated it!)
;-D
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I'm afraid I don't agree with that. Ownership is not that simple of a concept. You don't "own" a meal you've eaten or a movie you see at the theater or a drink you have at a bar, but you're still expected to pay for these things unless there is something wrong with them.
Something more wrong than you didn't enjoy them! :-)
Now that I am buying from several different publishers rather than Amazon, I have to double check Calibre, where they are all stored, to make sure I don't get duplicates.I've gotten two dupes so far. Whoops.
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When you do it, it's possibly illegal (if that matters at this point). But I don't know that exactly, I didn't read all..."
I don't opt into DRM, but at the same time, I'm not encouraging readers to dine and dash. If, you've consumed the entire thing, it needs to be paid for. If you're a couple of pages into a story and you think, this is trash, then it's fair enough to return it. You didn't consume it.
Digital books are entertainment and entertainment is not always something that can be owned in a traditional sense. You go somewhere and pay a cover charge to enjoy the music and the atmosphere -- well, that's not refundable. You can't "own" it.
Some books can be owned and some cannot. But that doesn't mean that that particular entertainment, that experience of being entertained, doesn't have to be paid for simply because some books are no longer have a physical presence.
That's how I see it, anyway. I advertise Smashwords because I know many readers still cling to the wish to "own" stories forever, keep them on a shelf. And that's fine! But it's not the only method of enjoying fiction and information.
The way I see digital content, of which I'm a very large consumer, you are paying for the experience.It's kind of like going to the movies. You go in, pay your (exorbitant) fee and watch. The difference with digital is that you can see that (book, movie, song) more than once.
Software and video games have been licensed since the late 80s so I am just used to that mindset. I have never suffered from having licensed content rather than owned content. I have never had anything taken from me. In the end it really does not make a difference to me.
Also, I have only returned digital books twice to Amazon, and those were inadvertent buys. I returned the item immediately and did not download it onto my Kindle. If I read a book that sucked, well too bad for me. Buyer beware. It would have been the same with a paperback.
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That's actually a no-no. Unless there is something technically wrong with the wine (it's corked, etc.) you ordered it, you drink it. Or at least, you pay for it. Even if you decide you don't like it enough to drink it.
Technically you own the plastic disc that is the CD but you do not own the music itself, the copyright holders do. You are bound by law to certain restriction on that CD, such as you can't make copies of it and give it away, etc. It is still a type of license.
The simplest solution if you don't like DRM or Amazon is simply never to buy books with DRM from Amazon. I don't agree with Amazon's policy and I can't buy from it because of regional restriction issue so I simply buy ebooks elsewhere and with such huge discounts offered by other ebook retailers, why buy from Amazon at all?
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It's a topic that evokes a lot of emotion on both sides. But basically what is happening here is books, fiction, literature is a physically changing format and how we think of them as a society is changing with that altered physical presence. So we have readers who have no trouble understanding the concept that books are entertainment and you're paying for the experience of being entertained -- versus those who still adhere to the idea that books were once only enjoyed as a physical entity that could be kept on a shelf or traded for credit in a used bookstore or sold in a yardsale and if they can't still do all those things, they do not need to pay for the experience of reading.
It's still too early to know how it's all going to shake out, but most people seem to believe it's fair to pay for things you consume, whether it be a muffin or a story.
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I pay for everything I consume. Especially for books.
It's just a theoretical thinking which I don't really understand and I think I don't have to..."
True enough. I hate paying taxes. But I also want the things my taxes pay for. And even if I didn't support the idea of public schools and healthcare and all that, I'm a member of this society and it's my legal responsibility to pay up. So I do.
Though I do whine a lot around tax time. :-D
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I dare you to read Holmes & Moriarity... ;)
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I still like to buy physical CDs and DVDs and certain books in paper. I like to "own" stuff even though I deplore my own materialism.
And even if I don't own a physical copy, I don't want limits on how many times I can watch a movie or on what devices I can listen to my music.
So I agree that it's not a simple question. And it is a question that needs to be addressed.
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Most people are honest and fair-minded. That's part of what keeps me hopeful about humans.
That and their willingness to risk their own lives to save strangers.
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..."
Most people are honest and fair-minded. That's part of what keeps me hopeful about humans.
That and their will..."
I'm not saying that. In fact, it's too silly to answer. I've made my thoughts on the matter clear.
If I thought people who didn't like DRM were "self-centered monsters" why would I keep DRM off my own work?
Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Are we allowed to bitch about a book here? "...Of course you can discuss books you don't enjoy! ..."
Oh, where's my muzzle when I need it. I recently read a book, well reviewed, written by a well-known author that left me with a distinctly sour taste in my mouth. It's the first time I've ever had the feeling that it wasn't just something to chalk up to "not being my cup of tea", but something that needed to be eradicated from my life altogether. Sometimes an author will write about a character who shares some of my life experience and I'll think, "Well, that missed the mark a bit, but points for trying." This time, though, the insensitivity was so breathtaking I just couldn't get there. More irritating still, I know my reaction was my own - I have nothing objective in the book to criticise - so I really can't even complain.
Oh, what I wouldn't give for the power to unread what's been read!
I will definitely delete the book, thanks Manu for telling me how, but I am not going to ask for a refund, that hasn't really occurred to me. I started to read it, didn't like it, my risk, not Amazon's or the author's. The same with wine, you return it if there is a taste of cork or there is something else wrong with it, not because the taste is not to your liking.But I will definitely not buy anything else from that author.
Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Are we allowed to bitch about a book here? I was in the mood for something easy and sweet on Friday so downloaded a book that had gotten good reviews, about a cop falling in love with ..."There are books like this, but this one was even worse because it actually made me angry, even if it isn't really worthy of my anger ;)
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Of course you can discuss books you don't enjoy! ..."
Oh, where's my muzzle when I need it. I recently read a book, wel..."
That's a tough one. You're saying there's nothign technically wrong with the book but it just really hit you the wrong way because of your own experiences?
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Hubby walked by shaking his head and commenting that he absolutely couldn't understand why I always torture myself like that at some point after starting the healthier life (again). And yes, I realize it's true. I never read so much cookbooks than when trying not to cook anything too delicious... Even my Pinterest pins have had a lot of cakes among them lately... ;)
Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself. :) But, you see, it's been a few weeks now and I really, really long for cakes and oth..."Johanna, are you familiar with the phrase - Out of sight, out of mind? Your husband is correct. You need to stop torturing yourself and put those cookbooks away for now and continue with your healthy eating habits. :)
Josh wrote: "That's a tough one. You're saying there's nothign technically wrong with the book but it just really hit you the wrong way because of your own experiences? ..."Yep.
It's as if an author wrote a perfectly well written book full of gay characters with the stated premise that the gay characters are all drooling psychotic pedophiles for an audience which shared that assumption.
Probably I'm being unfairly prickly. Like I said, sometimes I mislay my muzzle when I need it.
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That would have to be a very defensive reading of my comments.
It's a fact. Books were once physical objects that could be owned forever. Now some books cannot be owned in a physical sense. But is the primary value in a book the fact that it can be physically held or is the primary value the ideas and concepts that make it a unique transfer of information and experience that can be shared between author and reader?
How we experience literature is changing -- in every aspect. From how content is created by the author to how it is consumed by the reader.
I get enough returns from people who argue they can't "own" my books so they shouldn't have to pay for them, to justify my having a say on the subject.
Tharayn wrote: "Yeah, I agree. It was my intension, because your statement of people who understand the new system and people who don't read as the second one were really offensive in a certain way."
Tharayn, I think you're right now encountering a case of communication on the interwebs (meaning: not face-to-face) where one tends to interpret everything that's written in the context of one's own knowledge, emotions and experiences. Keep breathing, it isn't all as bad as it seems at first glance.
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Oh, LOL! Don't take his side, Susan! ;)
Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself. :) But, you see, it's been a few weeks now and I really, really long for cakes and oth..."The good thing about cakes in cookbooks are that they are not unhealthy or fattening or anything else bad for you, they are just nice to look at :)
I worked in a bookshop for a year between taking my examen artium ( similar to graduating high school I guess) and starting uni. In the afternoon, when it was quiet in the shop and we were getting hungry, we read the cookbooks :)
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Well, that's an easy question. :) Nobody has to own art to be able to experience it or to enjoy it.
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Yep.
It's as if an ..."
Uh...well, I'm thinking your reaction would be the normal one. ;-D
As for returning e-books, I can return a physical book, so why not an e-book? I say this as someone who's never returned a book in her life, unless I got a book as a gift and either already owned it or knew it just wasn't the book for me. When I buy a regular book, I usually have had the opportunity to read as large an excerpt as I want and the ability to flip ahead to see if the writing gets better or worse as the time goes on. With an e-book, especially in a niche such as m/m where brick and mortar stores don't have a copy on hand, I have only the small excerpt the publisher wants to give me. I've read many a misleadingly wonderful first chapter from otherwise boring or poorly written stories. "Buyer beware" only goes so far if I'm not given an adequate sample before being asked to make a decision to purchase.
John wrote: "Josh wrote: "That's a tough one. You're saying there's nothign technically wrong with the book but it just really hit you the wrong way because of your own experiences? ..."Yep.
It's as if an ..."
Ugh. Not good. Hopefully it's one of those rare cases. Wish you better luck with your next read!
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Ha! I know the feeling. :)
Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself. :) But, you see, it's been a few weeks now and I really, really long for cakes and oth..."I admire you for trying, Johanna! I gave that up long ago.
Josh wrote: "So we have readers who have no trouble understanding the concept that books are entertainment and you're paying for the experience of being entertained -- versus those who still adhere to the idea that books were once only enjoyed as a physical entity that could be kept on a shelf or traded for credit in a used bookstore or sold in a yardsale and if they can't still do all those things, they do not need to pay for the experience of reading."I don't think the world splits so neatly into these two categories. I think in between the enlightened folks with the evolved reading habits and the trolls who apparently don't want to pay anything to read an e-book, there are people who just want more flexibility than an e-book offers or to have the flexibility that they've lost reflected in the price they pay.
Calathea wrote: "Wish you better luck with your next read!"Got that sussed. I have the literary equivalent of champaign and bon-bons already underway. :)
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Got that sussed. I have the literary equivalent of champaign and bon-bons already underway. :)"
LOL, John. :)
Calathea wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself. :) But, you see, it's been a few weeks now and I really, really long f..."Well, I don't know if this will help or hurt, but her is one of the places I go when I need a dessert fix, maybe you'll find something you can use-
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/category...
John wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Wish you better luck with your next read!"Got that sussed. I have the literary equivalent of champaign and bon-bons already underway. :)"
Do tell! I'm always looking for something excellent to read... (I had lots of luck today with a piece of Merlin-fanfic. See what I have come to since I've been spoiled with literary stuff like TC and audiobooks of Josh's. I don't dare to get my hopes up high at this point.
)
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*gulps* Yummy. :)
Tharayn wrote: "Well and I have a lot of temperament. Although a friend trys for years to get it out of me... ;) "Na, don't let them. :)
Calathea wrote: "John wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Wish you better luck with your next read!"Got that sussed. I have the literary equivalent of champaign and bon-bons already underway. :)"
Do tell! I'm always looki..."
That's funny, I never read fan fiction, but "stumbled" upon The Student Prince which is also about Merlin and Arthur, and both funny and well written, it was good comfort after my " bad cop experience" :)
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I'm juicing regularly now, which I really like because my diet is horrendously unhealthy and deficient of fruits and veg. A couple of juices a day solve that problem -- and some of them are really delicious. I just have juice instead of breakfast or lunch -- sometimes both.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Does it work? I have never tried it, because once I've read a whole book, I think that it's my loss if I didn't like it. Except if I thought I was buying something and I got something else.