Tag: ebook

19Jan

Ebook Update

Posted by: Mark Newton in my books 7 Comments

Public service announcement:

The City of Ruin ebook is now available – hurrah! However, it’s currently got quite a few errors in it… the usual stuff: two or more words being combined, hyphens in the middle of random words, that sort of thing (any other abuses of English are entirely my own).

My overlords at Tor UK have informed me that they’re now updating the ebook to get rid of said errors. Once they have the corrected file on Kindle, readers will have to contact Customer Services and will receive the corrected file free (you’ll be asked to delete the old file at this point. Kindle don’t ‘push’ a corrected file out to all readers unless the title has been removed from sale by them. Apparently for iBooks, if you delete and re-download, the file will be updated.

The Mark Charan Newton customer services team would like to thank you for your patience.

It’s very clear to me from discussions surrounding ebook formatting, that such mistakes are not uncommon in the industry, and that it is also frustrating to readers (especially when you fork out good money, right?). While I can see it being a right pain in the arse for publishers to quickly get their entire backlist out the door, I guess at some point you’d like to stop feeling like second-class readers…

8Jan

A Question For Ebook Buyers

Posted by: Mark Newton in discussions, genre stuff 25 Comments


I know you’re out there, you normal readers. Not you charlatans like me who will do their best to filch their books from publishers, but those of you who actually browse and hand over cash.

I have questions to those of you who buy ebooks more than physical books. This came about as a result of talking to people who were getting used to their new reading devices. By seeking internet opinion, I hope to turn this debate into science fact.

1) Do you find yourself buying lots of ebooks because of their simple ‘click to buy’ nature?

2) If so, will you ever get to read all of the extra books you’re buying, or is there a good chance they’ll remain unread?

I ask because I wonder if the click to buy nature is inflationary to the statistics, that a there is a gap between books being bought and books being read. That lots of people buy ebooks but may never read them (more so than physical books). The people I’ve so far spoken to suggested this may be the case, and I wondered if there was a trend.

Obviously the money from these sales is good, but do writers value being read just as much, in building careers over many years? Because surely a career depends upon retaining a readership, as much as shifting units?

Food for thought.

23Aug

E-readers Stop You All Being Lonely

Posted by: Mark Newton in discussions 8 Comments

According to the New York Times, at least.

Social mores surrounding the act of reading alone in public may be changing along with increased popularity. Suddenly, the lone, unapproachable reader at the corner table seems less alone. Given that some e-readers can display books while connecting online, there’s a chance the erstwhile bookworm is already plugged into a conversation somewhere, said Paul Levinson, professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University.

“I think, historically, there has been a stigma attached to the bookworm, and that actually came from the not-untrue notion that, if you were reading, you weren’t socializing with other people,” Dr. Levinson said. “But the e-reader changes that also because e-readers are intrinsically connected to bigger systems.” For many, e-readers are today’s must-have accessory, eroding old notions of what being bookish might have meant. “Buying literature has become cool again,” he said…

For many, e-readers are today’s must-have accessory, eroding old notions of what being bookish might have mean.

They even have a picture of a fashion model holding an iPad, so it must be true! Reading is now sexy! This shitty excuse for journalism makes me want to swear out loud.

And “social stigmas” related to reading in public? WTF? Because, I mean, no one thinks reading in public is a good thing, and people never actively lie about their reading habits in order to be seen as better people.

Ah no – the article has the authoritative chops to then state:

Not everyone agrees that e-readers have made the people reading them more approachable. In fact, the opposite may be true in some cases.

So reading ebooks may or may not make you more lonely or more sociable, we just don’t know. All we can conclude, then, is that it must have been a very slow news day at the New York Times.

26Nov

Ebook Updates

Posted by: Mark Newton in my books, news & reviews 20 Comments

I’ve had several emails about an ebook version of Nights of Villjamur, whether or not there would be one, so I thought I’d mention what was going on.

Yes, there is going to be a ebook version. Two, in fact. They’ll both be available around the same time, one from Pan Macmillan (Tor UK) when the paperback is released, and the other from Random House (Bantam Spectra), when the hardcover is released. Both will be released around the start of June. (Why does it feel like I’m cheating on Tor UK when I mention Bantam Spectra? Can I not love them both at the same time?)

You’ll have to check nearer the time what the pricing is going to be, before you run to your nearest torrent site.

As a slight tangent, I wonder, what are people prepared to pay for an ebook? I’d be intrigued if people would give their opinions in the comments – not that it’ll make a jot of difference to the plans of my esteemed Publishing Overlords. I’m a relatively new fantasy novelist – and this is the first novel in a series. What would you pay, honestly? What do you think should be the right price? What would make you pay more or less for one?