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What bugs me about HFQ

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What bugs me about HFQ
Post by Randomiser   » Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:30 pm

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What bugs me about HFQ is knowing that it is out there, sitting on TORs servers, essentially complete, and yet they won't sell it to me for at least 8 or 9 months yet. If it wasn't finished that would be different, but it's just sitting there ...

OK it's silly but it still bugs me :roll:
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Re: What bugs me about HFQ
Post by n7axw   » Fri Sep 05, 2014 7:37 pm

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Randomiser wrote:What bugs me about HFQ is knowing that it is out there, sitting on TORs servers, essentially complete, and yet they won't sell it to me for at least 8 or 9 months yet. If it wasn't finished that would be different, but it's just sitting there ...

OK it's silly but it still bugs me :roll:


Just think of all the fun speculating we'd miss if we had it in our grimey, grubby little hands! :lol:

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Re: What bugs me about HFQ
Post by DrakBibliophile   » Fri Sep 05, 2014 7:43 pm

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Silly? I won't go that far. ;)

I'm no expert on the publishing industry but it is my understanding that publishers have to schedule when their upcoming books will come out months in advance.

They don't want too many of their books coming out in a given month or too few of their books coming out in a given month.

Of course, there are other aspects to publishing a book.

While David Weber has completed it, IIRC it still needs proof-reading by TOR's staff in order to catch any little mistakes David Weber may have made.

David may be the Magnificent Mighty Wizard Weber, but even he can make mistakes and proof-reading is necessary.

Of course, there are lots of other parts of publishing a book that have to wait until the "book is in hand" at the publisher.

So the book isn't "just sitting there", it's being worked on as well.

Finally, I WANT IT NOW as well but I know that it just not possible. :D :D :D


Randomiser wrote:What bugs me about HFQ is knowing that it is out there, sitting on TORs servers, essentially complete, and yet they won't sell it to me for at least 8 or 9 months yet. If it wasn't finished that would be different, but it's just sitting there ...

OK it's silly but it still bugs me :roll:
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Re: What bugs me about HFQ
Post by jgnfld   » Fri Sep 05, 2014 9:39 pm

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DrakBibliophile wrote:Silly? I won't go that far. ;)

I'm no expert on the publishing industry but it is my understanding that publishers have to schedule when their upcoming books will come out months in advance....

It's not like they'd LOSE any money publishing it now.
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Re: What bugs me about HFQ
Post by Starsaber   » Fri Sep 05, 2014 10:45 pm

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DrakBibliophile wrote:Of course, there are lots of other parts of publishing a book that have to wait until the "book is in hand" at the publisher.

So the book isn't "just sitting there", it's being worked on as well.


Indeed, like producing the audio book version so we don't have to deal with all the oddly spelled names (and can read it while sitting at my computer at work writing code. ;) )
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Re: What bugs me about HFQ
Post by CSB   » Fri Sep 05, 2014 11:11 pm

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DrakBibliophile wrote:While David Weber has completed it, IIRC it still needs proof-reading by TOR's staff in order to catch any little mistakes David Weber may have made.

David may be the Magnificent Mighty Wizard Weber, but even he can make mistakes and proof-reading is necessary.


Tor's proof-reading is rather awful, though. Obviously, it would be best if authors never made any mistakes ever, but this is the real world, and catching those mistakes is what editors are *for*. (Also, not introducing NEW errors, and we've had a fair bit of that.)

One of the middle books of the series, I forget which one, had two to three *pages* where a group of people were repeatedly described as "Chisholmian" when the context clearly established that "Corisandian" was intended. THIS IS NOT THE SAME.

Names are screwed up often enough that it's irksome. Not just one-off characters, either, but people like members of the Go4, Paityr Wylsynn (NOT some variant on "Patrick"), etc. Look, Safehold is a series where the names are challenging and non-standard. That means you TRIPLE-CHECK, editors! Spell-check with a series-specific whitelist!

Lest you think I'm being too hard on Tor specifically, I've seen really egregious errors on the part of other major publishing houses as well. An example, from yesterday at the bookstore:

DAW just released the latest book in an urban fantasy series by Seanan McGuire. At the very bottom of the *front cover*, you can see the words "An October Day Novel", referring to the main character of the series...October Daye. SERIOUSLY?

(The Toby Daye series is good, if you like urban fantasy. It's set in San Francisco; the supernatural elements are changeling/faerie mythology; and despite the female protagonist, it's actually urban fantasy, not paranormal romance. There are some relationship arcs, but they are usually part of character development, not plot development.)
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Re: What bugs me about HFQ
Post by Randomiser   » Sat Sep 06, 2014 4:38 am

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Yes, Drak, all that stuff, plus the judgement call about how frequently the book-buying public will hand over $25 or so for a new David Weber book are what make my reaction somewhat irrational. It still creeps up on me from time to time though.

Mind you, I'd probably be too tight to buy the E-arc even if TOR did them, which makes it even sillier. ;)
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Re: What bugs me about HFQ
Post by Invictus   » Sat Sep 06, 2014 6:47 am

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Personally, I think Tor are missing out. I tend to purchase E-arc and EPUBs because of the easy delivery, (I need my fix now dammit! :lol: ) But I always get the hardcover when it comes out because I still prefer an actual book.

That being said, some of what Ebooks are doing now is pretty impressive. I recently read the Ciaphas Cain books on EPUB, and was very impressed with how the footnotes were hyper-linked throughout the novels. One tap to advance to the footnote, another to get back to where you were. It always seems to be the little things :lol:

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Re: What bugs me about HFQ
Post by pokermind   » Sat Sep 06, 2014 9:45 am

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One wonders why more publishers don't do eARCs, cost is minimal, and if released early enough you get many proof readers to spot errors, and don't have to pay them ;) Nor do you lose sales as you need to buy the proofed version too. :lol: It's a win-win situation fans get the books earlier, sales are increased as they buy both the eARC and the edited book, and if released early enough free proof reading.

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Re: What bugs me about HFQ
Post by alj_sf   » Sat Sep 06, 2014 12:08 pm

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pokermind wrote:One wonders why more publishers don't do eARCs, cost is minimal, and if released early enough you get many proof readers to spot errors, and don't have to pay them ;) Nor do you lose sales as you need to buy the proofed version too. :lol: It's a win-win situation fans get the books earlier, sales are increased as they buy both the eARC and the edited book, and if released early enough free proof reading.

Poker


I must say that I buy eARC but not final ebooks. I may buy hardcover. There is 2 authors that I buy both in english and when they are translated in French a few years later (RFC and Pratchett). The latter because the translator (which is always the same) does a very good job of rewritting the untranslatable jokes and puns to the point it is almost a different book but as good as the original.

but in any case eARC are costlier (at least at Baen) than the final book so it is still a win for the publisher.
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