Awesomeosity

[andrewducker]

There was discussion of the Vorkosigan novels the other day (in the "what should Andy read next" discussion under the Culture poll). And I was debating picking up one of them when soon_lee alerted me that if I bought the latest one (Cryoburn) in hardback then it came with a CD containing ebook versions of all of the previous ones.

I can't possibly pass up a chance like that, so I've ordered it. £13.99 for a complete series of books makes it definitely worthwhile taking a chance on.

Comments

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

You probably don't really want to hear, then, that the CD (with free ebooks) is available online ...
here, via Geek Feminism

[andrewducker]

I'm very happy to pay £13 for the book collection. I feel like I'm getting tremendous value for money, rather than simply making off with stuff without rewarding the author at all.

And no, I have no idea why I feel differently about music/TV...

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I frankly love Baen's ebook policy: Give out CDs full of books related to the book you bought, with the books completely unencrypted and DRM-free, with a license that *tells you* to please send copies to your friends and relatives and whatever. Baen is fully aware of the5thimperium.com and, in fact, have sent him advance copies of the last few new CDs so he can have them ready for free download on the release day of the ebook edition.

Their theory, and it's been borne out by the numbers in the years the program has been going, is that people will use the ebooks to check things out and then buy the physical books because ebooks are annoying, or buy the ebook from Webscriptions because you like ebooks, get to reward the author, reward the model, AND when you buy a book from Webscriptions you get a bunch of other free books that aren't available on the CDs, and the process repeats....

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a good deal. Even if you don't end up liking them, then it's not much of an investment wasted. If you do, then it's great value.

I will definitely be intrigued (as the seemingly lone dissenter) as to your opinion on the books.

[drplokta]

Be warned that the CD isn't actually complete; Memory is missing, and it's one of the best ones. But you can buy it as an ebook for a few dollars from the Baen website.

(The framing material from the collection Borders of Infinity is also missing, but it's much less of a loss.)

[soon_lee]

I hadn't realised that "Memory" is missing; guess it is because it is the only one not collected in an omnibus volume. It is totally worth the purchase price though.

I for one am more than happy to buy Baen books; they don't think of their readers as thieving pirates & act accordingly. I'm all for positively reinforcing that sort of behaviour.

[errolwi.livejournal.com]

Detailed instructions for sorting out the duplicate books on the CD, and getting them to your ebook reading device at
http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/how-to-add-all-the-free-baen-cd-e-books-to-your-itunes-library/

[ami-bender.livejournal.com]

You havnt read Buljoids books before?????????? How did you manage to miss them? Admitedly some of her books are much better then other. Curse of Chalion is probably my favourite, but it is fantasy

[andrewducker]

Nobody ever recommended them at me before :->

[ami-bender.livejournal.com]

Just be warned that she has done some exceptionally good books and some okay books. Its well worth reading her okay book though to get to the very good books.

Any good books/series you would recomend?

[andrewducker]

Not particularly at the moment. Last good book I read was the new Iain M Banks. Before that it's actually been months before I read something that really grabbed me.

[andrewducker]

iTunes - ew!

But thanks, Calibre is dead useful.