A tip o’ me hat to Tom at Literarium for the news.
And sorry to those who came here looking for Kermit the frog.
Muppet: A person who is ignorant and generally has no idea about anything.
A Memory of Light was released today, to the hordes of Robert Jordan fans who have been waiting 20 years for the series end. Unfortunately for some die-hard fans the eBook will not be released until April and they isn’t happy, leaving (at time of writing) 155 one star reviews on Amazon.
Such passion from fans, so much passion that you’d think they’d be hanging on every snippet of information, like this from Tor, the publisher:
Tor Books has announced that the ebook edition of A Memory of Light, the exciting conclusion to one of the most epic fantasy series in existence, will be available for e-reader devices on April 9, 2013. The initial book release is scheduled for January 8, 2013.
Tor March 2012 <---quite some time ago
I find the actions taken on Amazon disappointing. I can't help but see it as a bit of privileged dummy spitting. The information on the book was out there and the reasons for the ebook's delay as well.
Jordan’s widow wants it to soar up the NYT charts, maybe she wants the bookend to his career with glory, maybe she wants to get the best return she can. I’ll begrudge her none of those things; she supported him in his writing for all those years and writing good fiction is a several magnitudes harder than reading it.
You can give me a number of reasons why an eBook should be released at the same time – I’ll probably agree with some of them. I can understand the disappointment that comes from expectations denied (The Hobbit showing in Australia two weeks after everywhere else).
A suitable response would be to contact Tor on their forums, write them,telling of your disappointment. If still angry to vote with your feet and walk away or buy it from some cheap retailer of books.
But for some that’s not good enough, they feel the need to attempt to affect sales of the book by sabotaging the amazon review process and lodging a one star protest. Like we are trying to stop some evil megacorp from using whale fat to fry their burgers or something.
Reminds me of every privileged, eye bulging, angry customer who thought I had to worship the ground they walked when I worked in retail. Seriously I teach teens who have better control than this.
This is not a real protest. This is privileged whining - when it comes down to it, someone's just disappointed they didn't get exactly what they wanted when they wanted it and they are acting like they have been personally violated.
Be disappointed, don't be a muppet.
Surely there's enough good fantasy out there to fill in that three month gap. Now go on crucify me in the comments.
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Kaz Augustin · 635 weeks ago
So yes, I can understand disappointment, but the howling and gnashing of teeth is a little over the top. Americans, perhaps? ;)
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SB Wright 110p · 635 weeks ago
On American's - well let's just say that privileged whining exists in most affluent societies so.. um.. no comment :D
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SB Wright 110p · 635 weeks ago
My recent post Muppets and A Memory of Light
Kaz Augustin · 635 weeks ago
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SB Wright 110p · 635 weeks ago
My recent post Muppets and A Memory of Light
Mark · 635 weeks ago
It's a lot more complex than that though, isn't it?
Back on point, I (dimly) remember uni mates complaining bitterly when the hard cover version of a book came out sometimes up to a year before the paperback version that we could actually afford. People will always find something to complain about. But I must admit I find the whole "star rating wars" thing a bit perplexing at both ends of the spectrum. 1 star reviews as a protest. 5 star reviews before a book even comes out because people are sure they'll like it. Weird.
-m
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SB Wright 110p · 635 weeks ago
I still baulk at any eBook over $10 not because I don't think that's a fair price but because I can't afford it :) (well not at the rate I read :D ).
I do remember being near a well stocked Library when I was at Uni B)
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raventracks 46p · 635 weeks ago
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Mark · 635 weeks ago
I have bought and read Memory of Light as a physical book though - I started reading the books as a teenager and just needed to know how the damn series ended!
If I ever re-read the full series it will be after I retire - it must be a couple of million words long in total. I can't keep up with my to-be-read pile as it is.
-m
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raventracks 46p · 635 weeks ago
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Mark · 635 weeks ago
-m
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SB Wright 110p · 635 weeks ago
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raventracks 46p · 635 weeks ago
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SB Wright 110p · 635 weeks ago
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tsanad 36p · 634 weeks ago
Reminds me of what happened to Seanan McGuire when her latest book was accidentally sold a month early by Amazon, but with fewer emails to the author. (http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com/425907.html)
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SB Wright 110p · 634 weeks ago
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Jonathan Chen · 631 weeks ago
Good on them, I say.
SB Wright 110p · 631 weeks ago
Joining the Tor forums and starting a thread. Tor is the publisher and it's a direct line to the people that would be able to do something. Mind you if they did that, then they would know that Tor were contractually bound to release the books in the manner that they have.
Then I suppose we would have to witness the gross indecency of 1000 privileged snots calling Jordan's widow every name under the sun because they have to wait three months to get an ebook.
Failing this they could have started an online petition voicing their opinion and sent that to Tor, there's any number of free services around that could do this. Social Media campaigns via twitter and facebook are another.
That there is three legitimate ways they could have made their displeasure felt. But instead we have the online equivalent of doing a great big steaming turd in a book store ie the shit doesn't do anything but annoy other people and require somebody else to come and clean up the mess.
You speak of them being disenfranchised. Ye gads if I could issue tickets for abuse of the English language. How are these poor, poor owners of iPads, Kindles and Tablets marginalised or deprived of power? They can choose not to buy the book - an ultimate exercise of power.
But no, like thugs they attempt to bully the publisher and authors agent into delivering what they want by attacking the reputation of the book and thereby, the sales and livelihood of the author.
While it may not be wise to roll out an ebook in such a delayed fashion because of unscrupulous folk.. Those that pirate the books are thieves and if they feel comfortable spitting in the eye of an author, taking something for nothing because they haven't got the self discipline to wait 3 months - well that's on their heads. Not getting what you want when you want it is no justification for depriving an author of their income.
I remain unmoved by these muppets.
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