Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook

"Stoneface" <Stoneface DeleteThis @comcast.net> wrote in message
news:lgnp60pbsek39uih3resdrgnk6ckmdfdmc@4ax.com...
 > My dead tree version is falling apart, all the ones I see at the
 > bookstore look like they might fall apart too. I'd buy the ebook but
 > it doesn't seem to be for sale : (
 >

They probably will fall apart. Baen paperbacks have been very low quality
the last few years. The origonal copy of IDG I had went thru many years &
readings, the Baen paperbacks since have at least shed pages in sections if
not simply come apart completely which is what the replacement copy of IDG
last year did. The hardbounds are fine if the library copies are any
example. I wish they made two inch thick three-ring notebooks. I'd just
drill holes thru the stack of pages and put them into the notebooks. Dealing
with the loose pages while re-reading the books is annoying.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

Baydlor wrote:
 > I wish they made two inch thick three-ring notebooks. I'd just
 > drill holes thru the stack of pages and put them into the notebooks. Dealing
 > with the loose pages while re-reading the books is annoying.

I think notebooks that would work are availible, but the paper would
not stand up to it, it's hardly archive quality.

The hard cover pages are cheap paper as well. Very easily torn by a
careless fingernail scraping across the page.

Too bad "book on demand" is still so expensive. We could specify paper
and binding quality for the keepers.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

"Baydlor" <baydlor.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:9d7bc.58106$w54.363767@attbi_s01:

 >
 > "Stoneface" <Stoneface.DeleteThis@comcast.net> wrote in message
 > news:lgnp60pbsek39uih3resdrgnk6ckmdfdmc@4ax.com...
  >> My dead tree version is falling apart, all the ones I see at the
  >> bookstore look like they might fall apart too. I'd buy the ebook but
  >> it doesn't seem to be for sale : (
  >>
 >
 > They probably will fall apart. Baen paperbacks have been very low
 > quality the last few years. The origonal copy of IDG I had went thru
 > many years & readings, the Baen paperbacks since have at least shed
 > pages in sections if not simply come apart completely which is what
 > the replacement copy of IDG last year did.

I'm not sure which is worse: the eventual disintegration that affects some
Baen paperbacks, or the miscutting that plagues almost every S&S one. Tough
call.

(They both use the same printer, but you're right: their quality had gotten
shoddier recently. Especially noticable starting in '98 or '99.)

--
Andrew Timson
===============
Grr. Argh.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

"Andrew Timson" <arsenicman33 DeleteThis @deletethissectionhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns94BF6EB7EDFFCandrewtimsonorg@141.211.2.240...
  > > They probably will fall apart. Baen paperbacks have been very low
  > > quality the last few years. The origonal copy of IDG I had went thru
  > > many years & readings, the Baen paperbacks since have at least shed
  > > pages in sections if not simply come apart completely which is what
  > > the replacement copy of IDG last year did.
 >
 > I'm not sure which is worse: the eventual disintegration that affects some
 > Baen paperbacks, or the miscutting that plagues almost every S&S one.
Tough
 > call.
 >
 > (They both use the same printer, but you're right: their quality had
gotten
 > shoddier recently. Especially noticable starting in '98 or '99.)
 >

That replacement copy of IDG went back to the bookstore the following day. A
couple hour round trip back to the town I bought it in but I was annoyed
enough to do it. By the time I got a few chapters in, it was shedding
nearly every page I turned. Didn't make me a happy camper. I've gone the
library route for nearly every Baen book since.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

"Offbreed" <Offbreed_106 DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f-CdnW37Sug1TPDd4p2dnA@scnresearch.com...
 >
 > Too bad "book on demand" is still so expensive. We could specify paper
 > and binding quality for the keepers.
 >

I did a quick Google search and only found How-to books and a couple of
places that will print your own work per your specs. Is there a place you
can order books that come out paperback only custom made to spec?<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

"Baydlor" <baydlor.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:Qhnbc.63157$JO3.38724@attbi_s04:

 > That replacement copy of IDG went back to the bookstore the following
 > day. A couple hour round trip back to the town I bought it in but I
 > was annoyed enough to do it. By the time I got a few chapters in, it
 > was shedding nearly every page I turned.

Oh, it's doing that the *first* time? That's not right.... There's
something on Baen's site to let them know about stuff like that, but with
Arnold being not around to kick the server, it's having issues now.

--
Andrew Timson
===============
Grr. Argh.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

Baydlor wrote:

 > "Offbreed" <Offbreed_106.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote in message
 > news:f-CdnW37Sug1TPDd4p2dnA@scnresearch.com...
 >
  >>Too bad "book on demand" is still so expensive. We could specify paper
  >>and binding quality for the keepers.
  >>
 >
 >
 > I did a quick Google search and only found How-to books and a couple of
 > places that will print your own work per your specs. Is there a place you
 > can order books that come out paperback only custom made to spec?

Not that I know of. Not likely considering copyright issues.

If book on demand takes off, changing the paper quality should be
simply a matter of switching which paper tray the job went to.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

"Andrew Timson" <arsenicman33 RemoveThis @deletethissectionhotmail.com> wrote in message
There's
 > something on Baen's site to let them know about stuff like that, but with
 > Arnold being not around to kick the server, it's having issues now.
 >

They let him go the way they apparently did thier Quality Control people? <!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

Baydlor wrote:

 > "Andrew Timson" <arsenicman33.TakeThisOut@deletethissectionhotmail.com> wrote in message
 > There's
  > > something on Baen's site to let them know about stuff like that, but with
  > > Arnold being not around to kick the server, it's having issues now.
  > >
 >
 > They let him go the way they apparently did thier Quality Control people?

No, he is sick in-hospital. Already covered elsewhere in this thread.

--Dale<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

Baydlor wrote:
 > "Andrew Timson" <arsenicman33.RemoveThis@deletethissectionhotmail.com> wrote in message
 > There's
 >
  >>something on Baen's site to let them know about stuff like that, but with
  >>Arnold being not around to kick the server, it's having issues now.
  >>
 >
 >
 > They let him go the way they apparently did thier Quality Control people?
 >
 >

Bad joke. Arnold is currently in the hospital; until the past
couple days there was serious concern he would not survive. They're
moving him out of the ICU now, finally, but as I understand it he may
not be out for three weeks, and how long it will be before he can get
back to work is unknown.

--
    Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Live Journal: <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/seawasp/" target="_blank">http://www.livejournal.com/users/seawasp/</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

"Offbreed" <Offbreed_106 DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f-CdnW37Sug1TPDd4p2dnA@scnresearch.com...
 > Baydlor wrote:
  > > I wish they made two inch thick three-ring notebooks. I'd just
  > > drill holes thru the stack of pages and put them into the notebooks. Dealing
  > > with the loose pages while re-reading the books is annoying.
 >
 > I think notebooks that would work are availible, but the paper would
 > not stand up to it, it's hardly archive quality.
 >
 > The hard cover pages are cheap paper as well. Very easily torn by a
 > careless fingernail scraping across the page.
 >
 > Too bad "book on demand" is still so expensive. We could specify paper
 > and binding quality for the keepers.
 >
Take your book to Staples and copy it on standard size paper, punch holes and place in
standard size notebook. I do this all the time with older books.

BTW I was doing this once and noticed a lady waiting to use the copier so offered to let
her go ahead. She asked if I was copying the whole book, which I acknowledged I was. She
then, officiously opined that wasn't that illegal? Shouldn't I buy a copy so the author
would get paid for his work?
I pointed out that the book in question was printed in 1888, the chances of finding a used
copy were slim to none (even on e-bay) and the author was likely long dead!
She took her papers and slunk off while I happily resumed copying the book, which was
about the constitution of the Holy Roman Empire.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

David wrote:

 > "Offbreed" <Offbreed_106.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
 > news:f-CdnW37Sug1TPDd4p2dnA@scnresearch.com...

  >>Too bad "book on demand" is still so expensive. We could specify paper
  >>and binding quality for the keepers.

 > Take your book to Staples and copy it on standard size paper, punch holes and place in
 > standard size notebook. I do this all the time with older books.

I've done that a few times. Enough to want to learn to do my own book
binding so they take up less space. But I mostly want a home printing
capibility for all the hard copy tech manuals, which I have even more of.

 > She took her papers and slunk off while I happily resumed copying the book, which was
 > about the constitution of the Holy Roman Empire.

<G><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook 

"Sea Wasp" <seawasp RemoveThis @wizvax.net> wrote in message
news:406FFAA2.8020504@wizvax.net...
> Baydlor wrote:
> Never crossed my mind that the newsgroup would know of a
> > Baen company employee being hospitalized.
>
> Members of the SF groups and, of course, this one, include Baen
> authors (like myself and Eric Flint) and relatives of such (like Mike
> Weber), and so we do tend to have pretty up-to-date info on the
> situation at Baen.
>

Please pass on to Baen their quality problem with thier paperbacks. Their
bottom line might be looking a lot nicer to their bean counters if the
falling apart paperback problem hadn't discouraged customers from buying
their books.

The interlibrary loan programs make getting ahold of a hardbound copy fairly
easy and even has the bonus of letting you read the novel sooner though I'd
rather have the book in a compact paperback form so I can read it when I
want to, but I also don't want to have to fumble with a pile of loose pages
when I do.

Since you probably have some pull there, have them send out non-production
people to
several bookstores that sell their products and buy samples of the
merchandise carrying their Company name. Then get the owners go through the
samples and experience the shedding page problems for themselves. Maybe
their just unaware of the problem because their a bit insulated from the
production end of the company. It happens.
 >> Stay informed about: Why no 'In Death Ground' Ebook