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The next Macharius or Bequin trilogy installment will be it for me, whichever comes first.

 Manchu wrote:

 Alpharius wrote:
Published back in 2011 - and yet every time I go into a B&N, the old MMPB seems to still be in the majority!

Pay no attention to the evidence!

Yes. Who wants evidence:

http://paidcontent.org/2012/11/29/barnes-noble-earnings-nook-sales-up-as-retail-sales-slide/

From 4Q2012: sales of eBooks up nearly 40 % while retail declines.

And then from 1Q2012:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/28/us-barnesandnoble-idUSBRE91R0QO20130228

Despite having a bad 4Q 2012 due to their competitors, ebook sales STILL up 6% while retail down.

While some of you may still like the tangible feel of a book, the market is clearly moving away from that. Which Is why BL (and tons of other publishers) are making the switch to more "collectible" formats that look better on shelves. MMPBs are not that.

I bought Shadowsun and it was okay. I can see why BL would do that sort of thing in overpriced direct sales form. That makes sense. That is an example of BL giving something to certain readers they have been neglecting -- and of those certain readers being asked to pay for BL doing so. The same logic just doesn't seem to apply to a NYT Best Selling series. I mean, a formerly NYT Best Selling series.

And more, just for S's and G's:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/55382-rate-of-print-decline-flattened-in-2012.html#path/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/55382-rate-of-print-decline-flattened-in-2012.html

Oh, and please note that Mass Markets only make up about 15% of the print market share anyways.

I get that it's sorta the thing to do on Dakka to pretend y'all know more about someone's business than they do....but ya don't.

 cincydooley wrote:
Yes. Who wants evidence

I did not criticize BL for e-publishing. Are you arguing that hardcovers sell better than MMPBs in a market where print is declining? I mean, I get that the assumption is that people who want a print book may prefer a hardcover whereas people who formerly bought MMPBs will now buy ebooks. In this case, however, that assumption is not bearing out. Few (maybe only one?) of the people who used to post in threads like this about what's up with the HH MMPBs are now posting about what's up with the HH ebooks or hardcovers. My earlier theory about the hardcover transition is, hey maybe they are trying to justify higher ebook costs at release. It's hard to believe they are making much money on hardcovers.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 cincydooley wrote:
Oh, and please note that Mass Markets only make up about 15% of the print market share anyways.

How much of BL's print market share did MMPBs make up when BL started making the NYT Best Seller List? And is it fair to say since that percentage has decreased, BL books have not appeared on that list?

It is fair, but don't get in front of cincydooley when he starts running downhill!

Anyway, what do people who've read Pariah think of it?

I loved it, for obvious reasons which I will in no way spoil here.

It felt a bit sort, and you can see the 'twist' coming a mile or two away, but it is still a lot of fun.

Also, I am part of the 'problem', as I'll buy anything from Abnett ASAP, even in hardcover.

And I caved and bought SOULFORGE too.

They've got me for anything HH related to Alpha Legion or Raven Guard...

My point is that singling out Black Library is foolish when the rest of the industry trends pretty much fall in line with how they're adapting their business practices. My point is that every move they're making can be supported by industry trends.

It's funny, because the move by BL to a more traditional publication method (Hardcover-->Trade-->MM) actually prompted me to move more into the digital, which I now love. Tons more space for activities.

It's funny, because nerd culture seems to be the ONLY place where there's a very real resistence to digital, which is so odd because that nerd culture is typically the most tech savvy. It blows my mind how many folks seem to be so adamantly against eBooks.

Make mine digital, all day, every day.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I bought Soulforge too, Alph. You're not the only one

 Alpharius wrote:
I loved it, for obvious reasons which I will in no way spoil here.

It felt a bit sort, and you can see the 'twist' coming a mile or two away, but it is still a lot of fun.

Also, I am part of the 'problem', as I'll buy anything from Abnett ASAP, even in hardcover.

And I caved and bought SOULFORGE too.

They've got me for anything HH related to Alpha Legion or Raven Guard...

I'm normally the same way this is the first Abnett book I haven't bought immediately. Probably because (and I know this is heretical to some) I don't love the Eisenhorn/Ravenor series, I just like it. I do like Bequin though. So do you think it's better than the previous books or about the same?

I started reading it but haven't gotten very far. I like okay, I'd say it's a definite buy if you liked the earlier books at all.

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Anyway, what do people who've read Pariah think of it?

It's an Abnett novel, need I say more?

That said, it really helps if you've read both the Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies beforehand.

 BrookM wrote:

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Anyway, what do people who've read Pariah think of it?

It's an Abnett novel, need I say more?

That said, it really helps if you've read both the Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies beforehand.

I want to, but I only got a 3rd of the way into Eisenhorn's second book and couldn't finish it. I got my head turned by the HH series, and now I can't make myself go back. I just started the first Game of Thrones book, so it's now on a lengthy back-log.

It many ways, it will certainly be a lot less obvious if you haven't though!

Yeah, there's that. The thing with Abnett's 40k novels is, he likes to connect them all in one way or the other, sometimes with a casual reference, but like with Pariah and some others, by hamfistedly dropping names and whatnot like no tomorrow.

My problem with Pariah is that, at the time it was awesome, he was creating all this really neat, original world.

Then I found out that all the neatest, most original parts were actually long established things from Lovecraft.

Yeah, the author likes to borrow or "homage" a lot from time to time.

Alright, I'll get it but I'll probably wait for the paperback.

You know what would be neat? Another Dark Heresy novel by Sandy instead of another copy-pasta Caine novel.

Good call there!

I'd love another in the Dark Heresy series!

But maybe BL/GW/FFG feel that ship has sailed and it is too late?

I hope not!

Leave it to those penny-pinching money grubbing unoriginal sump-sucking donkey-caves to leave us hanging while there's still a story that needs to be wrapped up because it isn't another Gaunt$ Gho$t$, Ciapha$ Cain or $PACE MARINE$.

true enough...
the first two books were good...
much less silly than Cain...

i'm waiting for the second Macharius book, Fist of Demetrius, next month...
that should be good...
i enjoyed the first one...

just finished Baneblade...
very good read...
Guy did great...
Guard vs. Blood Axe Orks!!!
definitely a good book for the tread heads out there...

cheers
jah

Did anyone read Henry Zou's books? I got through half of Blood Gorgons and thought it was pretty okay.

 Manchu wrote:
Did anyone read Henry Zou's books? I got through half of Blood Gorgons and thought it was pretty okay.

I quite liked them myself, but I enjoy most of BL's offerings so my opinion may be tainted by overall lack of taste

Blood Gorgons, well, finish the book. It gets kindof....

Emperor's Mercy was good, as it was the debut novel, so fresh and unexpected...
Blood Gorgons was alright, but not great...
Flesh and Iron was my favorite...
it's like a Vietnam War novel set in 40K, which i really enjoyed...
hands down one of my favorite Guard novels...

cheers
jah

 jah-joshua wrote:
i'm waiting for the second Macharius book, Fist of Demetrius, next month...

Hell yes, really liked the first one, can't wait to see what happens next.

 Manchu wrote:
Did anyone read Henry Zou's books? I got through half of Blood Gorgons and thought it was pretty okay.

A good writer, showed some real touching moments of humanity in his books. The only thing that really bothered me to no end was that he kept referring to Vultures as Valkyries. That and turning sisters of battle into a bunch of bigoted nuns with guns.

 BrookM wrote:

 jah-joshua wrote:
i'm waiting for the second Macharius book, Fist of Demetrius, next month...

Hell yes, really liked the first one, can't wait to see what happens next.

 Manchu wrote:
Did anyone read Henry Zou's books? I got through half of Blood Gorgons and thought it was pretty okay.

A good writer, showed some real touching moments of humanity in his books. The only thing that really bothered me to no end was that he kept referring to Vultures as Valkyries. That and turning sisters of battle into a bunch of bigoted nuns with guns.

...but they are.

Digital Monday's new release is up...
Seventh Retribution, by Ben Counter...
a full length Lysander\Imperial Fists novel...

i will give this one a read this week, while i wait for The Mark of Calth to come out this weekend...

cheers
jah

I picked up Mark of Calth, Betrayer and a new Garro audio drama at AdeptiCon...

Might give Mark of Calth a read first... Sadly it was only in the hard cover, but I do like that the hard covers of the books still have the cover art without all that normal book stuff to get in the way.