Is it me... or is GW making us pay for books twice?

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**bolter_fodder**

So I recently sent this email to GW/black library:

So I am a long time buyer of of Black library Warhammer 40k books.

I have a loft full of them from when I used to read paper/hardbacks and now I am filling my harddrive with electronic versions.

Therefore you can say I enjoy the books. For this reason I am happy to pay what I pay (hundreds and hundreds of pounds).

I very much enjoy the Horus Heresy books - possibly my favourite series in WH40k (or 30k).

However once I am starting to learn a new and very annoying pattern. It goes like this:

1. Bring out special edition side stories for the HH series. Oh cool, I'll buy that.
2. When enough related "special edition" side stories come out, bundle them up and sell it as a new book in the series.

Now by making these short-story bundles part of the official series you are making die-hard readers buy them even if there is only a small amount of material that they have not already purchased and read. I am starting to lose count on the number of these I have read twice. Sometimes I even forget I have read it until I am halfway through and suffering from deja-vu.

I was just looking at book 50 of which I have at least already purchased scored earth and I think I have a hard copy of Promethean Sun in paper back (probably via Amazon), and these are just two of the three highlighted books from the description.

So I went on to rant at them to give people who have purchased parts of these bundled books some sort of discount (or just get the bundle free!), and on a personal note to give me a couple books or somthing free as a show of good will...

Their reply went something like this: ...

money money money money money.... MONEEEEEY

... actually I made that up, but I got no reply except the automated repose (which means they at least received it.

Has any one else noticed this...?? ...
As I say, I would happily pay... but no one wants to be played for a fool and pay twice for things... thoughts anyone?...

**JohnnyHell**

Advocating piracy is a cool way to earn a site ban. Might wanna remove that link.

**Overread**

Wait I'm confused

Are the bundled series just collected shorter stories that were earlier released now being released once more in a compendium

Or are they releasing compendiums which contain new unique stories that have not been released before on their own?

**bolter_fodder**

Wait I'm confused

Are the bundled series just collected shorter stories that were earlier released now being released once more in a compendium

Or are they releasing compendiums which contain new unique stories that have not been released before on their own?

Well... just look at book 50 it contains two books that I personally already own:

"scored earth": https://www.blacklibrary.com/the-horus-heresy/novels/scorched-earth-ebook.html
"Promethean Sun": https://www.blacklibrary.com/the-horus-heresy/novels/promethean-sun-ebook.html

Book 50:

This collection contains the novellas Promethean Sun and Scorched Earth, the novel Sons of the Forge and two connected short stories Artefacts and Immortal Duty.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
This is just one example.... its happened more and more. I just don't buy the novellas anymore (or anything else for that matter) since they just come out in a bundle later.

Its ~£5 per novella and then ~£10 for the bundle.... that's double payment if you just purchase two of the many novellas that are included. If you are a really die-hard fan then you are paying maybe 3-4 times : (

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Advocating piracy is a cool way to earn a site ban. Might wanna remove that link.

yeah...good point... I am just a bit pissed : ( .... so removed

**Overread**

You didn't quite answer my question.

What of the content of the collected edition is unique to the collected edition?

Also if the pattern keeps repeating why not just stop buying the smaller Novellas and just get the collected edition that you know is coming out later?

**vaklor4**

...What exactly is the issue here? It apparently doesn't cost any more to get the bundle or the singles. You don't have to be a "die hard fan" by buying everything GW or BL put out. I wouldn't buy a complete collection of the discworld novels if I already own them all (I do

), because im a 'die hard fan'. It just doesn't make sense.

**bolter_fodder**

You didn't quite answer my question.

What of the content of the collected edition is unique to the collected edition?

Also if the pattern keeps repeating why not just stop buying the smaller Novellas and just get the collected edition that you know is coming out later?

I don't recall any such "extra" content ... its the exact same novella!

The problem is, you buy it thinking its a one off... like a side story, then months or a year later it gets bundled into a main series book. How are you supposed to know that is going to happen? - can't read the future and it does not happen to all of them...

**Overread**

And just did the research myself - all the content in the collected edition is sold on its own. So you can buy the individual parts or the collected edition.

You've NO reason to get the collected edition if you don't want to. It's there as a neat collected work, but if you've already got some parts you can just get the others on their own.

The collected edition is not marketed toward someone who owns the individual bits; but to those who might only own one or two bits or who are new to the series

Automatically Appended Next Post:

bolter_fodder wrote:
You didn't quite answer my question.

What of the content of the collected edition is unique to the collected edition?

Also if the pattern keeps repeating why not just stop buying the smaller Novellas and just get the collected edition that you know is coming out later?

I don't recall any such "extra" content ... its the exact same novella!

The problem is, you buy it thinking its a one off... like a side story, then months or a year later it gets bundled into a main series book. How are you supposed to know that is going to happen? - can't read the future and it does not happen to all of them...

Why does it matter?
If you own bits then just get the bits separate that you don't own or get the completed edition - whichever of the two approaches is cheaper.

**bolter_fodder**

..What exactly is the issue here? It apparently doesn't cost any more to get the bundle or the singles. You don't have to be a "die hard fan" by buying everything GW or BL put out. I wouldn't buy a complete collection of the discworld novels if I already own them all (I do ), because im a 'die hard fan'. It just doesn't make sense.

The problem? ... I buy the novellas (£5 a pop)... then later a bundle comes out with some stuff that I have already purchased + other new stuff I have not... its £10 regardless of weather you have already purchased some or even all of the novellas...

**Overread**

bolter_fodder wrote:
..What exactly is the issue here? It apparently doesn't cost any more to get the bundle or the singles. You don't have to be a "die hard fan" by buying everything GW or BL put out. I wouldn't buy a complete collection of the discworld novels if I already own them all (I do ), because im a 'die hard fan'. It just doesn't make sense.

The problem? ... I buy the novellas (£5 a pop)... then later a bundle comes out with some stuff that I have already purchased + other new stuff I have not... its £10 regardless of weather you have already purchased some or even all of the novellas...

And where is the problem?
Either buy the separate bits you down own that BL sells on their own. If that would cost you more than getting the Compendium edition then the compendium is already giving you a discount on what you don't already own.

**bolter_fodder**

Why does it matter?
If you own bits then just get the bits separate that you don't own or get the completed edition - whichever of the two approaches is cheaper

Because all the novallas are like £5... say there are 10 - that's like £50.... way too expensive

The bundle is £10... more reasonable, but I have a problem in that I have already paid for large parts of this bundle, if I knew it would be bundled I would never have purchased the novellas... that is where they are getting me

**Overread**

bolter_fodder wrote:
Why does it matter?
If you own bits then just get the bits separate that you don't own or get the completed edition - whichever of the two approaches is cheaper

Because all the novallas are like £5... say there are 10 - that's like £50.... way too expensive

The bundle is £10... more reasonable, but I have a problem in that I have already paid for large parts of this bundle, if I knew it would be bundled I would never have purchased the novellas... that is where they are getting me

So you admit that the Bundle is FAR cheaper and thus already giving you a discount. There's your discount right there.
Yes you've bought some parts already, but the bundle is gathering it all up and giving you a discount so just go for that. You don't really need more discount on top?

Short stories being bundled up is perfectly normal and happens all the time. Heck BL is probably better than many authors - a lot of authors end up with short stories all ove the place in various collections (and it takes a lot of t ime and popularity to get to state of something like Lovecraft or EE Howard where someone collects ALL the work in a single volume*

*even then there's the debate on which edited editions are used!

**bolter_fodder**

Is no one else having a problem with this?

Its like... some dude is selling you parts of a car...

door £100
wheel £100
... by the time you buy the whole car its £10000

Then you find out they are selling the whole car for £5000 the next week after you just paid £10000.... you would not want to be the guy who paid £10k, right?

Automatically Appended Next Post:

So you admit that the Bundle is FAR cheaper and thus already giving you a discount. There's your discount right there.
Yes you've bought some parts already, but the bundle is gathering it all up and giving you a discount so just go for that. You don't really need more discount on top?

Short stories being bundled up is perfectly normal and happens all the time. Heck BL is probably better than many authors - a lot of authors end up with short stories all ove the place in various collections (and it takes a lot of t ime and popularity to get to state of something like Lovecraft or EE Howard where someone collects ALL the work in a single volume*

*even then there's the debate on which edited editions are used!

The bundle is good value yes.... the novellas are terrible value. So if you have purchased a few, then I think you have paid your way to get the rest of the bundle, no?

**Overread**

bolter_fodder wrote:
Is no one else having a problem with this?

Its like... some dude is selling you parts of a car...

door £100
wheel £100
... by the time you buy the whole car its £10000

Then you find out they are selling the whole car for £5000 the next week after you just paid £10000.... you would not want to be the guy who paid £10k, right?

Right but that's just normal

Lots and LOTS of products are sold more expensive early on and then bundled later. Heck I'm reading and collecting comics - just yesterday I bought a volume of 400 pages of Conan comics for £2.50 on comixology. £2.50! That possibly paid for 1 comic from that volume - perhaps a 20 page or so comic and now I've got 400 for the same cost.

This is totally normal. What you paid earlier is paying to read it FIRST

**JohnnyHell**

No.

Don’t fall for “special edition must have must have” in the first place if you know it’ll get bargain bundled later, is my advice.

**BrianDavion**

using the car example, that already happens, I buy a brand new car for a set amount of money next year a new model is out and my car model goes on sale fialry cheap. ohh no...

thing is... I've been driving my car for a year. you pay more to read the stories IMMEDIATLY as they come out, after all it could be a few years before the collection comes out, but for some people the collections important, such as if they ohh.. don't have an e-reader and thus wouldn't buy e shorts anyway

**bolter_fodder**

well.... ok... so I just won't buy the "special edition" early on.... I think that is really false advertising... there is nothing special about it except the price. They don't do that with the other books, just these short story ones. The only way I know its not going to come out later at a normal price is to wait (which I don't mind doing) but let me know its going to happen... like hard-back/soft-back books - you know that is going to happen.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

using the car example, that already happens, I buy a brand new car for a set amount of money next year a new model is out and my car model goes on sale fialry cheap. ohh no...

thing is... I've been driving my car for a year. you pay more to read the stories IMMEDIATLY as they come out, after all it could be a few years before the collection comes out, but for some people the collections important, such as if they ohh.. don't have an e-reader and thus wouldn't buy e shorts anyway

Not quite.. lets say the car parts are all brand new and so is the car.... so no wear and tear. Same here, the books are still brand new (ok I only get ebooks at the moment because I got no bookshelf space left

)... I doubt a first release ebook is a collectors item. Maybe they owe me the hard-back special edition copy + poster or whatever since I paid the full special edition price!...nope, I just have a little text file.... no pretty cover nothing.

**Peregrine**

If the single stories are such a poor value then why are you buying them?

And it's not like this is something unique to 40k. Authors sell short stories when they're first published, and then often they find their way into collections. Sometimes you end up buying redundant copies of stories when you buy a collection for its new content. That's just life, if you don't want to ever buy a redundant copy wait until short stories appear in a collection before you buy them. Or just don't read every single word ever printed in a franchise if you don't ever want to pay extra.

**fe40k**

Items cost what a person is willing to pay for it.

If you're willing to pay for 10 items at $5 each, then that's their price.

If they later release 10 items for $10 total, that's still their price.

Patience is a virtue; bundling and discounting products happens with EVERY item that's sold - it's just a basic marketing strategy.

So, wait for the discount, if it ever comes; or purchase the item at time of release. Those are your two choices.

**bolter_fodder**

If the single stories are such a poor value then why are you buying them?

And it's not like this is something unique to 40k. Authors sell short stories when they're first published, and then often they find their way into collections. Sometimes you end up buying redundant copies of stories when you buy a collection for its new content. That's just life, if you don't want to ever buy a redundant copy wait until short stories appear in a collection before you buy them. Or just don't read every single word ever printed in a franchise if you don't ever want to pay extra.

Well... that's sort of the problem. I want to read as much as I can cuz I like it!

But I don't want to buy duplicates. As I said, I don't really know what will be duplicated. If I know it will come out in a bundle I will wait.... guess I will just do that from now and if it does not come out, well then the special edition may not be sold any more....

Besides, its not really the amount of money that bothers me. They could up their price by 20% and I would not bat and eyelid - its the mere fact that I pay twice weather its 10p or £10...

But anyway.... I am seeing you guys points. I think I am just a bit shocked that they don't tell me this is a special price for people who like to pay more then double to buy it now : ( ...

**Overread**

If price doesn't matter then just get the separate parts and don't buy the bundle - win win. You don't worry about the price and you don't end up owning something twice.

IF price is a worry ( and I'm guessing by the fact that you made this thread it actually IS a consideration) then you'll just have to battle your own demons that in order to get the bundle discount you have to buy the bundle which will have some things that you already own.

**Iur_tae_mont**

You see it a lot in comics.

I bought a cd in 2006 from Marvel for like 100 bucks that had the first 531 issues of the Amazing Spider-Man.

Since the price varies from 10 cents to 4 bucks if I bought them brand new when they released, you can imagine how great a deal this is.

I’ve also been buying the comics for the past few years.

You can get 20 pages with 10 pages of ads for 4.25 or you can wait it out a year for the TPB, which also has a couple companion stories depending on the story arc( Spider Island came with 3 Venoms and a Captain America comic that helps make a certain plot point make more sense)which covers the same 5-7 issues I bought last year for 20 bucks without the ads.

Personally, I’m missing issue 3 of “Dead No More” but I cannot find it for less than 15 bucks with shipping, so I’m waiting for the TPB

**troa**

It's not false advertising when they clearly state what's in the book. We get it, you're pissy and want to complain, and then defend yourself when people don't buy into your complaints. Please take them elsewhere (such as off the internet) rather than dedicating 1/4 of your posts thus far on these forums to it.

**Big Mac**

There is nothing wrong here, when you buy the novellas individually you get and read them early, usually a year or two in advance; when they put them into collectors edition teas later their goal is to get new readers, and as the novellas been out for some time, they would give a discount to the new readers hoping to draw them into the 40k universe buying more in the future.

You paid more for the early viewing access.

**Stormonu**

Wow.

I bought Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on DVD when it came out.

Now, there's all eight movies in a Blu-Ray bundle! Warner Brothers is trying to rip me off by making me double-buy Order of the Phoenix!

**BaconCatBug**

You could try, ya know, not buying the books if you disagree with the publication method.

**godardc**

So... you are ranting against GW because you buy books you already have ? Then you have an issue, not GW.
1/ don't buy stuff you already have...
2/ wait for the big books with the limited stuff and then buy them, instead of buying twice.

Problem solved, like a grown up man.

**Scott-S6**

bolter_fodder wrote:
Why does it matter?
If you own bits then just get the bits separate that you don't own or get the completed edition - whichever of the two approaches is cheaper

Because all the novallas are like £5... say there are 10 - that's like £50.... way too expensive

The bundle is £10... more reasonable, but I have a problem in that I have already paid for large parts of this bundle, if I knew it would be bundled I would never have purchased the novellas... that is where they are getting me

So you buy two novellas for £5 each and then they offer you a book with those two and eight others for £10 and this is a problem? Are you saying you should get this for £8 because you already own two of them?

Automatically Appended Next Post:

bolter_fodder wrote:
The bundle is good value yes.... the novellas are terrible value. So if you have purchased a few, then I think you have paid your way to get the rest of the bundle, no?

So you think they should give you the other eight novella because you bought two?

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Stormonu wrote:
Wow.

I bought Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on DVD when it came out.

Now, there's all eight movies in a Blu-Ray bundle! Warner Brothers is trying to rip me off by making me double-buy Order of the Phoenix!

Well if you bought two of them at full price they should just give you the whole set, apparently.

**Draco**

Maybe you should wait bundles then. Some will pay more reason that they could read story earlier. Some even buy hardbacks.

**dkoz**

This is ridiculous the bundles and the separate books are completely different products GW/BL doesn't owe you anything other than a good product.