To request, or not to request that is the question....

John Scalzi, author of "Old Man's War", "The Android's Dream", "Agent to the Stars" and other assorted goodies, has decided to grace us mere mortals with another novel.
"The Human Division" is the newest installment in "Old Man's War" universe.

The problems is that instead of releasing it as a single book, the marketing geniuses at Tor have decided to release it as 13 (!) separate chapbooks, each costing 0.99$.

I don't have any desire to spam the request forum with 13 (!) requests for what is essentially the same book, nor do i have the WRZ$ even if i had the inclination.

any ideas from the peanut gallery?

Once the run is complete (March or April timeframe) they are going to release an actual book with all the chapters. I think the release is slated for mid-May and the title is The Human Division.

so you're saying: "hang in there and they'l publish a complete ebook"?

i'll try, but patience is not one of my strong suites

That's where I'm at. I'd rather read through them all at once rather than wait a week between "chapters".

what a bizarre way of releasing an ebook, cant see any logic in it

[zackddog]

I'm with "I'll wait until the novel is released" camp. Why would I want to read a book one chapter at a time? By the time I get to week six, I'll have to re-read week one to remember what happened (memory issues, NOT age related, more like weed related) and figure out the plot. That would be like reading a comic published by the biggest procrastinator in the world. Sorry, Graphic Novel.

If I want to read a comic, I'll buy the next twelve issues to find out if Batman had enough to take on the villain du jour.

If I want to read a book, I'll buy all of the chapters at once, thankyouverymuch.

I think I will have to agree, give me the whole book.

My 2c

Your choice of cause, but I'm enjoying whats available so far part 4 ordered for tomorrow... very enjoyable, I read the Dan Simmons Hyperion Cantos a year ago and remember it well, if a series is good enough you remember the content.

Zacktthedog, I don't think John Scalzi cares if you suffer from weed related memory loss nor anyone else, a stoned Emeritus Moderator LOL!! (that explains the sig)... so far the parts released are worth every cent.

Chris Stewarts Wrath & Righteousness series is also released along the same lines, in parts, I cant fault the series so far so good.. and much better than the earlier release under another title.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrath-Righteous ... 891&sr=8-2

you all have a great day!!

youownme

[Bohica60]

what a bizarre way of releasing an ebook, cant see any logic in it

Kind of hard to blame them. After all, it worked for Stephen King with "The Green Mile."

It's called ripping off the readers. Just wait for the complete book to appear which is what I did with the Green Mile.

[Bohica60]

It's called ripping off the readers. Just wait for the complete book to appear which is what I did with the Green Mile.

Oh, I agree, just stating that there IS a precedent for this. As for the second part of your statement, I'm just building an Epub out of all the parts as I get them so I will have the complete book - one final chapter to go.

[jbrady33]

seems the whole book is out now, haven't seen it in epub yet though

[jaysee]

what a bizarre way of releasing an ebook, cant see any logic in it

Kind of hard to blame them. After all, it worked for Stephen King with "The Green Mile."

Actually he took the idea from Charles Dickens who published a number of his works in serial form (see herefor a full list)

It's called ripping off the readers. Just wait for the complete book to appear which is what I did with the Green Mile.

Not really. It equates to the same price as a hard back book so you;re paying the same amount whether one installment of $13 on 99c.

[★★★★★]

what a bizarre way of releasing an ebook, cant see any logic in it

Not really. Almost all books used to be released like this. Literary magazines would publish them chapter by chapter, like with shows nowadays. Pretty much all of Dumas' novels for example were published like this, along with many works by Dickens, Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. There can be some logic behind this way of publishing even today. A reader may only want to read one chapter to see if the book interests him or if he gets bored midway he only ends up paying for half of the book. Back then though I think the logic was that the magazines would pay the authors for the right to serialize the novel and as a result increase profits for both (magazine has larger following, customers buy many magazines issues). Also an author could effectively make a pilot of a book to test the waters.

[jaysee]

what a bizarre way of releasing an ebook, cant see any logic in it

Not really. Almost all books used to be released like this. Literary magazines would publish them chapter by chapter, like with shows nowadays. Pretty much all of Dumas' novels for example were published like this, along with many works by Dickens, Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. There can be some logic behind this way of publishing even today. A reader may only want to read one chapter to see if the book interests him or if he gets bored midway he only ends up paying for half of the book. Back then though I think the logic was that the magazines would pay the authors for the right to serialize the novel and as a result increase profits for both (magazine has larger following, customers buy many magazines issues). Also an author could effectively make a pilot of a book to test the waters.

This.

It also had to do with paper shortages, I think.