Would you buy a digital copy of Black Cross Red Star 4

[von_Tom]

All,

 

how many would buy a digital version of BCRS4 rather than a hardcopy/book? 

 

If you vote yes, please also say what format it would have to be in.  PDF is always tricky because it can just be copied and shared around. 

 

@ Developers/moderators please let this stay up as the content of this book is relevant to the late Kuban peninsula battles.

 

von Tom

Edited October 2, 2019 by von_Tom

[Diggun]

Some things are better digital. Books are not one of them. I say this as a librarian.

[adonys]

@[_FLAPS_]Diggun Books are better in digital format. I say this as an avid reader.

 

I'm interested in buying all 4 volumes as digital books. Both .pdf and .epub.

 

All ebooks formats can be easily copied and shared round, but that's not the point. The point is the first two volumes were digitized and spread around, and the rest of them will follow up sooner or later anyway. And I'm sure more sales have been lost because of lack of possibility to buy a digital format of these books than the ones gained due to the same reason. People who would pay for it will pay for it anyway, others just won't.

 

Also, I'm sure the number of sales would increase (and rather dramatically) if a digitized format would be available, at a correct price.

Edited October 2, 2019 by adonys

[Retnek]

@Diggun: Depends on ... I say that as an ambitious reader. There are thousands of rare books practically unavailable just because of the act of printing and distributing. The work is done, the text is ready to read. But at least some (most) of the authors don't want to become product-, PR- and logistics-managers, too. Not to mention all the legal and copyright-stuff one has to care for. Hundreds of hours of bureaucratic pain authors typically aren't interested in (to put it mildly).

 

Classically done book-publishing by publishing houses in our days doesn't care for small batches. High risk for them to make (enough) money with niche products about aviation history. In some cases the publishing houses tend to withhold knowledge from the market. As long as they can't make a good deal with it, there is a first, but for sure no second edition! Even with the 1st edition of 1000 books sold even 20 years ago they still have to wait and see, if the demand for a 2nd ed. might be high enough to take the risk. Don't get me wrong, I see the publishers sorrows, too.

 

Anyhow, I'm a reader and in trouble. Because just a few of the famished public libraries were able to buy a copy of a rare book - if any. I have to wait month to get hands on one of the rare and often well-worn copies - for all time rising interlibrary loans.

 

I very much hope authors writing about niche topics choose the way of digital publishing. If done right they are able to protect their intellectual property against long-term

adhesion contracts the publishing houses tend to offer. They can keep the additional charges of publishing low, too. All the forms of "digital protection" imho are fruitless - as soon as there are digital copies there are ways to convert them into unprotected copies, too.

Publishing a niche product about aviation I'd trust in the power of reviews spread by all the ways of internet. And a sufficient number of grown-up, honest readers willing to pay 50 € for a book presenting years of an authors life. I think the chances of earning money the "open source way" for niche topics are higher than trying to go old-school with publishing-houses, printing etc pp.

 

From the readers point of view a digital copy is pure heaven: I can get my hands on it within seconds. It's very compact, one can search, mark and cite it, build an index and - if I need that good old paper-feeling - even print it without much problem.

 

I very much hope the libraries see it as their duty to cover the new ways of publishing, too. Looking at the limited, often low quality digital portfolio of German public libraries or the very beginnings of interlibrary loan options ... still a long way to go.

Edited October 2, 2019 by JG4_Retnek

[JtD]

Well, I like to read through a pdf in order to obtain the information, but if it is a really good book, I want it in paper, in my hands and on my shelf. Black Cross - Red Star Volume 4 qualifies for that.

 

And even though I have it in paper, I'd probably also buy it as an e-book.

[unreasonable]

I like the smell and feel of physical books and find e-books, pdfs etc difficult to read. So I do not bother to buy individual books in electronic formats; I answered "no". 

 

For books to which you may want to refer, however, a complete ebook library that could be effectively scanned would be a boon. If I could have all of my non-fiction books in a searchable package I would do so.   This is not going to happen now for me, but if I were starting my library from scratch I would go the ebook route - perhaps as a supplement to the physical volumes if that was affordable, or just on it's own. Since I have had to sell two substantial book collections at various times, due to long distance moves and shortages of space and money, I am aware that an ebook collection would have saved me from losing access to many volumes.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

 Do not own a single e-book. I like to read from real books. Too many electronic gadgets around these days

[Bremspropeller]

I personally prefer real books, however, searching and finding stuff in my book-collection gets to be an ever increasing PITA, as you can't just hit a search-tab and find stuff quickly.

I'm not one of the people that puts stuff into their books (neither underlines, neither postits).

 

That said, I'd prefer BCRS as a physical copy. That said, I'd rather wait for the re-prints of volumes 1-3 before buying volume 4.

I perfectly get the reasons for getting vol 4 now and thus help funding vols 1-3, but I have started so many book-series series, that I just don't want to start another collection before I can buy all the volumes out to date at once.

[Gambit21]

I’d rather have an actual book, at a reasonable (normal) price.

 

I’m not paying a few hundred bucks for ANY book. (talking to you as well Brian Shul)

 

 

 

 

[9./JG27golani79]

I love reading physical books - but then I also like to read on my Kindle from time to time.

If there aren´t physical copies available at a reasonable price, I prefer digital versions.

 

So, I´d buy all 4 of the series if they were available as e-books.

[Chief_Mouser]

Factual and historical books I prefer in paper form. Novels and any fiction in electronic form. I recently cleared out 40 years worth of fiction books, including a lot of the 'classics' but not a single reference book went. The 'classics' are now on the Kindle.

[cardboard_killer]

I have a copy of Vol I and Vol II, first US editions I think. I had not realized people were paying big bucks for them. Does anyone in the US want to trade IL-2 pre-orders for them? Something like Tank Crew plus the three new planes coming up on pre-order soon?

8 minutes ago, Red_Cat said:

Factual and historical books I prefer in paper form. Novels and any fiction in electronic form. I recently cleared out 40 years worth of fiction books, including a lot of the 'classics' but not a single reference book went. The 'classics' are now on the Kindle.

 

I felt this way for a long time, but am now clearing out even the non-fiction books due to my fire tablet. The ability to have it all with me all the time as well as searching and bookmarks have tipped me over.

 

In fact, I am currently refinishing one of my old large bookcases after emptying it of books and selling most of them off, with some given to charity. Love the smell of tung oil in the morning.

[CanadaOne]

4 hours ago, Gambit21 said:

I’d rather have an actual book, at a reasonable (normal) price.

 

I’m not paying a few hundred bucks for ANY book. (talking to you as well Brian Shul)

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, there are a few I would. It's just being greedy perhaps, but it's true.

 

To the OP: I prefer physical books, but e-books are handy if they are repeatedly referenced books.