NobleDead.org - High/Dark Fantasy Fiction by Barb Hendee and J.C. Hendee

When an article published over at NDAS might be of interest to some who follow NobleDead.org, we will echo it here. In this case, a question and its answer will be of interest to not only would-be and professional authors but also students… or anyone who wishes to try a full and potent but free office suite…

Though announced today through some of this site’s social networks, we now follow up with something more official. N.D. Author Services (a.k.a. NDAS) is open for business after a few different people / groups prodded J.C. (and Barb) to offer up their diverse skills to other authors. 

NDAS is just starting out. For now it offers a slowly growing gallery of premade ebook covers (some of which could be adapted to print). Custom cover and EPUB services will follow along with more for would-be and established authors. If you have questions or a need for something not yet listed at that site, feel free to send a query through the NDAS Contact section.

You can learn more by visiting the site than can be covered herein. But as said, be patient, for NDAS is an in-development operation.

About 34 hours left in this first of three raffles for a signed paperback first edition of MW1: The Mist-Torn Witches, first in a new series by Barb Hendee. See the instructions in this previous announcement. But there is one more thing you should know…

Over at the Penguin-Putnam Facebook page, you can find the new “Barb Hendee Sweepstakes!” Yes, another chance to win a free copy of this book. Take your time and read the instructions carefully to fulfill all necessary requirements.

So, what you are waiting for? After all, how often do you get a chance for a free first edition of a new release from both the author and her publisher? Get moving, already!

I (J.C.) won’t go into much detail on the recent press release from Amazon for two reasons: it has been covered elsewhere (see the links below) and very little was said at all by the company. Most times I don’t do personalized articles for NobleDead.org, but this topic does relate to the industry I’m linked into. You pure readers might not be interested… or maybe you would…

This will be my (J.C.) last note on this topic for a while. There is little more to say that you have not already heard or want to hear — if you have been following along or sought out more info on your own. Like happened in the Music industry, DRM is beginning to fracture in the ebook industry, this time in the open rather than unseen to the public eye. It may not disappear entirely, but cracks can be widened over time with enough applied force and decay of the chains. The problem still remains as to what can effectively protect authors and publishers from book theft without infringing on consumer rights or being subject to the dictates of the vendors. It may well be a pipe dream that is not to be. I touched upon this in some ways previously in how print books were never safe once we entered the digital age; that was an illusion.

A while back, publishers large and small demanded the option to not use DRM on certain or all titles they released; it was the large operations that made a difference. Vendors had to comply when a couple of those made it clear that they intended to turn away from DRM as it existed… and would not list titles with certain vendors that did not comply. Even the direct publishing portals we use have or now have the option to not use DRM.

The vendors still control the actual DRM process, and at present, there is no other option or way that its use is efficient. Or in other words, it is not efficient for publishers and authors to live with a system that is outside of their control for their rights. Obviously, at least major publishers (if not authors) have some influence to bring to bear. In fact, it started a little while back, as you will note in the articles below.

The first link at the bottom of this article is one that was broken in the first of this series of commentaries, but it is just as appropriate here. Also take note of the sites these articles come from; some are actually geared specifically to information in ebook, publishing, and library industries. With all of this in mind, Barb and I will try our first experiment in non-DRM publishing as well.

The upcoming release of Homeward, IV: The Keepers by Barb will be DRM free.

This won’t mean much to Kindle users, as Amazon’s AZW/TOPAZ format will not “play” on anything but a Kindle device/app. But you can still get your hands on Calibre to transcode it into EPUB if need be for other devices you personally own. Without DRM in your way, it is 100% legal to do so… but just your own devices and not anyone else’s. For those buying through one of our other selected vendors, you will already be purchasing an ebook in the EPUB format, the most common format worldwide.

We will see how this experiment goes with this one title for about a month before we make any decisions concerning past “tales.” Time for us as well to put some faith in our readers. I (J.C.) just got knocked down with a head cold in the middle of freakish heat wave in Oregon of all places; 101F yesterday by 1 p.m., PST. But I will still be up on my feet long enough to get this next entry in Tales from the world of the Noble Dead Saga out the door. Then, fate willing, and barring no other catastrophes, I need to get back my actual writing.

Stay Tuned!

• Publishers begin removing DRM from ebooks
• UK publisher, Duncan Baird Publishers, goes DRM free
• Amazon quietly lets publishers remove DRM from Kindle ebooks

“Book Spirit Hiramori”
by CurlyHair @ DeviantArt.com

No rambling commentary this time. Rather just some links to opinions, facts, and other issues. DRM is a complicated matter with far reaching complications, implications, and peripheral damage. And sometimes, any one faction in the war may actually be on more than one side… depending on the details in question.

The following links were pointed out to me via FaceBook by a past college cohort and friend, who is also involved (as I once was in a different way) in the IT industry: Drew Morris.

I can’t say these articles will clear up any of your personal reader’s concerns, but there are some information and perspectives herein that I hadn’t thought about much myself. I’m learning more and more, like the rest who have taken an interest in their book and reading rights. So have a peek…

• Another Reason Why DRM Is Bad -- For Publishers
• DRM is crushing indie booksellers online

“Promise - Color Manipulation”
by Luthien27 (DeviantArt.com)

J.C. here again. Hopefully by now some or most of you who caught my last commentary about DRM (Digital Rights Management) have taken time to check out the articles I linked. Maybe some of you went further and sought out other viewpoints (rather than just opinions) on the topic, for you shouldn’t assume that those articles present all there is. As for myself, obviously I can only offer you my opinion, perhaps lacking the necessary level of support to turn it into a viewpoint. Yes, verifiable support is the difference between a viewpoint and just an opinion; some of you should know that old vulgar simile about opinions and everyone having one. That being said, I’ve a brief time window this morning to ramble on a bit…

Okay, first, just J.C. here, as if anyone can’t guess considering the topic. Second, I am no expert on the legal issues surrounding DRM (Digital Rights Management), as adapted for ebooks from its failed use in the digital music industry; but I’m always (re)learning a little something more. Third, I am still somewhat ambivalent and conflicted about all of this, even now.

As an author, I want to get paid, just like anyone who offers a product or service. How else am I going to make a living at what I want to do, which is write fiction? In theory, that’s what most people think DRM is all about. Well, aside from the publishers and vendors getting their cut, which any good business deserves. The problem is that DRM may not be about those things as much as we think. It’s also, perhaps moreso, about locking in customers via proprietary control. Some publishers (and even authors) are beginning shine a hard light on this.

On the other hand, tugging at the other side of heart and mind, spirit and Ka/Te/unique essence, are my readers… every author’s readers… anyone who loves books of any kind in any form. I believe in the right to use ebooks the same way we use print books… sharing with family, taking them wherever we want to go, and not answering to anyone for the property for which we paid good money, and no one telling us what to do with our books.

Caught between these two seemingly conflicted considerations, well, like most nonsense in the corporate (not “public”) and political worlds of my country, I will side with true citizens, true people, every time and even to my supposed loss. But maybe it isn’t a loss at all.

Compared to others, I’m not qualified (yet) to talk about why DRM is not what it has been made out to appear; yes, I have my opinion, but that’s not good enough for you.  It’s time to get informed as readers (and writers) and tell the pundits, gurus, and self-appointed bellowers to shove off. We decide for ourselves what’s really at stake.

I’m still having to think things through where DRM is concerned in our own private “Tales” project; it’s all rather confusing. As to the Noble Dead Saga, we have no say over those ebooks, so don’t send us a lot of notes about that, because is won’t get anywhere.

Here are some links below to worthwhile commentaries (though perhaps old by internet standards). If you know of others, speak up and tell us. Things are changing out there in the e-frontier for books and it’s not all just good or bad… but it could be getting better on average, and more so with every set of eyes that opens. I’ll share more as time and my stumbling about reveals to me.

• Publishers begin removing DRM from ebooks…

• Tor/Forge to Go DRM-Free By July

• More on DRM and ebooks

• The laws on Removing DRM from ebooks (and other things) are very confusing 
  (JC: And they shouldn’t be)

As everyone who follows our site may have guessed (or know), J.C. is a big advocate of

1. people being able to access epublications (ebooks and more) without an ereader device, and
2. what to know about consumer rights concerning purchased epublications, including the right to read that recently purchased ebook on any device personally owned.

Yes, you can read that ebook on any of your devices that can handle it natively or with an application or app. How is the only trick, and more on that part in a future article. For those who are curious and adventurous, you can do some investigating on your own by looking at Calibre. There are some other options as well.

One thing coming down the line is the ability to simply use a browser for your ebooks, both in purchasing and reading. Combine that with coming improvements in computer/device screen resolution and pixel interpolation, and it all sounds pretty good. But wait…