Amazon and Penguin are bickering, and the Kindle edition of “Changes” has been caught up in the crossfire. Fans around the world are getting email notifications from Amazon that their “Changes” preorders have been canceled.
Jim had no say in this decision, and he’s already received an outpouring of mail from fans perplexed and angered at this chain of events. We know many of you were relying on this being available on release day, and we’re every bit as frustrated as you are. We’re confident the conflict will not be drawn out much longer, but we have no way of knowing if it will be resolved in time for the book’s Tuesday release. We have no doubt that “Changes” will be available for the Kindle at some point, but whether that’s tomorrow, next week, or next month is anyone’s guess.
We hope this doesn’t unduly inconvenience you guys, and we thank you for bearing with us in this exceptionally annoying time.
Blasphemy? Thats the dumbest thing I ever heard. The Kindle is great for me as I to am in the Armed Forces. Kind of hard to take all my hardbacks with me when I’m deployed. Kindle and other ereaders allow me to enjoy my books.
Richard is one of those long lived scribes who was railing against Gutenberg and his “damnable press” back in 1440. Kindle is just another afront to his sensibilities.
Penguin is now being held up in the press as an example of a badly run company. Amazon is getting along fine with the other big five, Harper Collins is going out of their way to accomodate their e-readers with free stuff DAILY, while slightly raising their prices. Random House never signed the agency contract which is the heart of this problem and all of their releases are humming along. I really hope when Jim’s contract is up, his agent shops around — Penguin/Roc is not where he should be (IMHO).
I check daily to see if the book is available on Kindle yet. I’m so disappointed. I hope Jim Butcher picks a better publisher. I too emailed the publisher and got the canned response. I wonder if the email complaints go any further than customer service. My guess is that the CEO never even sees them. He certainly doesn’t respond to them. Must be nice to be so insulated from the ugly. I borrowed from the library but wanted it on my kindle. Unless it comes out that way I won’t purchase it. No more room in my home.
Has anyone heard anything about how the negotiations are going? There doesn’t seem to be any current posting on the network anywhere saying how much longer we have to wait…
Over the past month or so, I’ve purchased the entire Dresden Files on my Kindle, mainly for convenience (no wait from Amazon and no trip to the book store# and not having to store another book #I’ve got hundreds).
I already have most of them in paperback/hardcover, but I’m in the process of switching all my favorites over to Kindle. I don’t buy paper books anymore.
To say that I’m disappointed that “Changes” isn’t out in Kindle format is an understatement.
I seriously hope that they resolve the issue soon; the only thing they’re doing is hurting their customers and thus themselves.
Mike DeYoung, I must honestly say the kindle would be a great thing for soldiers.
the one i bought 4 months ago is sitting at the top of my book shelf collecting dust, to me it seemed to suck the enjoyment out of the book, i figured it would be nice to have a kindle considering i’ve read between 150-250 books a year since freshman year and still have time for work and sports.
So, whadda we looking at here, now? Another week? A month? Six months? Never? While this may be out of Mr. Butcher’s control, I gotta believe his agent can find out how it’s going with the Amazon/Penguin negotiations. Do you guys ever feel like we’re just simply voices in the wilderness?
Well I am one of those who ordered it on Kindle, ordered a hardback from Amazon, and when that didn’t arrive on my doorstep on release day, went out and bought a copy from B&N to read. BY the time the Amazon copy showed up, I was 2/3 done reading the book. Phoo to Amazon on both counts. I hope their little spat hurts them a lot. This is the sort of thing that opens the door for competitors to swoop in and say ‘If Amazon isn’t satisfying your needs, we’re much more reasonable and will be glad to offer your products through our service’ and Amazon finds itself high and dry and made of fail for their presumptuousness. Too bad it hurts the writers in the process. Well Jim, I bought three copies out of impatience, so that should cover two other people who had to cancel.
It really sucks that it still isn’t on the kindle. I cannot seem to find any updates on how the talks are going with amazon and penguin. Anyone heard anything? Ever since I started reading on the kindle I can’t read anything else. I really hate that there are so many people that are just waiting in the dark until we receive good news. Anyone have any suggestions to read while I wait for changes on the kindle? I just caught up on the nightside series. While it’s good it’s no Dresden.
Changes is available for the iPad from the iBook store. So, what Amazon needs to figure out, and quick, is that their reader (yes, I own a Kindle and like it a lot) is now the least capable of all the readers out there and customer service is the only reason, repeat… ONLY reason to continue to shop for e-books there.
Actually, iPad could be voted as “least capable” e-reader because Random House is NOWHERE on iPad (one of the big six not to sign the agency agreement forced on them by Apple).
Again, Changes is available “elsewhere” for enterprising searchers willing to search, and, still available for $9.99 at Amazon in hardcover.
Then again, you can run Kindle e-Reader software on an iPad. I’m glad I’m getting one; I like the idea of a single device which I can use to shop and read content from multiple eBook-stores on, rather than a device which only gives me the one option…
Yes, yes, yes – the ipad is the pancea of computing, etc., etc., – ‘course, it doesn’t use the E Ink
I am just getting more and more pissed off at everyone involved (except Jim, of course). Amazon and Penguin need to stop trying to figure out who has the bigger……eh hem lawyer and work things out. I’m also pissed at Apple for pulling the same heavy handed BS they always try to pull (or at least that is what it looks like is happening). They couldn’t make the publishers sign an exclusive deal like they did with the I-phone so they gave them a deal that the publishers are now using to screw everyone else by trying to force the other E-books match. And of course the readers are the ones who really get shafted.
I totally agree with everything being said about the Kindle, I have read over 50 books in the past few months, I love it and they need to get this thing worked out. However its a Dresden book and I just couldn’t wait so I bought it on amazon for 8 bucks! Thats feels like a steal, but I just want Jim to know that we support him and to keep rolling 20s.
Grrr… Come on already with the Kindle version.
I’m posting this from an iPad. The device is great, but it’s most definitely not the “most capable book reader.”
It’s heavy, the backlit screen is hard on the eyes, you can’t read outside because of the glare on the screen. Not only that but you need two hands to read a book, no more one handed reading.
That said, it’s fantastic. iPad is a netbook-killer not a kindle-killer.
I’ll be waiting (impatiently) until the Kindle version comes out.
(shrugs)
I have been reading other books while waiting. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is a test case for Penguin. How many Kindle readers will buy the hard back.
Whatever, there is more then enough to read out there. The longer it takes the book out on Kindle, the less likely I am to buy it. There are other series in the same genre that I enjoy. I’ll spend my money on them.
It really is sad that the author and his readers get screwed over by greedy Publishers. And yes, I put this solely on the Publisher. They are the ones ignoring the changing market and trying to force a crappy old system on us.
I’ve read 100 plus books on my Kindle, I read on a daily basis. I’ve read all of the Dresden Files 3 times and was eagerly anticipating Changes. (I’m a big Jim Butcher fan) I’m royally ticked at Penguin publishers (and Amazon). I’ve written to both complaining. I believe if everyone would write to Penguin publishers and conplain loudly we would see results faster. I told them I refused to buy the hardback and would get it at the library, then buy it when it was available for Kindle.
Penguin sent me a email telling me it was available as an ebook on other readers and in hardback. They, of course are blaming Amazon. I believe the blame rests squarely on Penguin.
Authors need to stop giving their eRights to top publishers who are price gouging.
I am very upset with this situation. Seems like my favorite authors are not standing up to the publishing industry. Therefore I am no longer being able to give them my money.
I am no longer buying ANY books from these publishers. I’ll get the book from the library or wait a week and buy it used. If I have to have it on my Kindle App I will download a bootleg pdf and convert it. Or pay some unemployed person to type it into a pdf file for me.
I’m holding off buying until the Kindle edition is released. My question is how can we push Penguin to expedite this issue? The irony is that they own Pearson Education who is all about technology in the academic markets which they leverage with their expensive textbooks to gauge students’ pocketbooks. Talk about being a bit too greedy, eh?
We feel bad that Mr. Butcher is caught in the middle of this battle, but we will NOT reward Penguin in any way for this unethical behavior regarding Kindle. I have bought the Dresden file books since they first came out and when my son moved out he took all the physical books with him. I bought Kindles for each of us and was planning to rebuy all the books on Kindle and was starting to get the Codex books as well. I had planned to get Changes as soon as it came uot but….. Sorry, Jim. As much as we like the books and looked forward to the next one, I must stick to my guns and wait it out. Hope Penguin comes to its senses soon.