E-Books - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

E-Books

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Mortani
Jun 12, 2008 19:13:23 I recall reading that the E-Books would be available for a nominal fee for those of us who purchased the physical books. Is this still the case? Are they available? I don’t see any sort of key in the book that just arrived. I see mention of them in the FAQ but couldn't find anything definitive.
#2
Kentinal
Jun 12, 2008 19:42:59
I recall reading that the E-Books would be available for a nominal fee for those of us who purchased the physical books. Is this still the case? Are they available? I don’t see any sort of key in the book that just arrived. I see mention of them in the FAQ but couldn't find anything definitive.

This is not still the case of unlocking an ebook on line, however WotC will offer for an unknown price a PDF of the books you purchased. Many suspect the cost will be higher then nominal, because there is no system in place to verify you purchased hard copy.
#3
Mortani
Jun 12, 2008 22:00:17 Darn. Thanks for the info though. I've been trying to keep up with all the posts, but I keep getting bleary eyed reading through all of the flame fests.
#4
epochgames
Jun 12, 2008 23:37:07 I can understand Wiz trying to cut costs by not going through a serial code or CD version to get the PDFs into people's hands. However, let's look at something. Downloads. Come on, face it, it's a way of modern life. I wouldn't be surprised if a hefty percentage of these boards has them, whether they did or did not purchase the actual physical product. People often download not simply to cheat, but because the product may be too pricey for them. My overall beef with RPG PDFs is the price. These books are priced at typically the same as any retail store. Okay, you're getting the information, but not the physical product. This cuts down on overhead. Yes, it uses bandwidth and more IT, but this is nowhere near the cost of printing, storage, shipping, etc. So, let me just request a few things from the folks over at Wiz on the subject of PDFs. Hopefully, some of this will carry over to the Dragon and Dungeon articles as well.

1. Make them cheaper (not the mags, as they'll be part of DDi, but the books)

2. Organize/tab/link/searchable. This would possibly drive the price up a bit, but by how much is unsure, as I am unsure of the editing process that goes on at Wiz. some editors do this internally with pre-press documents, to keep their teams on the same page. I hope it's possible to do this not only with the books, but also with the downloaded versions of the articles.

3. Offer *more* content. You've had those web exclusive initiatives for awhile. Buy the book then jump online to grab a nugget or two that may have been left on the cutting room floor, so to speak. No reason this can't be added as an appendix to a PDF.

4. Along the same lines as number 3. Maybe there just isn't enough room in a book or the magazines to get out some really cool material. I think everyone here would be open to some web/pdf only content. But, ya gotta watch your pricing here and make sure we're not losing out on what might've once been on the site or in the mags.

Number 1 and number 2 are my biggies, though.
#5
naraic
Jun 13, 2008 3:55:50 should amalgamate this thread with the unique code thread...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Mortani Jun 12, 2008 19:13:23	I recall reading that the E-Books would be available for a nominal fee for those of us who purchased the physical books. Is this still the case? Are they available? I don’t see any sort of key in the book that just arrived. I see mention of them in the FAQ but couldn't find anything definitive.
#2 Kentinal Jun 12, 2008 19:42:59	I recall reading that the E-Books would be available for a nominal fee for those of us who purchased the physical books. Is this still the case? Are they available? I don’t see any sort of key in the book that just arrived. I see mention of them in the FAQ but couldn't find anything definitive. This is not still the case of unlocking an ebook on line, however WotC will offer for an unknown price a PDF of the books you purchased. Many suspect the cost will be higher then nominal, because there is no system in place to verify you purchased hard copy.
#3 Mortani Jun 12, 2008 22:00:17	Darn. Thanks for the info though. I've been trying to keep up with all the posts, but I keep getting bleary eyed reading through all of the flame fests.
#4 epochgames Jun 12, 2008 23:37:07	I can understand Wiz trying to cut costs by not going through a serial code or CD version to get the PDFs into people's hands. However, let's look at something. Downloads. Come on, face it, it's a way of modern life. I wouldn't be surprised if a hefty percentage of these boards has them, whether they did or did not purchase the actual physical product. People often download not simply to cheat, but because the product may be too pricey for them. My overall beef with RPG PDFs is the price. These books are priced at typically the same as any retail store. Okay, you're getting the information, but not the physical product. This cuts down on overhead. Yes, it uses bandwidth and more IT, but this is nowhere near the cost of printing, storage, shipping, etc. So, let me just request a few things from the folks over at Wiz on the subject of PDFs. Hopefully, some of this will carry over to the Dragon and Dungeon articles as well. 1. Make them cheaper (not the mags, as they'll be part of DDi, but the books) 2. Organize/tab/link/searchable. This would possibly drive the price up a bit, but by how much is unsure, as I am unsure of the editing process that goes on at Wiz. some editors do this internally with pre-press documents, to keep their teams on the same page. I hope it's possible to do this not only with the books, but also with the downloaded versions of the articles. 3. Offer more content. You've had those web exclusive initiatives for awhile. Buy the book then jump online to grab a nugget or two that may have been left on the cutting room floor, so to speak. No reason this can't be added as an appendix to a PDF. 4. Along the same lines as number 3. Maybe there just isn't enough room in a book or the magazines to get out some really cool material. I think everyone here would be open to some web/pdf only content. But, ya gotta watch your pricing here and make sure we're not losing out on what might've once been on the site or in the mags. Number 1 and number 2 are my biggies, though.
#5 naraic Jun 13, 2008 3:55:50	should amalgamate this thread with the unique code thread...