Massassi Forums Logo

This is the static archive of the Massassi Forums. The forums are closed indefinitely. Thanks for all the memories!

You can also download Super Old Archived Message Boards from when Massassi first started.

"View" counts are as of the day the forums were archived, and will no longer increase.

ForumsDiscussion Forum → The Humble eBook Bundle
The Humble eBook Bundle
2012-10-09, 11:07 AM #1
http://www.humblebundle.com/?humbleEbookBundle
? :)
2012-10-09, 12:13 PM #2
If I had an ebook reader, I'd be all over this.
I had a blog. It sucked.
2012-10-09, 1:03 PM #3
i bought it... more books for ereader that i probably won't get around to reading
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2012-10-09, 3:54 PM #4
I would buy it for $0.01, if I had an ebook reader.
2012-10-09, 5:21 PM #5
Originally posted by ragna:
I would buy it for $0.01, if I had an ebook reader.


why am i not surprised you're one of those *******s
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2012-10-10, 12:54 AM #6
I do most of my reading on my iPad but I frequent this place for used books often enough as well. I've come to prefer eBooks--partly because I don't usually pay for them, but also because of just how fluid the entire process of searching, downloading & reading actually is (convenience is wonderful when you're very busy). Granted, one can just bypass this particular system & pirate these particular books, but I think that the combination of charity & nearly directly paying the artist is a very attractive one & that most people don't do so (e.g. the Humble Indie Bundles aren't that popular amongst pirates--at least not in comparison with non-independent media). I suspect that most people that partake in these types of things enjoy the feeling of being part of a revolution of sorts.
? :)
2012-10-10, 7:25 AM #7
If i had the time to actually sit down and read something, I would be all over this. As it is, most of my book consumption consists of audio books or textbooks. When/if they release a humble audio book bundle, definitely would go for it though.
My girlfriend paid a lot of money for that tv; I want to watch ALL OF IT. - JM
2012-10-10, 8:17 AM #8
Originally posted by DrkJedi82:
why am i not surprised you're one of those *******s


why in the **** would i support ****ty indie writers?

if i think a book is good, i'll go out and buy it. that's how i support authors, not going to go around giving a participation award to those who didn't make it.
2012-10-10, 8:48 AM #9
Originally posted by ragna:
why in the **** would i support ****ty indie writers?

if i think a book is good, i'll go out and buy it. that's how i support authors, not going to go around giving a participation award to those who didn't make it.


like i said... you're an *******

you could just as easily give jack **** to the authors and give it all to charity

i am a little surprised that this bundle has far fewer ******* paying only a penny and driving the average price down than you get with the game bundles
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2012-10-10, 9:05 AM #10
People used to call me a retard, but now I'm a broker for J.P. Morgan.
2012-10-10, 11:36 AM #11
The whole point behind this is to promote authors that might be quite good, but for any number of reasons aren't readily available via major publishers. Either they don't have a wide enough appeal to be considered profitable or just haven't gotten lucky enough for the publishing racket to notice them yet. Just because something isn't on the front shelf at Barnes & Noble doesn't mean it isn't worth reading.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2012-10-10, 11:39 AM #12
If Oprah doesn't tell me to read it, I'm not touching it.
"Honey, you got real ugly."
2012-10-10, 11:44 AM #13
Neil Gaiman and Cory Doctorow, ****ty indie writers.
2012-10-10, 3:32 PM #14
Originally posted by ragna:
why in the **** would i support ****ty indie writers?

if i think a book is good, i'll go out and buy it. that's how i support authors, not going to go around giving a participation award to those who didn't make it.


Yeah I agree. I feel like if someone just doesn't have the writing chops to get published by Random House or something we probably shouldn't give them any support. Mainstream publishers exist for a reason, and that reason is to filter out people who don't have talent, this is why books published by publishers have much much higher standards of writing across the board. Any survey of any Borders bookstore will bear this out. Also, generally, people who can't get published by major publishers aren't working hard enough. In fact, the motto of one of my favorite 20th Century German publishers was 'Work will make you free'.

Edit:I'm trying desperate to remember the actual German phrase that their motto was, but it is totally failing to escape the deep dark furnaces of my mind.
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2012-10-10, 3:48 PM #15
I disagree. It is a regular practice of most, if not all publishers, to read only a small excerpt of material submitted for publication because most publishing companies are inundated with thousands of new submissions on a regular basis. Believe it or not, the factor they use to determine if they even read an excerpt from a submission is if the author has been previously published. It's really a very difficult industry to break into.

Indie platforms are a great way for first time writers to get their work to an audience. Granted, there are quite a few writers without a lick of talent that do take advantage of the Indie platform, but that doesn't mean everything out there is garbage. I honestly believe its only a matter of time before the next "big thing" (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc) comes out on an independent platform.
Completely Overrated Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Comple...59732330769611
A community dedicated to discussing all things entertainment.
2012-10-10, 4:30 PM #16
Paolo Bacigalupi is hardly particularly Indy either. He's won both the Nebula and Hugo awards for best novel with The Windup Girl which has been a featured book on the SFF shelves in UK bookshops quite a lot.

Originally posted by Spook:
Edit:I'm trying desperate to remember the actual German phrase that their motto was, but it is totally failing to escape the deep dark furnaces of my mind.

Arbeit macht frei
2012-10-10, 4:30 PM #17
Spook is being sarcastic, DJ ;).
2012-10-10, 5:32 PM #18
Originally posted by ragna:
why in the **** would i support ****ty indie writers?

if i think a book is good, i'll go out and buy it. that's how i support authors, not going to go around giving a participation award to those who didn't make it.


John Scalzi and Paolo Bacigalupi are hardly indie writers. Don't know about the others (except for Gaiman, of course, but it's a comic book, so he's disqualified). Bacigalupi's Pump Six is a book worth reading, if only for some of the stories there. His first published novel The Windup Girl won pretty much all the prestigious science fiction awards there were to win in 2010, too.
幻術
2012-10-10, 5:37 PM #19
Originally posted by Emon:
Either they don't have a wide enough appeal to be considered profitable or just haven't gotten lucky enough for the publishing racket to notice them yet.


Yep... I guess they want more people to read their books. :)

And why shouldn't they? I think this is pretty cool, actually.
幻術
2012-10-10, 5:44 PM #20
Originally posted by Darth J:
I honestly believe its only a matter of time before the next "big thing" (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc) comes out on an independent platform.


That happened more than once. Take Fifty Shades of Grey for example. I read a few excerpts, it's rubbish.
幻術
2012-10-10, 5:47 PM #21
so to summarize the thread for those just tuning in, most of these authors are relatively famous and critically acclaimed and ragna is just being ragna.
2012-10-10, 6:57 PM #22
Totally missed the satire!

And I also read parts of "Fifty Shades of Grey," and also found it atrocious.
Completely Overrated Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Comple...59732330769611
A community dedicated to discussing all things entertainment.
2012-10-11, 4:02 PM #23
Hey look, a ****ty indie writer is answering questions on reddit http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11bm9i/iam_cory_doctorow_writer_blogger_and_activist_ama/
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

↑ Up to the top!