Comments on: Is author getting the raw end of the deal?

By: Danielle West

Danielle West — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 19:50:31 +0000

I will not be reading this series until it is one book and at around half the cost. I want to have the decision to read the book in one sitting and I will never pay that much for an ebook, let alone a bunch of chapters. You already know how annoying it can be while reading a series and having to remember the book title for each installment if it is not on the cover. It is ridiculous to think of having to do the same for ONE BOOK. No way. I don’t blame the author, it is the greedy publisher. If I could stay away from Penguin all-together, I would. They are the worst at robbing ebook customers just because we are ebook customers.

By: Tin

Tin — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 05:06:20 +0000

Ooops — my mistake: it’s $1.99 for 2 chapters. Still too expensive.

By: Cynthia Y.

Cynthia Y. — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:19:48 +0000

I would not be interested in buying a serialized novel. I recently became aware of how authors are usually at the mercy of the publisher. I did not know this before. Now that I do I would not blame the author at the outset.

I don’t know if many readers would know that the decision was made by the publisher and understand how the author would bear the blame as it is their name on the book.

In the case of Ms. Kery it is not clear who the made the decision and it would be wiser to reserve judgment until one has more information.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:36:14 +0000

I would hate that serialization and price bloat. A student loaned me her copy of The Green Mile by Stephen King that had been released as a serial. There was so much “refresher” material that it was a detraction to the overall story, like those shows that give you a preview of what’s coming after the commercial and then repeats what happened just before the commercial. I don’t have the patience for being spoonfed much less being on someone else’s time schedule.

As for reviews in general, I wish those who did reviews would only review what they’ve actually read or a product they’ve actually used or that they actually provide valid reasons for their scoring. I’ve read reviews where someone says they couldn’t get past the beginning and therefore didn’t read the story. That didn’t keep them from blasting the author on a story they admitted they hadn’t even read.

By: Marilynn Layden

Marilynn Layden — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:17:51 +0000

I feel for the author. But, maybe it is good that there are so many comments in the negative. At least the publisher will note the lack of sales. I read a book not too long ago – I can’t remember the name – that did not end. I discovered that this full length book was continued in the author’s next release. I did comment on this and noticed that someone else was as disgusted as I was.

I hope releasing her book this way does not discourage Ms. Kery. Maybe she should try to find another publisher that is not quite so greedy.

By: Karen H in NC

Karen H in NC — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:58:45 +0000

I got sucked into something like this a few months ago. I got the first installment of the book free. There were 6 parts to the story and the way the books were titled, it sounded like each book was a separate short story. However, when I got to the end of the free book, I discovered it was part one of a continuing story. To find out the rest of the story, one needed to purchase each of the remaining 5 parts at $1.99 each. It was only after buying 3 more parts that I discovered the story was also available combined in one volume with a slightly different title…making the reader/buyer to think it was a revisiting and/or continuation of the original story. When I realized it was the very same, I was faced with a dilemma…do I buy the whole book at $7 even thought I would be getting a repeat of the first 4 books and ultimately spend $13 for it or continue on the way I started and buy the 2 remaining parts separately? Either way, I was going to end up spending more than I normally do to buy a book. The story was good, but not THAT good. Shame on me…I got fooled by a marketing trick. I’ll be on the lookout for similar tricks in the future.

The only thing I can say for my experience as opposed to the problems with Ms. Kery’s book…while not a complete book, I got a whole part…not just a couple of chapters.

By: Sumiyati E Monoarfa

Sumiyati E Monoarfa — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 03:48:52 +0000

I absolutely wouldn’t buy a book a chapter or two at a time. That price is ridiculous, when I could buy two books, maybe three if I caught a sale. However, I wouldn’t blame the author either. Business is business whether the author had a say in the way the book would be sold or not. If we know what the end price would be by buying the book chapter by chapter, we the public can only blame ourselves for the foolishness that Penguin is testing on the gullible. We the public can also refuse to buy the book in this manner and then Penguin, might give up the idea. I also agree with the others that said THE REVIEW SHOULD BE BASED ON THE STORY/BOOK, not the sale price or how it is marketed. Something to think about.~

By: bn100

bn100 — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 01:42:32 +0000

I don’t think I would buy this.

By: Chris Mead

Chris Mead — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 01:18:25 +0000

I would not buy a book unless I got the whole book all at once. I think that it ridiculous to end up paying $16 for one book!

By: Tin

Tin — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 01:10:32 +0000

I actually went and read the reviews on Amazon — the consensus seems to be that it’s a really good story but readers don’t like the price point and the shortness of each installment.

I think serializing a story is fine — comic books follow this practice with individual issues being sold monthly and then a trade paperback comes out a few months after and comes out cheaper than buying it in singles.

BUT, publishers should still give readers their money’s worth. $2.99 for 2 chapters is too expensive. (It’s $3.99 for international readers, btw.)