Ebook release delayed until Nov 2011 at Harriet's request.

[yoniy0]

It's not finns. It's anybody who orders from amazon.co.uk. Or you think amazon priorities finland higher than rest of countries?-)

I was attempting humor. Not successfully, it would appear.

The thing is, you guys are among the 'Europe 1' code countries. Yes, you get Amazon.co.uk shipments faster than people in 'Europe 2/3' code countries, not to mention 'international' code countries (this is me, in case you wonder). You also pay less in shipping fees (disregarding VAT for the moment. I know squat about that).

 

Think of us poor finnish readers who aren't fluent in english and wants to read it in finnish :) We are easily talking about DECADE before they have finished WOT.

I was under the impression that you guys are all fluent in 5 languages - including English - at the very least. Not joking this time.

[tneva82]

I was under the impression that you guys are all fluent in 5 languages - including English - at the very least. Not joking this time.

 

Lol no. Albeit english is pretty common but that's the general level. Finnish + english and that's it. Okay so we are required to learn swedish as well but let me tell you something: Most don't pay too much attention to that language.

 

And not everybody is interested in learning english either.

[nerd1]

I was so upset by this that after many years of just lurking on these boards I actually created an account. The personal preferences of readers (i.e. I like or don't like ereaders) is not the point of this. The point is that for many people, ereaders are a necessity. I travel for business aropund 110 days a year. Carrying the entire WoT anthology is not possible (it weighs a ton). For me it is a requirement to have it electronically. As for my friend, who is serving overseas in the military, he also cannot carry around dozens of books. Regardless of personal preferences among people, ebooks for some people are a requirement. After so many years and so many books... After reading and hoping for RJ during his struggles...I feel invested in this series like no other. I am personally just very disappointed.

 

Making a huge decision like this without even a word to the fans is not the type of behavior that I would expect from Team Jordan. I cannot even invent a cogent argument for this decision. If it is not greed, then they want to make sure the e-version is perfect? It is an e-version, run it like a software update and change the font/graphics afterward, and push the new version out later through the distribution channels that ebooks offer. No need to delay. As someone mentioned earler, if it is about rankings in the bestseller list, the chunk of ebooks is not going to change the overall dynamic here - as they would know if they ever allowed the e-version to release at the same time as others. Ask other authors - e-versions are a small percentage of their sales. I will not comment on piracy - just ask the record industry if not embracing electronic media was a good idea...

 

Thus, to me, there does not seem to be a rationale explanation for this. I am extremely disappointed with everyone involved here. Since we have had no explanation for this at all, I find the lack of transparency shameful.

[dbeman]

I was so upset by this that after many years of just lurking on these boards I actually created an account.

 

Ditto.

 

This is not the place to discuss the merits of an e-reader; suffice it to say I am an advocate for them.

 

While we don't necessarily know Harriet's reasons behind delaying the ebook release (which thanks to Brandon will now be released 9 months sooner) I can't help but feel that she is someone misguided.

 

Although Amazon my be manipulating the numbers a bit to boost Kindle sales, as of this summer Amazon was selling between 140 to 180 ebooks for every 100 hardcover books sold, and that a few authors (including Stepanie Meyers) have sold over 500,000 digital books.

 

Even if a significant percentage of these folks decide to buy the hardcover as opposed to practicing patience, that is a whole lot of missed sales opportunities during the initial release when the all important best seller data is being generated. Combine that with piracy issues which, while I don't advocate at all, will inevitably occur and we could be talking loss of sales figures in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 

While we may be too late to do anything about Towers of Midnight I do hope that, when the final installment of Wheel of Time is released, that the ebook is released simultaneously with the hardcover version.

[yoniy0]

I know this is no substitute, and that the following is a bit off topic. I'm writing it here because I never thought of the possibility, and it blew my mind to discover it, and some of you may feel the same way.

Those of us who don't already have an audible.com account (those of us who do, I'm assuming, already used their credit this month for ToM) can enter their introductory membership for 7.5$ per month (for the first 3 months). With it you get one free book a month, which covers ToM. It's available right now, all over the world, and you can even download the book to your Kindle and listen to it that way.

As I said, I know audio books aren't for everyone. I myself don't really like them, but it's ToM, you guys. Isn't it worth getting it today? Then you could take your time with the ebook, and wait until its pricing is more reasonable, so that you'll end up paying about the same for both as you would've paid for the hardcover.

 

Again, this isn't meant to say that holding back on the ebook was okay. I still disagree with that decision, though as I said before, it's Harriet's, and Harriet's alone. I just think this could be a nice solution for some of you.

[Guest mindaika]

I will wait until an ebook version is available before I acquire ToM. If the version that becomes available first is the pay version, then I'll get that. If not, well, I guess the decision has been made for me. Until then, I'll content myself by purchasing Sanderson's other books, which are available in eBook format.

[Guest mojosound]

I am rather disappointed at Tor. I was all set to get the ebook for my kindle and it was not there. I have heard rumors of February. This is no good. I buy everything digital now. An appartment is no place for large hard cover books. Is there anything we can do to get this out sooner?

[AnthonyJamesEnglish]

Well you WERE going to have to wait a whole 12months and thanks to BS you get it 9 months earlier than you would have.

Plus they LOSE money on ebooks that's why they delay them.

 

Personally i dont know what the problem is. I doubt anything will be done to make it any sooner than 3 months, and personally i think Harriet and co have done a good thing in the delay, why anyone would want to promote digital books over the real thing is beyond me, i'd much rather trade the space away for a good book any day of the week.There is nothing better than the smell and feel of a book in your hands compared to the nothing feeling of a ebook.

[nophone]

Well you WERE going to have to wait a whole 12months and thanks to BS you get it 9 months earlier than you would have.

Plus they LOSE money on ebooks that's why they delay them.

 

Personally i dont know what the problem is. I doubt anything will be done to make it any sooner than 3 months, and personally i think Harriet and co have done a good thing in the delay, why anyone would want to promote digital books over the real thing is beyond me, i'd much rather trade the space away for a good book any day of the week.There is nothing better than the smell and feel of a book in your hands compared to the nothing feeling of a ebook.

 

yep, they LOSE money on a paperless distributionless method of selling a product. did you just make that up? what's with having an unusually agressive and unnecessarily contemptious attitude about ebook reading? i mean if you life the feel of paper and the feeling of physicially progressing through a novel, i completely understand, but if you haven't used an ebook reader.

 

anyways. as far as the international community goes. the ebook is the best option for some people. you can store hundreds or thousands of books on 1 ereader and take them with you as you travel, on the subway, train or whatever.

 

i definitely don't think it feels like nothing. it's just my opinion, but ever since i got this thing, i feel sort of naked with out it.

 

which brings me to the reason i opened this thread in the first place. I NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! It's still not available in KOREA and the best option for me is probably going to wind up being the AUDIO book, which is fine, but i'm going to wait and see if they change their minds about the ebook. at the end of the day i may even buy the book at the foreign book store in SEOUL but there's no way i'd be able to part with it once i boght it and it's like another 10 pounds i'll have to move back to america with me when i leave. So far i have managed to avoid purchasing physical books here (a little bit of book trading with friends though). I may have to make an exception for this turning of the wheel.

 

p.s. i never will fully understand the hostility some people have towards ebook and audiobook readers.

[AnthonyJamesEnglish]

Well you WERE going to have to wait a whole 12months and thanks to BS you get it 9 months earlier than you would have.

Plus they LOSE money on ebooks that's why they delay them.

 

Personally i dont know what the problem is. I doubt anything will be done to make it any sooner than 3 months, and personally i think Harriet and co have done a good thing in the delay, why anyone would want to promote digital books over the real thing is beyond me, i'd much rather trade the space away for a good book any day of the week.There is nothing better than the smell and feel of a book in your hands compared to the nothing feeling of a ebook.

 

yep, they LOSE money on a paperless distributionless method of selling a product. did you just make that up? what's with having an unusually agressive and unnecessarily contemptious attitude about ebook reading? i mean if you life the feel of paper and the feeling of physicially progressing through a novel, i completely understand, but if you haven't used an ebook reader.

 

anyways. as far as the international community goes. the ebook is the best option for some people. you can store hundreds or thousands of books on 1 ereader and take them with you as you travel, on the subway, train or whatever.

 

i definitely don't think it feels like nothing. it's just my opinion, but ever since i got this thing, i feel sort of naked with out it.

 

which brings me to the reason i opened this thread in the first place. I NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! It's still not available in KOREA and the best option for me is probably going to wind up being the AUDIO book, which is fine, but i'm going to wait and see if they change their minds about the ebook. at the end of the day i may even buy the book at the foreign book store in SEOUL but there's no way i'd be able to part with it once i boght it and it's like another 10 pounds i'll have to move back to america with me when i leave. So far i have managed to avoid purchasing physical books here (a little bit of book trading with friends though). I may have to make an exception for this turning of the wheel.

 

p.s. i never will fully understand the hostility some people have towards ebook and audiobook readers.

 

I don't have hostility towards people, i just find it funny that people complain over things they obviously havent fully checked out, i mean BS already went into bat for the ebook crowd and he got a 9month result.

 

and they do lose money because in digital format it is easier to share the book around to a larger audience. If i want to loan a book to a friend i would have to physically hand them my copy where through digital media you can email, upload it anywhere for download etc..

 

I don't have anything against ebooks i just prefer the physical books more (and yes i did try digital books once and hated reading from a screen). I do understand the need for people to have digital books however if the author/publisher wants to promote the physical book over digital media that is their right and we as readers should be content in their wishes. Also whats stopping you from buying the book and then selling it before you go?

[NetSlider]

My two cents on the issue - I'm an audio books fan myself and I have to say that if they didn't release the audio books at the same time as paper ones I'd be very, very, very upset.

 

Plus, to say that somehow Tor is losing money on e-books is crazy. I guess they are afraid that pirates will get them but I've seen a big backlash from fans and a lot of them said they will pirate audio books instead of buying one as a sign of protest (with which I completely disagree). I'm glad BS got in and helped resolve the issue at least somewhat and I'm hoping the issue won't come up in the future, thought I couldn't care less (just keep my audio books coming and make sure audible is better at distributing next one better than ToM; had to wait 12 hours before downloading!); it's just fair is fair.

[sentientdolphin]

As for myself, I'll wait. The only reason I've begun looking at WoT forums and the like was to find out what was going on with the eBook. I've basically decided I won't buy paper books any more unless the book is a fantastic one off and not available any other way. If it's a book in a series and part of the series is available in eBook format? Then I'm not buying paper. (I have the same problem with Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, in that they haven't released books other than #1 and #7 as eBooks yet.)

 

If you want my money, publish digitally. If you want me to pay full price, publish digitally on the first day. If you want to release later, don't expect me to pay full price -- I'm patient enough to wait for the Third Age to come around again.

[Guest leingod86]

I'm extremely displeased with this decision. I was planning on purchasing ToM on day 1 and reading it over the weekend. I even took a day off for it. I don't like being bullied into buying a hardcover, though. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this situation, but I refuse to purchase the hardcover. Hopefully, this will come out sooner than February.

[dbeman]

Well you WERE going to have to wait a whole 12months and thanks to BS you get it 9 months earlier than you would have.

Plus they LOSE money on ebooks that's why they delay them.

 

I'm not exactly certain that publishers/authors lose money on ebooks...in fact I highly doubt it since its unlikely that companies would continue to offer a product if they were consistently losing money on it. You may as just throw money into the bushes or something.

 

While it may be true that the percentage of profit made from ebook sales is less than their hardcover counterparts, I have to imagine that the costs saved on purchasing paper, printing, binding and shipping more than offset the difference.

 

There is nothing better than the smell and feel of a book in your hands compared to the nothing feeling of a ebook.

 

Less than three months ago I would have totally agreed with you. Then someone gave me an e-reader and I've found that I don't miss paper books at all. (in fact I've been doing more reading than I ever have done before.)

 

In addition to the lack of clutter in my home from having stacks of books everywhere, my carbon footprint is being significantly reduced both in terms of using less paper now and, thinking beyond the scope of my lifetime, creating less waste when one of my descendants eventually throws my books away.

[sentientdolphin]

Plus they LOSE money on ebooks that's why they delay them.

 

Please educate me. How do they lose money on ebooks? They cost as much as a paperback with none of the printing or distribution costs. I'm sure Amazon/B&N/etc. take the fifth as their due. The editing costs are sunk costs -- they are present for any edition you might produce, and I suspect (based on conversations with friends and family in the publishing trade) that any incremental editing for the electronic edition is marginal relative to the paper editions.

 

Further, the costs of paper publishing are necessarily incurred up-front -- On Demand Printing doesn't exist at high volume. Electronic publishing has no such cost. In fact, the cost of production of the electronic edition diminishes as a proportion of revenue as unit sales increase. Whereas, with paper editions, these production costs cannot really be eliminated.

 

I'm glad BS was a strong advocate for the fan base, but if ebooks are a losing proposition for the publishers, then they are either doing something very very poorly, or have learned to do accounting from the music industry.

[Herogoeth]

Like most posting in this thread, I am also very displeased that there is no kindle version available at release.

 

It means that I am likely to borrow a copy from a peer, even if that copy is a pirated copy and the peer is on a peer 2 peer torrent network. I am personally an advocate of helping authors and publishers make money. Indeed, I avoid pirating any product which I would like to see more of. I believe that customer choice is vital, that we vote with our money, and that there needs to be negative consequences when any company/provider stomps on the desires of their demographic. The most effective method for the customer to drive negative consequence is harming the profit margins of the ill-behaving company. So we find that would-be customers have begun to actively seek pirated copies of this book, when they would have purchased it if a Kindle Edition was made available. So we find that all of the worst reviews on amazon.com are not describing the nature of the book, but merely lowering the ToM's average rating by giving it one star because no kindle edition is available.

 

The readers of the Wheel of Time series, especially those who prefer ebooks, are technologically savvy 'nerds'. This means that they are more than able to obtain a digital copy in a manner(pirating) which is less profitable for the publisher and the author if they feel that the publisher has somehow slighted them by refusing to respond to their preferences.

 

As far as how the economy of Ebooks actually works, the New York Times did a great piece on this subject on February 28, 2010, located at the following web address-

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/business/media/01ebooks.html?pagewanted=1

 

A chart can be found in that article which really drives the point across; Found Here.

[subx]

and they do lose money because in digital format it is easier to share the book around to a larger audience. If i want to loan a book to a friend i would have to physically hand them my copy where through digital media you can email, upload it anywhere for download etc..

 

Stop making stuff up. Kindle's don't even have a way to share books, unlike physical copies I'm not likely to "lend out" my $140 Kindle for a couple weeks for someone to read a book on it. There may be a way to lend out a book for a week or so in the future (this is possible on some e-readers and has been talking about for Kindle) but even that won't hurt sales anymore than someone lending out a copy of the hard back would. People that own Kindle's (or any other e-book reader) aren't all pirates or whatever you are trying to imply here.

 

Not to mention there's no used book market for digital. No one will be buying these books at a discount without the publisher getting money, they will make money on EVERY SALE. Even if they drop the price to $5 after the books been out for a few years, they still make money. It costs them NOTHING to do this, period.

 

There are the usual costs associated up front with any book, so I'm ok with selling it at the hard back price (the REAL hard back price, like $15-16, not the $30 they put on the cover). The publisher can still get $10+ per book, and saves the printing costs. Once those are done with, just like a paper back release, they can reduce the price later on and sell more. Unlike a paper back, there is zero cost to doing this. You still have to print a paper back, and store it and ship it.

 

 

As far as how the economy of Ebooks actually works, the New York Times did a great piece on this subject on February 28, 2010, located at the following web address-

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/business/media/01ebooks.html?pagewanted=1

 

A chart can be found in that article which really drives the point across; Found Here.

 

I liked that a lot, thanks. One thing that's pretty messed up though, they pay the author LESS even though they are actually making more? I'd love for them to make all ebooks $11.99 and give those extra two dollars directly to the author. That will never happen of course, they'd increase it $2 and give the author $0.25 and act like they are doing something good for writing.

[Guest soulcakeduck]

As a result of the decision to delay the ebook release, whether 3 months or 12, I will not purchase ToM, in any medium, at any date. I hope other disappointed readers will make the same decision, as it is the only way that your displeasure actually impacts those that made this decision. You've waited years, possibly decades, for this book--you can wait longer to receive it free from a library or friend. Express your displeasure.

 

 

During Jordan's Knife of Dreams book tour, I was fortunate enough to appear at a couple of book signings, wait in line a few times, and have an entire collection of WoT hardcovers signed by Jordan. This is my most prized addition to my library. They are the only books I don't read--instead, I use other copies (many hardcovers, some paperbacks; including eg the 4 hardcover copies of Knife of Dreams I bought during that tour to also have signed and gifted to friends who had encouraged me to read the series).

 

I am a fan in long standing, have pumped a lot of personal money--happily, gratefully!--into this franchise, and have no aversion to hardcover editions, in other words.

 

But for me, ebooks are a reality, and one that I rely on daily to make my habit convenient and manageable. I would have paid multiple times, gladly adding a hardcover copy to my collection and using the ebook copy immediately. This was not an option.

 

Tor, Sanderson, Harriet--you've lost another customer and multiple sales. My wallet will not return to the franchise unless future publications remedy this mistake. I can wait for a free version if this is how you treat some of your most dedicated customers.

 

Tor, especially: you know the power of digital publication. You regularly send me free ebooks that I have appreciated for years, including some of the first installments in my ebook library. WoT is a powerhouse franchise, and you're right to respect its owners' wishes ultimately, but I hope you advocated against this ridiculous decision.

 

 

As for "the bottom line": research shows that "pirates" wouldn't have paid for products even if they hadn't pirated them, that the accessibility of digital media makes it more popular and more profitable, so that the reasoning behind this decision amounts to draconian, luddite fear.

[Herogoeth]

In general, a great many people who pirate digital media only do so when they are acquiring the products which they deem unworthy of their cash.

 

I am one such person. I recognize that every time I make a purchase, I am voting with my money.

 

For instance, when I go to see a movie with a friend just to burn a few hours rather than to view a film which I deem worthy, I never purchase the ticket for an unworthy film. If I am going to see 'Saw 3D' I will purchase a ticket to see 'Inception' instead- directing my funds, and thus my vote, towards an excellent film rather than one that I probably shouldn't be spending my time on anyway. The same idea follows for pirating digital media.

 

While Wheel of Time has always proven to be worth my money, and thus has never been a something I have pirated, I feel like the refusal to make a Kindle Edition of ToM available for purchase is something that should be reacted to with a negative impact from the customers who would have purchased such a product. Acquiring this book from a peer, then, rather from the publisher, will hopefully drive the desired negative impact.

[mutt4a]

If the reason is they don't make as much money, ok FINE, sell it to me at FULL hardbook price, or even audio book price. I for one would have paid it, but will now insist paying essentially the paperbook price (unless they change their mind before I finish reading listening to it, will only pay premium for premium received)

 

If the reason is the counting for best seller then why isnt it counted as a SALE?

 

Sounds like there are political and financial reasons driving this decision. Both reasons effectively kept me from giving my money to them, and I would have been willing to have paid more for the luxury of my techno toy.

 

I wasn't given the choice, so I guess I'll have to go find other methods to get what I want, and I cant be sure that I will remember to get the author and estate my money for their work.....

[yoniy0]

I agree. Having paid 7.5$ for an audio version, I will now wait until I can get the ebook for ~8$, for a total of what Amazon asked for the hardcover. I won't pay more than that. Might be stupid, after all a difference of 4$ won't even register in my budget, but there's the principle of the thing. I didn't get what I wanted. They didn't owe me anything, but I wanted it, and I had to go without. Hence, I'm not willing to pay as much as I would have before (I didn't mind paying 16$ for the ebook, and even then I would've probably bought the hardcover the next time I traveled to the States. I have the rest, it's a pity not to go for a complete library...)

[dbeman]

Here is the email I received from the Tor's parent company's customer service department:

 

This publication has been delayed at the request of the author’s estate. Thanks

 

 

 

 

MPS Customer Service

16365 James Madison Highway

Gordonsville, Virginia 22942

(P) 888-330-8477

(F) 540-672-7703

 

I may be reading too much into it but I'm guessing that, if they had their way, the e-book version would already be for sale. (since, after all, it would mean more cash in their coffers.)

 

So the decision is Harriet's...as to what her reasoning is I can only guess. I suspect she had the same misguided notion about e-books that some other folks in this thread have already expressed (less of a profit, easier to pirate, etc.) However if piracy were truly the issue then I should state the audio book is already available on the torrent trackers.

[JenniferL]

I don't know if any of you are subscribed to Brandon's newsletter, but his assistant, Peter addressed this in the edition that went out last night.

 

A note on the ebook version of TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT. While the

hardcover and the audiobook (including the Audible and iTunes

versions) are out now, the ebook will not be released until

February. Remember that there weren't any Wheel of Time ebooks at

all until starting last year, and the ebook for THE GATHERING STORM

didn't come out until the mass market paperback was released in the

U.S. almost a year after the hardcover. It was originally Harriet's

plan to do the same thing with TofM, but Brandon spoke with her

last week and convinced her to move up the release to February.

 

I know a lot of you love your ebooks, but try not to be too

disappointed. Harriet is of the old guard who feel a book isn't a

book unless you can smell that paper and glue smell and riffle its

pages. It takes time to adapt to something completely new when

you've been doing things one way for decades. During Robert

Jordan's lifetime, the only ebooks he allowed to be sold were the

prologue teaser ebooks. Harriet has already bent significantly from

that by allowing the first twelve ebooks to come out one per month

over the last year as she did. Let's cut her some slack and

appreciate that the TofM ebook comes out in three months instead of

eleven. :) (And for goodness' sake, I wish diehard Kindle fans

would quit it with the one-star Amazon reviews of a book they

haven't even read. Sheesh!)

[dbeman]

I don't know if any of you are subscribed to Brandon's newsletter, but his assistant, Peter addressed this in the edition that went out last night.

 

I follow him on Twitter but don't subscribe to his newsletter. Its nice to finally know Harriet's reasoning behind the delay of the e-book's release; although I'm not quite sure how I feel about it being based on her personal reading preferences. Additionally the fact that the audiobook was released alongside the hard cover is pretty much a contradiction of her stated position.

 

But then again I don't have to like it; it is the way it is and that is that. She will be missing out on a huge chunk of sales but at this point I suspect her motivation is more about completing her late husband's legacy and less about getting royalty checks.

[nerd1]

I don't know if any of you are subscribed to Brandon's newsletter, but his assistant, Peter addressed this in the edition that went out last night.

 

A note on the ebook version of TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT. While the

hardcover and the audiobook (including the Audible and iTunes

versions) are out now, the ebook will not be released until

February. Remember that there weren't any Wheel of Time ebooks at

all until starting last year, and the ebook for THE GATHERING STORM

didn't come out until the mass market paperback was released in the

U.S. almost a year after the hardcover. It was originally Harriet's

plan to do the same thing with TofM, but Brandon spoke with her

last week and convinced her to move up the release to February.

 

I know a lot of you love your ebooks, but try not to be too

disappointed. Harriet is of the old guard who feel a book isn't a

book unless you can smell that paper and glue smell and riffle its

pages. It takes time to adapt to something completely new when

you've been doing things one way for decades. During Robert

Jordan's lifetime, the only ebooks he allowed to be sold were the

prologue teaser ebooks. Harriet has already bent significantly from

that by allowing the first twelve ebooks to come out one per month

over the last year as she did. Let's cut her some slack and

appreciate that the TofM ebook comes out in three months instead of

eleven. :) (And for goodness' sake, I wish diehard Kindle fans

would quit it with the one-star Amazon reviews of a book they

haven't even read. Sheesh!)

 

Thanks for posting this informaton. I had not seen it. I must say that this shows reasoning that is so beyond rational thought that I am for the first time glad that there is only 1 book left. As has been said before, there are many people who can only use the ebook (vision issues, travel,unable to bring 75 pounds of books to military deployments). Imposing a narrow view of how the media should be enjoyed is something that is beyond her purview as the estate owner. It is embarrasing for her, and has turned a significant portion of RJ's fanbase off. After 20 years of the best fantasy series that I have ever read, to anger a large portion of the fanbase because you are afraid of scary new technology is absurd. I hope that someone takes the time to send Team Jordan over there a message via smoke signals or telegraph...or at least takes the time to fly their dirigible there to let them know that a) their pantaloon shipment is late, and b)the news media covered the fate of people who did this in the music industry 10 years ago(have someone go to the microfiche section and read a copy).

 

I appreciate, finally, getting an answer on this, but I have not purchased the hardcover yet, and I will not...I will actually use my library card for the first time in 5 years...