Release Date Announced: Jan. 8, 2013

[Suttree]

You just cannot expect him to give up his style and become a pretend RJ.

 

Which is of course entirely missing the point.

[thom_merrilin]

I'm a little drunk, but can I just say I tend to summarily dismiss ANYONE who uses ALL CAPITALS to emphasize the depth of their inner angst over an issue. It's not really that I don't buy your point--in this case I do. I don't agree with Harriet's position on ebooks, but I know there is a great deal more involved than Thom is making out, and that the decision was not vindictive, nor was Harriet ignoring fan need. She was aware of it, but chose otherwise for various more complex issues (which again, I disagree with, but understand)--but yes, when I see people EXCLAIMING their anger, I'm left thinking simply that they're exclaiming their ignorence. That they have no basis for their argument other then their ruffled sense of immediate gratification.

 

So for all that I personally disagree with Harriet's decision Thom, I find myself opposed to you.

 

What makes you think Harriet wasn't ignoring the fan base? If wasn't she'd have made same day release in e-format. Harriet has ignored the fan base, fact. She is well known for her absolute dislike of e-books. If other authors can do same day release Harriet has no fall back, it works. What complex issues? There are none. I know for a fact how long it takes to compile and correct e-books, it takes a matter of around 48-72 hours.

 

The sad fact of the massive delay between hardback and e-book is that it will cost them sales.

[yoniy0]

I'm a little drunk

Oh, I just can't help ANGSTING OVER THIS. You, PUIing, of all people? WHAT HAVE WE COME TO?

 

It should be plain what I think of the ebook's release date. What's more, I don't really understand it, since those reasons I heard last time really don't seem to apply anymore, and I'm left with speculations that I don't care to consider, or mention. But, I'm writing this to suggest another course of action to those who feel the same as I: opt for an audiobook. It costs the same as a hardcover (it does if you use an Audible plan, that is, and for newcomers it might even be free, if memory serves), but it fits nicely in my Galaxy and Kindle. And, I admit to liking the idea of my 16$ being spread differently, since it's really the most effective method of communication we readers have.

 

I do find that my first impression of the book is damaged (no matter the quality of the production, which I applaud, Kramer's and Reading's vision of the story can't help but differ from my own), but when I do get to reading the ebook, it's all still there.

 

EDIT: Fudge, I knew I was forgetting something. Thom, do you have any other example of a simultaneous release not hurting a book's rankings? GRRM's sales were definitely affected by his HBO adaptation, and I don't think WoT has anything similar this time around (unless, of course, we're going to hear something about the movie rights in the near future).

[thom_merrilin]

Lee Child's Jack Reacher books always make the top of the best sellers and they have a same day release. Audible's without offers are around £41,$65 in the UK, with offers they're £4,$6.50.

[yoniy0]

Audible's [...] with offers [are] £4,$6.50.

Yeah, I remembered something of the sort. That's for newcomers only; The rest of us can't use this special offer. Unless one can open an Audible.co.uk account independently of one's Audible.com account, which I might test when the time is right. Thanks for that idea.

[vasu619]

Just to put in my two cents on this issue, I don't care how delayed the book release is as long as it comes out, and comes out right. However, I am more than a little miffed at the delayed eBook release. It feels like a bit of a scam. WoT has a very rabid fanbase who will want to know what happens in the book as soon as it happens. It seems to me like Tor/Harriet knows this and decided to milk a bit more out of it. Those who normally read eBooks are going to buy the paperback so they can find out the ending, and then many will possibly also buy the eBook to complete their collection/compilation and/or for future reading. I just don't see what issues or problems this particular series or book is facing in terms of concurrent eBook releases when so many are able to release them on the same day.

[lenardo]

if the author does the book electronically initially- and from reports mr sanderson DID, provided he set the document up correctly with chapter flags etc, it does not take 48hrs to convert to a .doc file to ebook format, it takes ~ 10-15 minutes to save it in ALL ebook formats.

 

 

that said we all know that within hrs of the book going on sale that it will be avail as a pdf & ebook. i for one will be buying the hardcover from amazon, and turning my normal torrent sites to get the ebook version- i prefer reading an ebook now- then in april, i'll buy the ebook version- i have all the books in hardcover & ebook, not going to stop now.

[yoniy0]

I do think that Macmillan might have a bit of a problem with folks who downloaded a pirated version not wanting to purchase the ebook 3 months after they've read the book. However, as far as I can understand from reports by people who are in the know - piracy doesn't really decrease the rate of ebook sales, and might in fact increase it. I wonder, though, if the fact that the WoT sales in ebook for very nearly twice what it costs in massmarket paperback has a negative effect on that phenomenon.

 

I might reiterate, however, that while acknowledging the existance of piracy is just good sense, we do not allow discussion of ways in which one might comit it, or encouragement to do so.

[lenardo]

considering that the ebook nets them probably over a dollar extra profit per sale vs the paperback....i don't think they mind all that much.

[Entreri]

Wow, the ebook is coming in very late. I gave away all my RJ books and now read only ebooks, paper is passe.

[Atan Lodorn]

When I signed up for Audible it was thru Facebook, just to get TOM, I decided to get it for free and cancel, I should have grabbed the offer when. Which was the same as the monthly billing but the price was the same as an entire year as in $14.95 for all the same benefits as a monthly $14.95 subscription. 3 audible books a month, so I could have got all of them, DOH.

 

BTW only 41 weeks today 287 day to go and in 287.5 days it will be read.

[PokerStarr]

Slightly dissapointing but at the same time thats ok. Not a project to be rushed under any circumstances; no way the endings gonna be perfectly satisfying to everyone and the more time the better.

[muddasssir]

I just hope they do not split it. This has been my constant fear

[cwbys21]

Why would they split it? If Brandon can get Way of Kings published at 1007 pages, A Memory of Light at ~950 should be no problem at all.

[Alric]

If it needed splitting, they would have realized it months ago.

 

I wouldn't mind, actually I think I would like it, considering all the subplots I'd like to see being given attention.

[ChaosBorn]

Well I can't be overly disappointed with the release date compared with some people who have been following WoT for 10+ years, as I started reading in early 2010.

 

What I do think though is this is defiantly the best series I have ever read and therefore I want the final book to be as good as possible. How would everyone react if "they" went ahead with say a release date about now, but it was disappointing?

 

Also there was a point made earlier that some fans would only know when aMoL would be released when they saw it on the shelves, but I don't think thats the case, maybe with an ordinary series, but this isn't ordinary is it? Most people would at least google the release date.

 

Also I think that waiting for the books and speculating will make the final book that much sweeter

[Bob T Dwarf]

Why does the mythology persist that the longer they spend and the more they "polish" the better the book will be? There is simply no such correlation.

 

Nobody wants a bad book. Nobody wants any gilded lilies, either.

 

There's an old axiom that goes something along the lines of, "Don't let perfect become the enemy of good enough."

 

The sad truth is that nothing can live up to twenty years of build-up. Moving this, changing that, won't really matter. A Memory of Light either has good bones or it doesn't. Put another way, applying a ball gown and lipstick to a pig merely wastes your time and annoys the pig, it doesn't create a debutante.

[Mr Ares]

Why does the mythology persist that the longer they spend and the more they "polish" the better the book will be? There is simply no such correlation.

 

Nobody wants a bad book. Nobody wants any gilded lilies, either.

 

There's an old axiom that goes something along the lines of, "Don't let perfect become the enemy of good enough."

What if delaying the release makes the difference between good enough and not good enough? Taking longer on the book is a simplification - books take time to write, that much is true. Some take longer than others, but it is still possible to take too long or not long enough. Both of the last two suffered from not long enough. What we want is for them to take long enough to do justice to the book, but not so long we die of old age before we see it.

 

The sad truth is that nothing can live up to twenty years of build-up. Moving this, changing that, won't really matter. A Memory of Light either has good bones or it doesn't. Put another way, applying a ball gown and lipstick to a pig merely wastes your time and annoys the pig, it doesn't create a debutante.

I'd say it's a fair description of how many debutantes are created.

 

Also there was a point made earlier that some fans would only know when aMoL would be released when they saw it on the shelves, but I don't think thats the case, maybe with an ordinary series, but this isn't ordinary is it? Most people would at least google the release date.

Some people, certainly. Most? I would say probably not (or if they did, it would only be infrequently - therefore any change in release date might slip past them).

[Suttree]

Why does the mythology persist that the longer they spend and the more they "polish" the better the book will be? There is simply no such correlation.

 

Nobody wants a bad book. Nobody wants any gilded lilies, either.

 

Because both Team Jordan and Brandon have said they need more time to make it work. They have admitted the process for TGS and Tom was far too rushed and the books suffered accordingly. They then stated they were changing their process with this one, Brandon missed a deadline, Team Jordan requested more time from Tor for the revision and editing process and here we are with the new date. Even with the delay they are not taking some insanely long, unreasonable amount of time. This whole idea of sprinting to get out a book this size once a year is just a ludicrous concept. You have already been proven wrong that RJ used to it. It wouldn't have been a good idea then and it's not now.

[Terez]

You guys are still arguing about this?

[sueil]

Hadn't been paying much attention ever since the original release date was announced but to find out the ebook is coming out months later feels really insulting. I haven't bought a paper book in years and have no further plans to. There is absolutely no reason to delay the ebook version. The world is moving on and devices like the kindle are selling at a very fast rate and have been for years. If TOR doesn't want to release an ebook version for a few months then they can just do without my money for a few months.

[Maleshub]

Hadn't been paying much attention ever since the original release date was announced but to find out the ebook is coming out months later feels really insulting. I haven't bought a paper book in years and have no further plans to. There is absolutely no reason to delay the ebook version. The world is moving on and devices like the kindle are selling at a very fast rate and have been for years. If TOR doesn't want to release an ebook version for a few months then they can just do without my money for a few months.

 

BS tweeted that the delay was to honor Harriet's request, not a choice by Tor. It has been 22 years since the first book, what are 3 more months compared to that? (that's my coping mechanism!).

[yoniy0]

I wonder why everyone seems to have forgotten about what Terez told us. I very much doubt that the delay had nothing to do with them needing a good cover. I just pray they'll actually use it for revisions as well.

[Suttree]

I wonder why everyone seems to have forgotten about what Terez told us. I very much doubt that the delay had nothing to do with them needing a good cover. I just pray they'll actually use it for revisions as well.

You are correct about the cover although the bolded bit is rather disingenuous considering all that Team Jordan have said on the topic.

[yoniy0]

You are correct about the cover although the bolded bit is rather disingenuous considering all that Team Jordan have said on the topic.

How so? They said that they plan to, yes (or rather, we have reports from BS and PA to that effect), but they said it by way of explaining why they had to postpone publication of AMoL (and, mind you, it was presented as the sole factor, not one among many). Finding out that there's a whole other (and independent) reason for the delay does raise a doubt in my mind as to the sincerity of their announcement, and that's all I've said. Do you not concur?

 

To be clear, I don't intend to imply that they were intentionally deceiving us, or at least, not that they viewed what they were doing as such. They put a spin on the truth, something that they could release that would go relatively well with the fandom. I tend to think that in reaching for such a reason, they fell back on a genuine advantage of the delay, and plan to employ it. I just can't be completely sure that they do, not quite, not considering the way they conducted this whole thing.