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Failures

by Carlo Longino

Tue, Jul 19th 2005 2:39pm





Piracy Concerns Prevent Harry Potter E-book, Don't Stop Homebrew Version

from the what-a-way-to-spend-a-weekend dept

Given the crazy level of security around the release of hard copies of the latest Harry Potter book and the ruthless efficiency of the distribution of previous installments, it's hardly surprising to hear that the books' author and publishers won't allow e-books to be made. But their resistance -- on concerns that it would be "pirated" or simple disinterest -- didn't stop a band of people from around the world from making their own e-book version within 12 hours of the hardcopy release by coordinating their efforts over IRC channelsto scan in the books and used OCR software to spit out a DRM-free electronic copy. So, as Boing Boing points out, people that want to buy the e-book can't, but they can go find the DIY version and get it for free. So, for all the talk that a Harry Potter e-book wouldn't sell well because it's a kid's book, it would seem that this global, coordinated effort would prove a market for it exists.

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  1.  
    identicon
    dorpus, Jul 19th, 2005 @ 2:54pm

    What if e-books start WW3?

    A new comic book to be published next week in Japan details anti-Korean information, including chapters on how Korean comfort women didn't exist, there were no forced laborers, Korea is Japanese territory, their language is not a true language, they have no culture, etc.

    The book is already the #1 bestseller on Amazon's Japanese site, and is expected to sell like Harry Potter is here. Japanese-Korean relations are already at a low point over territorial disputes and textbook issues, and this is expected to fan that flame. I wouldn't be surprised if there are London-style bombings of Japanese subways, or if even South Korea declares war on Japan over the book.

    The book has its own web page,

    http://www.shinyusha.co.jp/~kenkanryu/

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    Matty, Jul 20th, 2005 @ 6:44am

    Harry Potter #5 was made into a DIY eBook

    If you don't mind the speedily edited (meaning all the fouled up puncuation and page breaks) e-book, this is a good way to read Harry Potter if you have yet to break down and buy the book. I can't imagine this impacting sales too much, any book that sells $100 million in 24 hours is going to be just fine, they should just throw in the ebook for free and let you read it whenever and wherever you want!

     

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  3.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jul 20th, 2005 @ 9:32am

    Re: Harry Potter #5 was made into a DIY eBook

    Absolutely, this was great! You could have knocked me over with a feather when I read that Voldemort was Harry's father!
    Whoops.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    fgc, Jul 21st, 2005 @ 10:23am

    cost of publishing an ebook?

    first off, the broken record statement: why should somebody whose books sell like hotcakes with crack rocks on top worry at all about ebook piracy? we have already seen the trend that piracy increases with the popularity of a work (i.e. sales). in the book realm, ebooks (even non-DRM) are FAR less popular than my favorite, the analog book, so ebook piracy shouldn't make the slightest theoretical dent in any sales figures. we know that somebody with the urge to reprint a pdf and bind it or willing to collaborate on scanning the whole thing a proofreading is a megafan anyway.

    second, why, with your obvious fortune in the potter empire would you not try the ebook thing? how expensive could it be? perhaps by putting your successful work into the "weaker" markets, such as ebooks, you might boost their economics & further promote potter worship. maybe the publishers don't like the licensing costs of DRM technology providers. boo hoo.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    tarak, Jul 28th, 2005 @ 9:24am

    Re: What if e-books start WW3?

    Your description is far different from what is written in this comic book.

    Though it takes manga style, it is a serious reseach book about
    Korea and her reality. Well written, and based on the real facts. Each episode
    has persuative quotations.

    This would be a good book to improve Japanese-Korean relations.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    kenji, Jan 6th, 2006 @ 12:55pm

    Re: Harry Potter #5 was made into a DIY eBook

    wer can i get an ebook of harry potter? pls send me d url at kamikaze_mark@yahoo.com thanx

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    identicon
    Avinash Gupta, Feb 8th, 2006 @ 10:43am

    Re: Harry Potter #5 was made into a DIY eBook

    plz send me all the harry potter ebooks

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  8.  
    identicon
    Ashley Jacobs, Apr 18th, 2006 @ 11:43am

    When?

    When exactly will Harry die? He had as many books, and as well movies.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  9.  
    identicon
    aneesh, May 20th, 2006 @ 10:00pm

    Re: Re: Harry Potter #5 was made into a DIY eBook

    could send me thhe links 4 the harry potter books 1-5 i will give u the sixth one

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  10.  
    identicon
    Sirius77, Jun 15th, 2006 @ 7:49am

    "

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  11.  
    identicon
    becky, Dec 26th, 2006 @ 2:56pm

    i think jk rowling was right not to put it inan ebook...it could seriously hurt her sales...why shoukd she give it away for free just because you wont buy her book? hullo...tht is STOOPID of yall to critize her...lik yall kno wat tht is gonna do to her sales or even the factors she considered!!! gosh...yall make me so mad

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  12.  
    identicon
    Bbo, Jan 11th, 2007 @ 6:35am

    Me too: )
    richstersttites@gmail.com

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  13.  
    identicon
    diya, Feb 2nd, 2007 @ 1:28am

    hi

    dedo !

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  14.  
    identicon
    gid, Feb 7th, 2007 @ 7:34am

    Stop It

    What fucking tools some of you are... Why the hell would you post your email address on a public forum so spammers can come along and pick them up? All for what? The chance that someone may take pitty on you and send you a virus laden email that might contain an ebook? Here is a hint, look on and of your favorite torrent websites! Asshats...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  15.  
    identicon
    Venom, May 17th, 2007 @ 10:33am

    Re: Stop It

    Nice forum. . . 14 messeges spanning over 3 yrs. . . I agree with gid. . . just check ur torrent sites. . .

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  16.  
    identicon
    renuka, Jun 5th, 2007 @ 11:19am

    where can i get all harry potter e-books for free? i have searched everywhere, cant seem to find.
    thanks for help

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  17.  
    identicon
    blahblah, Jul 9th, 2007 @ 12:12pm

    ?

    Hey Venom, you dip stick, you think your so smart but last time I checked '05 to '07 was two years. idiot.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  18.  
    identicon
    Harry Potter Fans, Jul 24th, 2007 @ 11:49am

    All 7 Ebooks For Free Downloads

    You Can Download All The Ebooks Here, Watch Movies.

    http://harry-potter-ebooks.blogspot.com

    Njoy.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  19.  
    identicon
    michael angelo, Jul 26th, 2007 @ 5:16am

    Re: Re: Harry Potter #5 was made into a DIY eBook

    replyan mo ko

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  20.  
    identicon
    michael angelo, Jul 26th, 2007 @ 5:22am

    Re: Re: Re: Harry Potter #5 was made into a DIY eB

    give me the 7 I will give you the rest

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  21.  
    identicon
    Muhammad Saleem, Jul 26th, 2007 @ 4:26pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Harry Potter #5 was made into a DI

    hey if you send me all the 6 books
    i wil send you the 7th one...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  22.  
    identicon
    Madie, Sep 1st, 2007 @ 6:55pm

    please send me harry potter 5 ebook.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  23.  
    identicon
    christine, Oct 28th, 2007 @ 5:42pm

    free ebooks harry potter book 5-7

    guys can u please send me book 5-7 of harry potter... please! thanks in advance

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  24.  
    icon
    Marion Gropen (profile), Dec 20th, 2007 @ 7:44am

    Re: cost of publishing an ebook?

    First, if you want basic typesetting (which makes a text MUCH easier on the eyes), or any of the other myriad things that publishers contribute to a work, then ebook publishing costs quite a bit. The only things missing are PPB (paper, printing and binding) and warehouse/shipping costs. Those are less than half the COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) on most titles.

    Second, any author/rights-holder should have the absolute right to say how his or her work is published. We may really, really want it in another form, but that's our problem. You don't always get what you want.

    Analogy: Suppose I don't like a girl's hairstyle. Maybe she's a rock star and I'm her biggest fan. Do I have the right to walk up to her and change it? Because I really, really want to? And I know she'll get better press? Of course not. Same thing with the presentation of an author's work. It comes out in their choice of formats, no matter how stupid we think the decision is.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  25.  
    identicon
    Beckham, Jan 31st, 2008 @ 9:19am

    Harry Potter eBook

    could someone send me a link for Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix?
    I just got through 4 and there's no way im going to wait three days to get 5.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  26.  
    identicon
    Satil, Jul 20th, 2008 @ 7:09am

    guys can u please send me book 1-7 of harry potter... please! thanks in advance

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  27.  
    identicon
    CloudBoii12, May 30th, 2009 @ 2:50am

    Re: Re: Harry Potter #5 was made into a DIY eBook

    Mate, Voldemort is not Harry's father.
    what the hell are you talking about ?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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