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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
Check out the free library, April 19, 2004
While I specialise in reviews of technology and science, occasionally I drift into reviewing other types of books or websites. Like this one. Baen is a well known publisher of science fiction and fantasy, though primarily the former. Authors include David Weber, Eric Flint, Mercedes Lackey and James Schmitz. Given that people involved in technology or science often grew up on science fiction, this is a natural website to frequent.But there is also another attraction here. Baen has a Free Library on its website. The entire contents of over 60 books, available for reading online. Free. NO subscription needed. All this was done with the consent of each author. In light of the ongoing controversy about peer-to-peer networks being used for massive copying of music, this website offers a different perspective. It makes its money publishing traditional hardcopy books. But here it is offering 60 books online?! What gives? You could do well by reading Eric Flint's commentary on this. He organised the library. His reasoning is very interesting. Basically, an author can use her "free" books to induce readers to buy her other books. Strategic advertising. Plus there is the hope that many who might read the free books now might later gravitate to buying hardcopies, when they have more money. There is more detail in Flint's article. It's worth reading. In part because it has resonances in the case of music and other works.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Best publishing site , December 29, 2005
Since I love reading and I keep current with publishing schedules in my favourite areas (sf&f, historical fiction, science and history nonfiction) I use quite a lot of publishing info sites.
Of all the actual publishers Baen is the best by far for the following reasons:
1. Current schedule for the following 6-9 months with long free samples of most books
2. Availability of all recent published books as UNENCRYPTED, multiformat, printable e-books at VERY good prices. Immediate download in any and all formats you want (I use MReader on my PC and RTF-Msdoc to print)
3. Webscription - an e-book serialization of a given month books, 50% 2.5 months prepublication, 75% 1.5 months prepublication, 100% .5 months prepublication at very attractive prices. The serialization is available HTML only before it is complete, but once complete it is multiformat. Again, UNENCRYPTED, printable...
4. E-arcs, a new feature offering e-book Advance Reader Copy (not neceesary the final print/Webscription edition but close enough in my experience) about 5 months prepublication at very attractive prices. If you have favourite authors among Baen's ones, this is the best since it allows you to read the book twice, as an e-arc and as a print hc 5 months or so later. Again UNENCRYPTED, multiformat, printable...
5. Packaging of multi e-book CD's in various hardcover titles (i think Baen CD 9 is the latest in David Weber - At All Costs)
Many UNENCRYPTED, multiformat, printable e-books in each CD, also the CD's are shareable and in fact are posted here and there on the Web
6. Baen Free Library - a sampling of various Baen authors books, complete, UNENCRYPTED, multiformat, printable...
7. Baen Bar, an online forum discussing various topics, where pretty much all Bean authors have their own groups, participate ocasionally in discussions which range from books, to current events to varia.
8. Jim Baen's UNIVERSE a new e-magazine to start in june 06, subscriptions/memberships available and e-arcs promised in march 06
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
Baen publishications is the best, March 18, 2006
I have been visting Baen's website since the inception. As a SF reader I used the internet to search publishers websites to find out what is being published. Baen was a delight. Not only are the current publishing schedule current, unlike TOR or other SF sites you can read the messages on the bar. The idea of webscriptons was started on the Bar and we thought it was a good idea and even suggested the price.
I hate the hassle of encryption , I want to download my book and go. I used the RB1100 and is is great on trips and camping.
The ease in use is a major plus.
I hate the idea that once I have purchased a book that I can not change to another format or another device to read. Baen knows its customer base wants to read SF not hassle with multiple purchases just because we want to use a different device.
I refuse to buy any ebooks that is encrypted. Also I will not pay hard back prices for an ebook. Baen understands this and keeps the prices reasonable. Also with the prices of paperbacks, I no longer take chances on unknown authors . With Baen, since I buy the month's webscription I will try other authors and see if they are any good. An excellant way to try new authors without being stuck in the wallet.
The idea of releasing some of the older SF came from the BAR, since we would like to get many stories that have not been published for decades.
Baen responded to this interest and started rereleasing James Schmitz and Keith Laumer and other great stories published in the Golden Age of SF.
Other SF publishers have followed and republished older SF like AE VAn Vogt "Weaponshops of Isher".
Now if the rest of the music world and publishing world would make it easy without DRM or encrption for us to use our music and books in the devices that we like then increases of purchases would skyrocket.
RIAA thinks we should pay multiple times for the same piece of music and The Digital Act really restricted the freedom for users, This is a reason why cd's sales go down. Too expensive and DRM being loaded on our computers without our permission like Sony BMG did.
Free libraries are a basic concept to increase readership. With the new generation being game crazy,we should make it easy for kids to enjoy good stories. Most of the schools required reading do not instill a love of a good book.
Baen Free library tries to give that opportunity to people. This has even increased the sale of actual paperbacks of back issues of stories from authors such as Merceds Lackey.
Plus favorite authors wil respond to question and actually talk to us on the BAR.
I can not understand why this success had not been repeated from other publishers.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
THE model for other publishers - SUPER SITE, February 14, 2006
Jim Baen went where others feared to tread. He actually offers over 60 books from his "stable" of authors for FREE on the website! From the Horatio Hornblower of space (Honor Harrington) to the mercenary legions of Alois Hammer to alternative History of Eric Flint and the it could be happening now fiction of "Doc" Travis Taylor to the realms of fantasy of Mercedes Lackey - Baen has it.
As a promotional device, the Free Library seems to be working - I don't call it a "ploy" because I sincerely believe it is an effort to open the doors of science fiction to a new generation of technically savvy readers (as well as a darn good deal on some really great stories).
Not only are there free samples, friends, but check out the Websubscriptions prices on the electronic book versions of the published works - for less than paperback pricing, you get the entire book. I utilize an older Palm IIIC device to read with (I like the adjustable font and backlight) and have found that I can have an ENTIRE bookshelf (we are talking 6 feet high and 4 feet wide) of books stored on a couple of CD's that take up a small amount of room near my computer. I can download the books anytime, and can purchase new ones at my liesure.
Check out BAEN.COM - from the library to the Bar to the publishers commentary. Jim Baen and company are seeking to revive the science fictin magazine (remember Astounding, GALAXY, and IF?) but improving it along the way with Baen's Universe.
Go,oh seeker of entertaining stories to the website -- seek, browse, read, enjoy --- get hooked on Science Fiction and Fantasy (again?) after all, why live ONLY in this boring old universe when the varied universes of the Baen authors beckon you to slide in and stay awhile!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Baen Books Very Progressive in Ebook Market!, January 17, 2006
Baen Books is not only the BEST publisher for current HOT Science Fiction Authors, it's also very progressive in the ebook market. They give away free ebooks and ebook software, not only to get you hooked but also because it makes good business sense! When I discovered how easy it was to download Baen ebooks onto my PocketPC I was sold and have not looked back for several years. Not only do you get free books, (Not just little short stories like other so called ebook web sites) but the cost of their for sale books is lower than paper copies in the store! New releases are $6.00 compared to $8-10.00 in the local bookstore. They take up less space, (fit right on the hard drive of your computer or you can store them online via secure password at the Baen.com site) and I can carry as many as will fit on my 1GB CF Card on my PocketPC!
Their are many other perks but I suggest you check the web site out for yourself. Oh, if you have to read paper, they have plenty of their New York Times Best Selling Authors represented in the local book store Science Fiction section.
Enjoy!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
A great place for readers, January 14, 2006
I discovered the Baen website in fall 1999. It is a great place not just to get my latest books but to discuss thing with actual authors.
Unlike many publishing sites this one is kept up to date and the Publisher not only talks to those that read his books but listens to them as well.
The free library is a great way to discover new authors without investing a lot of money. In addition you have the opportunity to read the first several chapters of a book before you even pay for it. I like this feature since I have spent far too much money on books that sit on a shelf because the writing is so poor.
Then there is webscriptions, an opportunity to buy a package of books at a great savings, or get the latest book electronically, when it first comes out, for a fraction of a paperback price.
This feature is also great for those in the military since we are able to buy our favorite books even when we are deployed.
Since discovering the Baen website I have found countless books at a great price, while making great friends. It is a place that is worth visiting.
Robin
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Addicted to Baen e-books, November 14, 2005
I have always been a voracious reader and am partial to sci-fi. However, I almost never bought books ... because I don't want to have to figure out what to do with all of them after reading. Instead, I would borrow 3 or 4 books each week from the local public library. Until, that is, I discovered Baen books and the monthly Webscriptions. It is so easy to purchase (24/7) without leaving home, and five or six e-books for $15 is a good deal. You can fit a LOT of e-books in one gigabite and they don't clutter up the house. I still go to the library for other genres, but it will take me a lo-o-o-ng time to work my way through all the sci-fi available at Baen. Yes, I am proof that the Baen Free Library philosophy works!
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Baen is out in front, and likely to stay there!, December 14, 2005
One of the things that makes a leader is the willingness to take risks, over and over. Jim Baen is a leader. In 1997, when most publishers couldn't spell Internet, Jim started Baen's Bar, which is one of the most successful discussion list hosts anywhere in the world. In 1999, he started, with Arnold Bailey of Webwrights Inc., <a href="http://www.webscriptions.net">Baen Webscriptions</a>. And a short while later, he gave novelist and editor Eric Flint the space and support to produce the <a href="http://www.baen.com/library/">Baen Free Library</a>, where many authors provided unencrypted, DRM-free copies of their works for download, including Eric Flint, David Drake, Mercedes Lackey, and Lois McMaster Bujold among others.
Later, Baen pioneered the use of free, DRM-free CDs in the back of his hardbacks to supply his "reader's crack" to new readers, with the only caveat being, "You may freely copy and distribute this CD, provided you do not charge for it."
Baen's Webscriptions is not only a brave attempt to find the boundaries of digital publishing, it is also financially successful, and growing rapidly.
Recently, Baen decided to take another risk: the re-creation of the science fiction and fantasy magazine, this time as a digital creation. At this writing, the magazine, <a href="http://www.baensuniverse.com">Baen's Universe</a> appears that it will also be a success.
Jim Baen is a leader. He takes risks. His risks usually expand the horizons of publishing.
The Bananaslug. at Baen's Bar
Walt Boyes
Editor in Chief
<a href="http:www.controlglobal.com">CONTROL magazine (winner of 18 ASBPE awards, 1 Neal Award)</a>
---read my personal blog at---
<a href="http://bigbananaslug.livejournal.com">The Big Yellow Book</a>
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Best resource for Sci Fi book lovers., October 10, 2006
I discovered Baen books through a friend while I was deployed in Iraq. I was lucky enough to have a laptop, and because of the free library I was able to store over one hundred books on a small thumb drive and have a library on hand with me. I started with "Anti-Grav Unlimited", and worked my way through most of the library, reading whenever I had downtime. Since returning home I have aquired a Compaq Ipaq (used) and keep it with me almost all the time, mostly to keep my library handy whenever I have a few free minutes.
I have tried digital books from other sites, but without exception Baen is the easiest to use, and the fact that you can download your purchases as often as you wish is a nice safeguard in case of catastrophic data loss.
I mourn the recent passing of Jim Baen, and I hope that Baen Books continues his legacy for years to come.
In accordance with the wishes of the website, I've recently purchased memorial copies of "The World Turned Upside Down" and passed them on to my teenage daughters, and I'm happy to report that they are both showing an interest in Sci-Fi fiction. This is an excellent starter book for Sci Fi fiction and I highly recomend it to all Sci Fi lovers or those who are just interested in it.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Baen Books Rocks!, February 11, 2006
I love the Baen Books Webscriptions. They have a fantastic group of talented authors writing great new titles, but also are bringing back some great old favorites. My favorite feature of e-books is being able to adjust the font size, after a while even with reading glasses it gets hard to focus. Another feature is not having to find a place to store the books, no more where did I put that book! At Baen you are able to follow your favorite story a year early and at paperback prices instead of hardback. In some cases you can get the story through their advance reader copies before it is published. Baen does not use encription so you don't have to constantly update your reader software or remenber your credit card number to read the books you download. With encripted e-books it can be a major project getting the book to your reader from your computer.
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