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Doctorow and Stross Release Latest Novels for Free
FleaPlus writes "Two prominent science fiction authors have recently released their newest
novels as free downloads to coincide with their in-store releases. The first is Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town, by Cory Doctorow. This is an unconventional story about an entrepreneur (who happens to be the child of a mountain and a washing machine) who gets involved in a scheme to blanket Toronto with free wireless mesh network, among other things. The second is Accelerando, by Charles Stross, which tells the tale of three generations of the Macx family (beginning with perptually-slashdotted venture altruist Manfred Macx) in the years leading up to and beyond a technological singularity."
Good luck, suckers. As if anyone would buy the hardcopy version now that the electronic version can be downloaded for free...
When a no-name author releases a new story solely for the purpose of furthering their anti-copyright agenda, their writing usually suffers. Especially if you're Cory Doctorow, who spells "says" as "sez" for some reason. Seriously, what's up with that? Did he see Pynchon doing it in Gravity's Rainbow and think it was cool?
Ron dies in chapter 9 of book 7.
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Doctorow has had success because he has a famous family member in the same genre and because he whores himself at every opportunity to a niche group of individuals that eat his Proletariat speech up as if it were the gods own truth.
Wasn't his dad a well-known commie too?
Not that this is a bad thing. Its just dishonest when you talk about how you can still make money at the same time you are trying to abolish the idea.
I have bought some of his works when they were on sale a few years back. Thought I'd check out his stuff. Biggest mistake ever. More to the point, I thought I'd support someone that was giving product away for free and thought I'd like to see more talented individuals do the same. Unfortunately, I have yet to find this mythical talented individual that has given his work away for free.
But the majority of the people that buy his works really must not care about the quality and more so about his cult of personality. Oh! He is a lead member of the EFF. Oh! He is a geek with a famous father! Oh! He gives speeches about how communism ain't too bad without actually saying the commie word or making us feel like we are unpatriotic.
I'm sorry, but his works suck. I like the fact he gives the opportunity to grab it for free. And I liked supporting him with the purchase of the books. But the more I read about him, the more he sounds like a whiney child that makes half baked arguments and then acts as if he were the first to have them and these 'facts' are incontrovertible. Anyone willing to argue must be an idiot.
I'm waiting for the next gen internet commies. Stallman is a smelly hippy that doesn't appeal to even geeks. Doctorow seems geekchic but only the slashdotistas get him. Maybe the next generation will get it right.
I have a feeling this post that was supposed to be informative moved into the Troll realm. Sorry. I've read the guy and paid for his materials and I think he's an idiot. Troll me if you will and don't fall for the reverse-psychology "I'm admitting its a troll, so mod it the other way" bullshit.
I must be using a different definition of "prominent", cuz I've never heard of either of these guys.
How come I've never heard of them?
This is just an attempt by them to get their names out there, and hopefully increase sales. I can't say I blame them, and if it works, good for them. But from my sources in the publishing industry, the jury is still out on this technique.
And please don't quote the Baen Free library at me. Jim Baen does talk a good game, but he has yet to show any actual proof to the publishing industry that his library has brought him in any more money than traditional sales methods for the same cost.