My New Book

[lizarfau]

I know some of you have read my previous books, so I thought I'd let you know that my second Cotterford school story, Christmas Term at Cotterford, has just been published by Bettany Press in the UK. It's ebook only and can be found at Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Term- ... 00QXUYB7Y/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and at Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Term-Co ... 8643756114" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hope those who read it enjoy it!

[Poppy]

Congratulations, Liz!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Congratulations, Liz!

[Moonraker]

I didn't realise (or had forgotten) that you were an author, Liz. I have checked out Amazon and will be downloading your first in the series, First Term at Cotterford. I have read the sample on Amazon, and will be buying it. Congratulations on your newest title!

[sixret]

Congratulations, Liz! Will look out for the titles.

[MJE]

     I wasn't aware of these new school stories. Are they roughly akin to the Blyton school stories? Of course I don't expect them to be the same - but would they be likely to appeal to those who enjoy the Blyton ones?
     Are they set in the present, and include modern themes like the Internet, mobile phones, drug use, climate change, and other current stuff? - or are they sort of set in a past era which was more the heyday of the traditional school story?
     And only for Kindle? If so, that's a pity, because I don't use that, and don't plan to. Even if I got seriously into e-books, I doubt that I would go for the Kindle, as I don't like the way Amazon apparently can remove any books you've bought at any time they choose, and they don't refund your money either. I gather the book copies you "own" are really not on your device at all, but you just have permission to access them on the Amazon site - although I admit I don't really understand this very well.
     I'm not really willing to collect books on that kind of basis: once I buy something, I want continued access to it guaranteed, if not an actual copy owned by me.

Regards, Michael.

[Fiona1986]

Well I just got a Kindle yesterday (yes, may god help me I have succumbed to the evil of e-book readers...) and I'm looking for things to put on it. I haven't read any of your school books Liz but I did like the short story collection.

I'm not sure how true that is Michael, about Amazon. The copies must be on your device as otherwise you wouldn't be able to read them once you'd disconnected from the internet. Either way I can't see Amazon making a habit of removing people's books that the'd paid for or there would be outrage.

[Moonraker]

This site could be of interest to you, Fiona. It is a legitimate site and books can be downloaded legally, free of charge.

As for Michael's concern, It is possible, but Amazon would only delete a book from your device should it become illegal - such as the example below:

In July 2009, Amazon discovered two of George Orwell's books had been digitally uploaded to its Kindle e-book store by a company that didn't own the rights. Amazon pulled the e-books from its site and remotely deleted copies from customers' Kindles without notice. The retail giant did refund the purchase price, but Kindle users likened the remote deletion to Amazon coming into their homes, taking a purchased book from their bookshelves, and leaving a few dollars in its place. Was it legal for Amazon to virtually reach into users' private Kindle devices and delete their e-books from afar without warning?

See full text below:

https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/can- ... our-kindle" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lucky Star]

Congratulations on your new publication Liz.

[Fiona1986]

Thanks Nigel, I will have a browse of that site later.

[MJE]

     I may not have been exactly right in the details of what I said about Amazon and the Kindle - I was trying to draw on things I've read, but remember now only very sketchily. Yes, I suppose if it is possible to read books on a Kindle at a time you are *not* connected (and I don't know if that's so, so I will defer on that to others like Fiona who obviously know), then it must mean the file *is* on your Kindle.
     Fair enough - as far as that goes; but there is more to this - I think (trying to recall from what I read) there is still a catch somewhere. So perhaps, even if a copy is on the Kindle, you cannot access it other than reading it, cannot back it up or anything like that - because I am pretty sure I have read of cases where files have been removed from a customer's Kindle with no warning and no explanation - and not only the ironic "1984" case Nigel mentioned (which was the first instance I heard also, a few years ago). I understand that case was because Amazon had just discovered belatedly that the particular edition in question was under copyright and Amazon found they did not have permission to sell it.
     But a few months ago I also read an outrageous case where a woman's entire collection was wiped by Amazon, and she had to write endless letters or e-mails or something to Amazon to find out why, and she got no more explanation other than that she must have in some unspecified way violated the Kindle terms and conditions. For a long term, even when she went up the ladder to the top person, she was just bluntly stonewalled and told that she might find another provider who would be better placed to fulfil her needs. (I have an idea she didn't get any refund for her seized books, either.)
     Only after yet more dogged letter-writing (and, I think, by this stage, other people with some influence also writing to Amazon on her behalf), and a fair bit of scathing publicity on-line did she finally get an apology and her books restored. Even so, I don't think she ever found out why this had happened in the first place; the only clue was the speculation that another person may have hacked her account and used it for illicit purposes.
     I was outraged to read that this should happen to someone for no fault of their own, and it doesn't make me want to become a Kindle customer myself. Clearly, even if the books *are* on your device, you cannot copy them or back them up for security, so Amazon can wipe them any time they choose - and they don't have to give the slightest reason unless they choose to.
     That's why, if I do ever adopt e-books in a limited way (mainly for works I want to read that are very hard to find in physical book form and are available only as e-books), I will consider it essential that I be able to make a private back-up copy that some omnipotent company cannot wipe at their whim.
     I feel I might be interested in these books by Liz Filleul, which I didn't know about; but I fear that I may not be likely to read them if they are available only for Kindle (not even any other e-book format). Using the Kindle seems to me far more like borrowing a book repeatedly from a library than buying a copy: the library can withdraw the book from circulation any time they choose to, and don't give any reason for it.
     Anyway, Liz, I hope your books do well, even if I never manage to read them - and if they are for Kindle only, I do hope you can consider adding one or two other formats at some time, which would increase availability generally. I really do consider the ability to maintain personal back-ups an irreducible minimum for buying e-books.

Regards, Michael.

Further posts on Kindles/E-readers have been moved to the relevant thread:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... 2&start=15" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[lizarfau]

Michael, First Term is available as a print book but unfortunately did not sell enough copies to justify the publisher (Bettany Press) bringing out Christmas Term in print format. You can, however, download free Kindle software for the iPad, the computer, the android... You don't have to own a Kindle. I understand that not everyone wants to read ebooks, though.

Cotterford has a modern setting, and the girls have mobile phones, the internet, iPads etc. I think anyone who likes Malory Towers and St Clare's would like them, though - after all, Enid is one of my favourite authors so her influence is bound to shine through.

Thanks to anyone who has bought a Cotterford book - I hope you enjoy it.