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  1. #1

    Default Black Library 2016 Subscription

    So, apparently, you can buy the "Black Library 2016 Complete Digital Offer" right now, and it will get you every digital release they make for 2016:

    [url]http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/40k-feat/bl-2016-digital-complete.html[/url]

    Just $1000!

    No, I'm not kidding. That's the actual price.

    Mind you, this also only applies to the fiction, not Warhammer Digital's releases. From the description: "...every single eBook novel, novella and Quick Read, and every MP3 audiobook and audio drama released in 2016..."

    I have to say, if a company can release so much fiction in one year that a thousand dollars is some kind of insane discount, they're churning out a lot of stuff. Which might explain why the quality is so inconsistent.

    I guess if you must read or listen to everything they produce, and have the cash up front, it's not a bad plan. But I imagine for pretty much all of us, this is a deal to skip on.

  2. #2

    Default

    I guess it's great if you're a fluff nut.

    As much as I enjoy Black Library's output, I'm only really into the AoS stuff, and the odd HH Novella.

    That. And I really don't have £600 to hand right now!
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  3. #3

    Default

    It feels weird to me, because for that money I could buy over 200 print novels at full retail, more if they're ebooks, and even more if I go to a used book store, and then I can pick and choose the stories I want. Either the products are massively overpriced, or they're chucking out way too much stuff in the coming year, without regards for consistency in quality.

    It just seems so... strange. I keep trying to wrap my head around how someone came up with this idea, and I can't. Even if your company is in dire need of as much cash as possible RIGHT NOW, an idea like this is silly. You're barely going to sell any, and to the average person it comes across horribly, especially with the backlash $50-$60 "season passes" are getting for computer games (where you at least know you're paying for additional content for a game you already own). For someone to actually order this subscription, they'd have to be in love with *all* of GW's fiction (in both settings... HH is just historical 40K), *and* have a good wad of money just lying around. I'm guessing there's not many people out there who match that description. Like, less than a dozen. Not really worth spending money writing up an email campaign for.

  4. #4

    Default

    Thing is, this offer didn't cost them anything to put together. Being ebooks, it's just a file they need to assemble from stuff already written.

    If it was full of exclusive books, then I'd be worried.
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  5. #5
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    I do wonder if there are people out there that can afford things like that and how many of them there are. I'm guessing they must live in better houses than I do and possibly wipe their arses with gold leaf toilet paper.
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  6. #6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Mystery View Post
    Thing is, this offer didn't cost them anything to put together. Being ebooks, it's just a file they need to assemble from stuff already written.

    If it was full of exclusive books, then I'd be worried.
    Ah, but it *did* cost them something. You're paying someone time to come up with the wording and put together an email. The art team has to create graphics. The email team has to set up the email, distro lists, etc. If they're using a third party to send emails (almost a guarantee), then they're paying at least some small amount for that.

    Everything in marketing comes with a cost.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Also, got my math all mixed up earlier, meant to say over 100 retail price novels, not 200. Not sure how I got it doubled.

    Still, that's a lot...

  7. #7

    Default

    Pretty much a negligible cost though, compared to landing the odd £600 order.

    I dare say if I added up my usual BL purchases over a year, I wouldn't hit the £600. But there's mentalists out there who would appreciate the pretty significant saving on offer.
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  8. #8

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Mystery View Post
    Thing is, this offer didn't cost them anything to put together. Being ebooks, it's just a file they need to assemble from stuff already written.

    If it was full of exclusive books, then I'd be worried.
    Exactly, it doesn't cost them much. Maybe some man hours and a good email campaigning and collaboration tool, which [url=https://www.1and1.com/microsoft-exchange]as you can see herel[/url], cn be pretty cheap. But other than that, nothing they aren't already investing in (internet, email services, man power).

    Why anyone would waste time and energy creating a campaign that is only likely to sway a very small amount of people is the same reason why Nigerian scammers keep up their email campaigns saying a rich dead distant relative wants to leave you money. It doesn't cost them, and they will most likely be ignored by 99% of people who are aware that this is ridiculous (or at least I hope so), but the odd chance that they can get that 1% on the hook, then it is worth the investment. Email marketing campaigns are easy and cheap, so any return on investment makes it worth the little bit of work that they put into it.

    @Erik Setzer: Obviously to most this seems like an incredibly overpriced "deal" and you're right, hardly anyone will go for it. But even if the "less than a dozen" do.....well the company just made a couple of grand for something that maybe took them a day to put together and about a minute to distribute to a wide mailing list.
    Last edited by WinterIsComing; 01-15-2016 at 02:41 AM.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Mystery View Post

    I dare say if I added up my usual BL purchases over a year, I wouldn't hit the £600. .
    I might when you consider the price of the hardbacks they release, but I'd want a physical product for that, so I'll carry on with the pay as you go reading model.

    However the process of robo-insemination is far too complex for the human mind!
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  10. #10

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by WinterIsComing View Post
    Exactly, it doesn't cost them much. Maybe some man hours and a good email campaigning and collaboration tool, which [url=https://www.1and1.com/microsoft-exchange]as you can see herel[/url], cn be pretty cheap. But other than that, nothing they aren't already investing in (internet, email services, man power).

    Why anyone would waste time and energy creating a campaign that is only likely to sway a very small amount of people is the same reason why Nigerian scammers keep up their email campaigns saying a rich dead distant relative wants to leave you money. It doesn't cost them, and they will most likely be ignored by 99% of people who are aware that this is ridiculous (or at least I hope so), but the odd chance that they can get that 1% on the hook, then it is worth the investment. Email marketing campaigns are easy and cheap, so any return on investment makes it worth the little bit of work that they put into it.

    @Erik Setzer: Obviously to most this seems like an incredibly overpriced "deal" and you're right, hardly anyone will go for it. But even if the "less than a dozen" do.....well the company just made a couple of grand for something that maybe took them a day to put together and about a minute to distribute to a wide mailing list.
    There may even be a saving for BL on every sale. If I'm reading it correctly, you don't get the physical books, just the electronic versions.

    This would be a way to get people reading without having to print a copy for them, which is one of the larger costs for a publisher (and indeed why ebooks are so popular for self-published works)
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