Novella Ur available on Kindle and for download

[Bev Vincent]

Since his first novel was published in 1974, Stephen King has stretched the boundaries of the storyteller as a writer who constantly redefines his readers' experience by working in various genres and formats.

Whether in an epic horror novel, like THE STAND, a serial-novel like THE GREEN MILE, or a novella like SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, King is able to deliver a reading experience like no one else can. As quickly as a spider spins its web, King reminds us why he's the master of the novella - a format which, up until now that is, one might have thought is fast disappearing.

In his new novella, UR, King is at his unsettling best as he examines the future of the written word - for better or worse. Following a nasty break-up, lovelorn college English instructor Wesley Smith can't seem to get his ex-girlfriend's parting shot out of his head: "Why can't you just read off the computer like the rest of us?" Egged on by her question and piqued by a student's suggestion, Wesley places an order for Amazon.com's Kindle eReader. The [pink?] device that arrives in a box stamped with the smile logo – via one-day delivery that he hadn't requested – unlocks a literary world that even the most avid of book lovers could never imagine. But once the door is open, there are those things that one hopes we'll never read or live through. Firm, gripping, and deftly written by a craftsman at the top of his game, this is King at his crisp, clear, page-turning best.

Check back soon for the complete press release... (http://www.stephenking.com/promo/ur_kindle/)

Ur is available for pre-order beginning today and will be released later this month. For Kindle customers who pre-order, King’s new novella will download automatically when it becomes available.

[Ari_Racing]

Alright...learning right now how to break a book for kindle and read it in the computer...

[mae]

This is great, more new fiction from King. Hopefully this, like Riding the Bullet, will see print as well somewhere down the line. King still seems to be on a short fiction kick he described in Just After Sunset, so perhaps another collection is not that far behind. I don't read e-books, so I'm not planning on getting a Kindle or any other reading device, so hopefully it's sooner rather than later that I could get to read this one, despite the apparent fact that it sounds like a promotional story for Amazon.

[CRinVA]

At ~$350 the Kindle is too rich for my blood! :-(

Sooner or later UR will be availalbe in other formats! :-)

[herbertwest]

yeah am pretty sure it will leak somewhere...
Now, my question would be : will it, like for Riding the bullet, be published as chapbooks in Europe, and mainly : in France! (where Kindle didnt sell much IMO)

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

New e-novel called "UR" exclusive on Kindle.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/09/rumor-stephen-king-to-launch-kindle-exclusive-today/

What are your thoughts about this exclusive publication?

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

It will be available by P2P 10 minutes after it's released :)

[carlosdetweiller]

New e-novel called "UR" exclusive on Kindle.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/09/rumor-stephen-king-to-launch-kindle-exclusive-today/

What are your thoughts about this exclusive publication?

I read about that earlier today on Lilja's site. I will not be buying a Kindle.

[herbertwest]

Is the Kindle a big thing in the USA?
I mean, obviously among the people which can afford it...

[e_taylor]

Wait.... what the hell is a kindle?

Edit: Just looked it up. Seems interesting, but seems unfair of King to release a book that only Americans will be able to access. And it will cost them at that. $400? Really?

[Cutter]

Wait.... what the hell is a kindle?

Edit: Just looked it up. Seems interesting, but seems unfair of King to release a book that only Americans will be able to access. And it will cost them at that. $400? Really?
A Kindle is a rip off. I would love to have one, but I would like to pay $150 for one. For $400 I can buy a laptop.

[Ves'Ka Gan]

This actually really pisses me off. I have an e-book reader on my iPod touch in addition to Internet access, PDA functions & a load of other stuff--there is no way I'll be buying a Kindle--especially at that price. I'm sure the exclusive was meant to draw hardcore King fans to the Kindle, but all it's done is make me mad.

I think one of my friends is buying one--if he does I may see if I can pay him for the book so I can read it, but I'm not even sure I want to do that.

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

The stories available on Kindle are electronic, therefore they can be "ripped" into any format you like. I will never buy a Kindle, but I will have the story the same day its released.

[Ves'Ka Gan]

I'll have to come to you for a more full explanation when the book is out--I don't do ebaooks very often.

[Matt]

Message from Ms. Mod on the SKMB


Steve just called in and this may help ease some of your disappointment. He told me that it was put in the contract that the story will be available for download (but it's not up yet and I don't know if it will be simultaneous with the Kindle release in about a month) through the Kindle site. As soon as I have more details, I'll get them posted. http://www.stephenking.com/forums/images/smilies/smile2.gif

[Matt]

Message from Ms. Mod on the SKMB


Steve just called in and this may help ease some of your disappointment. He told me that it was put in the contract that the story will be available for download (but it's not up yet and I don't know if it will be simultaneous with the Kindle release in about a month) through the Kindle site. As soon as I have more details, I'll get them posted. http://www.stephenking.com/forums/images/smilies/smile2.gif

[Chooch]

I'm going to wait for the hard copy :lol:

[Sir_Boomme]

i'll do the download and print a hard copy to read.... i hate reading off the screen...
just something mo betters about killing a tree and having a physical paper copy in hand when reading.
my girlfriend always reads her news off the web... i need a newspaper everyday.

in fact...i have to print all these threads and read the hard copies before i do a reply post...which is why i don't post very often. :wtf:

[jhanic]

I'll wait for a hard-copy version. I don't do e-books.

John

[CRinVA]

ditto - what John said! :-)

[mae]

Download as in PDF? That would be nice in the interim, but I would of course prefer it be printed between covers of a King book.

[Ari_Racing]

I'll read it the day it's released...and then one more time when it becomes part of a future short story collection. :D

[jhanic]

As I said elsewhere in these forums, I don't do ebooks. I'll wait for a hardcopy version.

John

[Bev Vincent]

Q&A with King from USA Today (http://blogs.usatoday.com/technologylive/2009/02/stephen-king-on.html)

[jhanic]

Lilja has announced that Ur will be available in some other type of download version, not just Kindle. I hope it's in some type of format that I can download then print out. That's what I did with The Plant. (Yes, I paid for all six installments--in fact, I paid extra so that King would not stop the publication.)

John

[mae]

I wonder how long this will be. It seems that lately anything longer than a few pages is being called a novella, but to me a novella is a short novel, like The Body or The Langoliers. Those were novellas.

[mae]

The file should be available for download (apparently not just Kindle) on 2/24:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RF3U9K/

[Cutter]

I guess the next question is can you download the story and print it without a Kindle?

[mae]

CNET says Scribner may publish the physical book:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10159324-1.html

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

I guess the next question is can you download the story and print it without a Kindle?

Yes. (It may not be legal)

[Ves'Ka Gan]

Message from Ms. Mod on the SKMB


Steve just called in and this may help ease some of your disappointment. He told me that it was put in the contract that the story will be available for download (but it's not up yet and I don't know if it will be simultaneous with the Kindle release in about a month) through the Kindle site. As soon as I have more details, I'll get them posted. http://www.stephenking.com/forums/images/smilies/smile2.gif

Looks like King plans on making sure it is legally available. Thank goodness for that. I was pretty miffed thinking I would "need" a Kindle just for one story...(not that I would buy one).

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Just say no.....to ebooks

[Ves'Ka Gan]

I totally agree. Call me a tree killing traditionalist, but nothing beats a solid, paper book. And nothing ever will!

[gsvec]

Download-able, yes - but if the Kindle owners have to pay for it, my guess is that us regular folks will, too.

[Patrick]

SK has mentioned his love for his Kindle in a few of his Pop of King columns, so this isn't a total surprise. I'm glad we'll be able to download it without buying one of those things though. As discussed upthread, the $400 price tag is not at all attractive.

[MonteGss]

eBooks suck. Hard or soft physical copy is the way to go, or audio. :) I will wait however long I have to until this new story is released in a real format.

[obscurejude]

Is the Kindle a big thing in the USA?
I mean, obviously among the people which can afford it...

Its starting to catch on at the university I go to. In fact, you can borrow them from the library like you would a book, but the data is not transferable and that goes for anything you download.

One of the cool things about it is that you can download the New York times free via wi-fi. Its a lot less bulkier than a physical newspaper and I think it has the same content instead of the stripped down version that's available online.

Its ahead of its time and its not something you see all over the place, but I think it will become more popular for better or worst.

This short story actually sounds very interesting. We get in all sorts of debates at school about the loss of the written word...

[Sir_Boomme]

I guess the next question is can you download the story and print it without a Kindle?

Yes. (It may not be legal)

if it is like the plant download...you could legally print one copy for every electronic copy you paid for...

[oy-the-brave]

I guess I will be the only one to say anything good about the kindle. I would not have bought one, but my Mom (after seeing it on Oprah:beat:) got me one for christmas and I actually love it. I read Brisinger on it, it was easy on the eyes and the hand and my first edition is still mint. I still want to own the book and will still read a lot of actual books but I will definately use the kindle (next up The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, keeping my 1st edition unread)

[Patrick]

Thanks for that feedback, Dave. So, are you saying it does not feel like reading a computer screen?

[oy-the-brave]

Thanks for that feedback, Dave. So, are you saying it does not feel like reading a computer screen?

No definately not, the screen is very readable. Its just so light and easy to hold, plus the idea of having so many books with you is pretty neat.

[obscurejude]

Thanks for that feedback, Dave. So, are you saying it does not feel like reading a computer screen?

The screen is very readable and attempts to emulate paper unlike a normal LCD screen. I was extremely skeptical at the beginning, but its actually pretty cool and it is neat to be able to have so many books with you at once. I actually lugged two messenger bags full of books and a regular backpack to the library to work on some papers- not easy. My major thing about the digitization of texts is that I like to annotate and the marginalia software just isn't good enough for me yet. Fiction and newspapers is good on the Kindle, but the academic books in the codex form are still a necessity for me...though the idea of being able to have hundreds of them on the same drive is appealing sometimes.

[lophophoras]

I'll wait for a hard-copy version. I don't do e-books.

John

I'm with you John.

I am not a e-book fan.

If it is offered for download with print capabilities I'll buy in.

[Bev Vincent]

Here's cellphone video from the reading: YouTube - Stephen King reading "Ur" from his Kindle 2

[mae]

Thanks, Bev, here's another one:

YouTube - Horror Master Stephen King Reads "Ur" on an Amazon Kindle 2

[mae]

This should make a future short fiction collection. King seems to still be on that short fiction kick he described in the intro to Just After Sunset. As much as I'd like to read a new story, I doubt I'll be downloading it from Amazon on 2/24, even if it's just three bucks. I don't want to contribute to the demise of the printed page, I'm a book collector for god's sake!

[e_taylor]

Its an interesting discussion for sure. I think the small press world will undoubtedly save the printed book, if nothing else - for collectors. While the eBook offers a continued diversification of available authors. They are so much cheaper to release, it would make up and coming authors less of a risk to publish, and could be a good thing for "books" in general.

I'm divided. I love printed books, but see the future being ebooks. That said, I can't read a PDF on the computer. This kindle, with the unique screen really intrigues me. I would never stop collecting books, but for reading copies, magazine and newspaper subscriptions, this seems like a great idea.

[Bev Vincent]

An Amazon official estimates that Ur would run about 100 traditional print pages, calling it a more of a novella than a story.

[mae]

Great news on the length. That's more of a novella than some of the others King recently published that were billed as novellas (technically novelettes, probably). A new short fiction collection can't be that far behind. After all, only six years passed between his latest two.

[Bev Vincent]

Oh, I think we are a long way away from a new short fiction collection. Many years.

[Bev Vincent]

Here's a Huffington Post interview with King after the press conference yesterday.

YouTube - Stephen King at Amazon Kindle 2.0 launch - Hidary Huff Post interview

[herbertwest]

should maybe rename the thread no? "ONLY on kindle" : will be able to download it too...

[Gris]

Whole thing has me feeling extremely let down.

It's an Advertisement. The whole story is an Ad for Kindle. Amazon bought Stephen King and made him write a very long, and I'm sure very good, Ad for their toy.

[mystima]

it kinda reminds me of the electronic books and logs they had in the Star Trek series. thats just how i see it. might get one a few years from now when it gets into a better price range.

[herbertwest]

Yep, Stephen King is in that case a great Marketing tool : that doesnt mean that the Kindle 2 will sell more, but we will hear about it...

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

In what seemed an extraordinary kind of advertorial, the sort of paid placement that writers and high-end jewelry companies have occasionally been known to engage in, Stephen King explained that Amazon had approached his agent in January to see if he would write a story for exclusive download to Kindle 2. At first he declined, but reversed himself and started writing on January 18th what became a novella called Ur. In it, the protagonist gets a Kindle and eerie King-like happenings ensue.

Bezos assured us that the story is "terrific." King assured us that "it isn’t as though the two things" - the book and Amazon’s digital enterprise - "are in conflict. It’s like peanut butter and chocolate, when you put them together you get a whole new taste treat." In fact it was like nothing so much as a mutual admiration society.

http://www.thebookseller.com/blogs/76733-bezos-unbound.html

[obscurejude]

Whole thing has me feeling extremely let down.

It's an Advertisement. The whole story is an Ad for Kindle. Amazon bought Stephen King and made him write a very long, and I'm sure very good, Ad for their toy.

This is modernity. What were you expecting? For better or worst, its a free market society.

[mae]

Ms. Mod over at sk.com says:


I got some more information from Steve's agent this morning about the release of the story to the general public. Kindle will have an exclusive on the story for its users first but will then release it (anywhere from 1-3 months after) to the general public.

[herbertwest]

MrRabbit : 10 mins you said?

[jhanic]

Amazon has made Ur available immediately. Here's the link.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001RF3U9K

Thanks to Lilja's Library for the notice!

John

[jhanic]

Amazon has made Ur available immediately.

Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001RF3U9K/liljslibrthew-20

Thanks to Lilja's Library for the information!

John

[Matt]

I modified the thread title a bit.

[mae]

Anyone read it yet? The review on Amazon sounds very intriguing, making me feel this is not just a case of Amazon approaching King with cold hard cash and making him write a long ad copy for them.

[Randall Flagg]

Amazon has made Ur available immediately.

Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001RF3U9K/liljslibrthew-20

Thanks to Lilja's Library for the information!

John
Yes, but the way I read this, one must download it to a Kindle.

[mae]

Yeah us regular folk have to wait.

[herbertwest]

Do you think there would be anyways to get figures of downloads through kindle? i'd be nosy...

[CRinVA]

the and for download - it's still only avail for download to a Kindle - right?????

no Kindle - no readie!!!!!

[Bev Vincent]

Yes, for an as-yet unspecified period Amazon has an exclusive. A few months, perhaps.

[CRinVA]

Thnaks Bev - arg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mae]

There are lots more reviews at Ur's Amazon page now. All over the place, some are loving it, some are outright hating it. Apparently there are also Dark Tower ties.

http://www.amazon.com/UR/product-reviews/B001RF3U9K/ref=cm_cr_pr_recent?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

[oy-the-brave]

I received 350.00 worth of gift certificates for Amazon.com yesterday and downloaded UR, read it today.

I loved it and to say there are DT connections is an understatement, I would call it a DT story.

[Randall Flagg]

I received 350.00 worth of gift certificates for Amazon.com yesterday and downloaded UR, read it today.

I loved it and to say there are DT connections is an understatement, I would call it a DT story.
Downloaded it to a Kindle?

[oy-the-brave]

I received 350.00 worth of gift certificates for Amazon.com yesterday and downloaded UR, read it today.

I loved it and to say there are DT connections is an understatement, I would call it a DT story.
Downloaded it to a Kindle?

Yeah I got a Kindle for Christmas.

[CRinVA]

lucky you!

[herbertwest]

only one reader on this board so far?

[EdwardDean1999]

I received 350.00 worth of gift certificates for Amazon.com yesterday and downloaded UR, read it today.

I loved it and to say there are DT connections is an understatement, I would call it a DT story.

I'm still not dropping $400 on a Kindle. :nope: But a DT story you say?

[Earth's Militant Mind]

A new DT story? You have a kindle and a copy? http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj184/befje/smileys/bloodysmiley.gif How good of a typest are you?

[oy-the-brave]

I received 350.00 worth of gift certificates for Amazon.com yesterday and downloaded UR, read it today.

I loved it and to say there are DT connections is an understatement, I would call it a DT story.

I'm still not dropping $400 on a Kindle. :nope: But a DT story you say?

Not a DT story about Roland or the Ka-Tet but a story so influenced by the Tower that to me I consider it a DT story, not just a story with DT influences.

I would not have spent the money on a Kindle, I was intrigued by it but not even sure I would use one, but my Mom saw it on Oprah and bought me one. I was surprised to find that I do like reading on it. I will still buy books but I will also use the Kindle, definately on the bigger heavier books.

[gsvec]

If anyone's interested, they're having a Kindle2 Giveaway at moblileread.com. Here's a link to their thread with all the rules. (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38450) Contest ends on March 9th 2009, at 11:59 PM EST.

Yes, I bit the bullet and ordered one from Amazon. :lol: It's scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday and I've already ordered UR - will let everyone know what I think!

[sleeplessdwarf]

I'll admit that I have never looked at a kindle. I am pretty sure I would not spend that kind of money for it. I decided to get started on the series so I am reading Gunslinger on my iphone. This will be the first and only book I read using a device. Unless ofc I am stuck on a roadtrip with no other way.

[Ari_Racing]

I don't have a kindle and if I had I wouldn't be able to download the story since I don't live in USA.

[CRinVA]

weel I have searcehd the bit torrent sites and so far nothing has shown up! :-(

I just want to read the story!!!!!!

[herbertwest]

like everyone of us.... :arg:
I want it to leak somewhere !!! :drool:

[mae]

Very evil of Amazon not to let non-Kindle users download it.

[Bev Vincent]

They will -- just not right away

[mae]

Well it has been nearly two weeks :panic:

[Bev Vincent]

It might be more like two or three months. Depends on Amazon's exclusivity term in the contract.

[mae]

:cry:

[gsvec]

So my Kindle arrived today and I immediately opened Ur and read it - I loved it! And Dave's right that it's a DT story! All things serve The Tower . . .

[theyspunaweb]

hmmm now that gsvec says he loved it am much more interested in UR than just what was brought on by the hype.

I looked into the kindle and it looked really cool. But like most of you, having the real thing will never be replaced. I love the artwork, the feeling of a real book...everything about it. I think it's a cool idea but I also don't enjoy reading for large amounts of time off of a screen. I always print my school readings off in those cases. It's so crazy to me that it says there is "no glare" on the screen. How could they do that? It would be wonderful to read any book, any time, and have them all right there, but that is really the only thing going for the Kindle in my opinion. And the fact that you can download UR, I guess.

[Brice]

I think they look pretty cool, but being completely honest I'd initially be paying 300+ dollars for a King novella and somehow I can't see myself doing that. Wait! Did you say it's DT related?

*reconsiders* :orely:

Oh, and Gretchen/gsvec is a she. :)

[oy-the-brave]

As I have said I would not have bought a Kindle myself, I was intrigued by it, but did not think I would really like it.

Now that I was given one I really like reading from it, it's very comfortable. It will never stop me from buying books and I doubt a lot of the small press I buy will be realeased for the kindle but man reading a monster like The Stand from the kindle will be great.

Thanks Gretchen for the comment about UR I was very nervous about making the "DT story" comment worried it was too much so I am glad to hear you agree 8)

[Patrick]

No mention of the King story, but here is Jon Stewart of The Daily Show interviewing Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com about the Kindle.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=218392&title=jeff-bezos

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=218392&title=jeff-bezos

[gsvec]

As I have said I would not have bought a Kindle myself, I was intrigued by it, but did not think I would really like it.

Now that I was given one I really like reading from it, it's very comfortable. It will never stop me from buying books and I doubt a lot of the small press I buy will be realeased for the kindle but man reading a monster like The Stand from the kindle will be great.

Thanks Gretchen for the comment about UR I was very nervous about making the "DT story" comment worried it was too much so I am glad to hear you agree 8)
I've only had mine for barely a day, but I have to agree about how comfortable it is to read on it. I agree with others here, though, that having it will never stop me from buying REAL books - they'll always be the best.

The reason I decided to buy it (besides UR, of course!) was so that I'd never be without something interesting to read. I've found myself stuck waiting in the Dr.'s office or a repair shop too many times with nothing to read but 3 month old magazines that didn't interest me at all since I inevitably forget to grab a book to take with me. I figure I can put the Kindle in my purse (I know - a girl thing, but it really IS pretty thin and lightweight) so I'll never be without reading material again! I've also found that there are tons of free Kindle books and some of them actually seem interesting. :lol: In fact, when I finished UR last night, I 'bought' one of the freebies (Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston - so far, so good!) and read in bed. Pretty comfy!

But back on topic . . .

I admit I didn't agree that UR was a DT story until I was about 75% through it. That's when a few turns happened and I went "Aha!!" and couldn't get the smile off my face. I did find a few things a bit predictable (I guessed what would happen before it happened) but I wonder how much of that is because I've read so much SK that I've started thinking like him! :D
I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to share the story somehow with my DT family here, and if I can, I will!

[jhanic]

There's a very positive review of the Kindle 2 on the front page of the fourth section of today's Wall Street Journal. FYI.

John

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

If you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars for a Kindle, you can get free Kindle application for your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Then you only need to spend $2.99 from Amazon for King's story "UR".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/04/AR2009030400542.html

As of Tuesday afternoon, "UR" was No. 18 on Amazon's list of Kindle best-sellers.

[mae]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hLb54iPy5a-oZIhN707JvQAyMJKwD96MUP980


Stephen King's agent pleased at e-book debut
By JERRY HARKAVY – 13 hours ago

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — It's not the sensation of his first effort, but Stephen King's latest e-adventure is another best-seller.

King's agent, Ralph Vicinanza, said Tuesday that downloads of King's novella "UR," available only as an e-book and released to coincide with the launch of Amazon's upgraded Kindle reader, have reached "five figures" after barely three weeks on the market.

In 2000, in the early years of digital texts, King's novella "Riding the Bullet" was downloaded hundreds of thousands of times, overwhelming Amazon.com and other online sites.

Amazon.com has declined to offer any specific numbers for sales of the Kindle or for individual books, although publishers have said that popular titles sell in the thousands or better.

Vicinanza said in a telephone interview that Amazon would not be providing specific numbers until 60 days after the Feb. 12 release, but added: "We've been told that they're in the five figures already.

"We're excited. They're happy, we're happy and from the initial information that we're getting it seems to be a success."

As of Tuesday afternoon, "UR" was No. 18 on Amazon's list of Kindle best-sellers.

Vicinanza had approached King with the idea of writing a story for release as an e-book as a way to "create some excitement" in electronic publishing at a time when the book industry is going through tough times.

The New York-based agent recommended the strategy even though the Kindle and competing devices account for no more than 1 percent of overall book sales. "UR" eventually will be made available in print, he said.

The Kindle 2, a slimmed-down model with upgraded components and storage capacity, went on sale Feb. 9 for $359. The gadget downloads books, newspaper stories and blog posts over a wireless network.

"UR," available as a download for $2.99, is about a college English instructor whose pink Kindle allows him to access new books by famous dead authors as well as newspapers that tell of a future event that he is compelled to try to forestall.

While some readers have likened the book to an infomercial for Amazon's pricey device, Vicinanza says any King fan recognizes how often cars and other products appear in his books.

"There isn't enough money out there for Stephen King to do product placement, for sure," he said.

King began writing the story Jan. 18, the agent had it edited and sent to Amazon on Feb. 4, and the edited proofs were in the hands of King and his agent — sent, in fact, to their Kindles — two days later.

King sees the Kindle as a delivery system that matters less than the story it delivers. In his blog on the Entertainment Weekly Web site http://www.ew.com. the author opined a year ago that Kindles will not replace books, which have a permanence that accentuates the importance of the ideas and stories they contain.

But they can, he wrote, enrich a reader's life.

"For a while I was very aware that I was looking at a screen and bopping a button instead of turning pages. Then the story simply swallowed me, as the good ones always do," King wrote. "It became about the message instead of the medium, and that's the way it's supposed to be."

[sleeplessdwarf]

Great find Rabbit. I have been trying to read using a pdf reader and it was horrible. This makes me love my phone even more.

[turtlex]

Hey, for all you iPhone and iTouch people who don't want to own the $359 Kindle... there's a brand new app that allows you to use your iTouch/iPhone as a Kindle Reader...

... The app is FREE, but you'd have to buy the content.

[herbertwest]

If you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars for a Kindle, you can get free Kindle application for your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Then you only need to spend $2.99 from Amazon for King's story "UR".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/04/AR2009030400542.html

As of Tuesday afternoon, "UR" was No. 18 on Amazon's list of Kindle best-sellers.

require an iPhone or an iPod touch though... :-(

[herbertwest]

It will maybe leak then :rock:

[mae]

Hopefully soon. I can't wait anymore for Amazon to make it available for normal people.

[Cloysterpete]

I'm just glad King's agent has said there'll eventually be a print release, I guess eventually means five years down the road when a new novella collection is released.

[Ari_Racing]

Got my bro with an ipod touch. I might get it this week :)

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

It will maybe leak then :rock:

It's already leaking!

[Ari_Racing]

Wo Wo Wo.

Hold your horses.

What?

Where?

I want it!

[CRinVA]

ditto

what Ari said! :-)

[Pasiuk57]

I had two Amazon gift cards one for $250 and one for $50 so I made the plunge and bought a Kindle 2. I ordered it in Thursday and it arrived on Monday. I bought the King stiry for $2.99 UR on Saturday while the Kindle was on the way to me and when the Kindle arrived it was already loaded on it. Started it last night. The device itself is extremely nice and super easy to use. So far no complaints.
But I am just on Day 1-2 of it. I travel a lot so it might be really useful. Time will tell.....

[sleeplessdwarf]

If you know how to convert a prc file to pdf or other formats pm me. I bought it as soon as I read the iphone had a kindle app and I have no problem letting you guys know how good the story is.

[Randall Flagg]

I know everyone is excited-including me, but openly soliciting and then sharing copyrighted material must be discouraged; particularly here in the official (for our site) King announcement thread.

[sleeplessdwarf]

Agreed Flagg. I reworded my post so I would not break any community rules. Thanks to the guys who offered the help with the converting program. It will be nice to have it in pdf format to read on the pc.

[Randall Flagg]

Thanks.

[sleeplessdwarf]

It seems that the normal option to download your purchase to the pc is not enabled. This would explain why there has been no leak yet. I really want to be able to read the book on my pc when I am home and not the tiny iphone, so I am actively searching a way to do this. I'll let you guys know when I am enjoying UR on the pc.

[sleeplessdwarf]

Just to keep you up to speed and maybe get more help, this is where I am. I want to be able to read the kindle file on my pc. There are some python scripts that strip drm from the prc file which would then allow me to read the book with any type of mobipocker reader. It seems that in order to get the scripts working I need a kindle serial number. When and if I am able to read the story on my pc I'll let you guys know how it reads. Ofc, I could go a head and read it on my phone and then give you the highlights. :P

[Pasiuk57]

Read the story and have to say I really liked it.
The Kindle works effortlessly and I also threw The Stand on it to reread it again at my leisure.
UR was a good story however. I'm sure it will find it's way to print soon.....
The Kindle itself is super easy and it takes no time whatsoever to download books.
Anyway, my two cents...

[gsvec]

I agree - and I got The Talisman instead of The Stand, but for the same reason. :D

[Ari_Racing]

I managed to get an Ipod Touch...but I don't live in USA, so it's useless so far... :P
Anyone managed to "backup" a copy?

[Randall Flagg]

Had the pleasure of reading the novella today-due to the graciousness of someone loaning me their Kindle. Amusing read. King wrote it on the fly, literally began the writing just a few weeks ago, and here we have the story.
Numerous Dark Tower connections!
I love the Kindle. If times were not what they are I would buy one today.

[mae]

Ugh! Stupid Amazon! Release the story to us regular folk! Now! :panic:

[Randall Flagg]

I am going to edit the title of this thread as SK has more new stuff on the horizon.

[sleeplessdwarf]

Ok guys. Another member lead me to an idea. It took a bit of work and I am not so sure if my kids had ask me for it that I would have went through the same effort. :P I have a file that will allow you to read the story. I am not sure that it is even illegal with the way I am doing it so maybe one of our mods could leave a message if I need to reword my post. If you want to read the story send me a pm with your email and I will send as soon as possible.

[sleeplessdwarf]

I have to go out for a bit. Here is a link for the file. If this breaks the rules please remove and I will get back to emails. Thanks.

[Bev Vincent]

I would say that this definitely breaks the rules.

[alinda]

I removed the link , if it is illegal (looks like it may be ) we should not have it here on our boards.

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

Thanks for that. I will read the chapbook tonight in bed.

http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/563/UR.jpg

[DanishCollector]

Somehow I couldn't open it, but if it's illegal, I guess I must wait.

[jhanic]

I was able to open it, but it turned out to be more than 260 separate files. I plan on buying a copy later when it becomes available to us non-Kindle users, so I'm not too concerned about the legality. The problem is that in its current form, it's virtually unreadable anyway. (I want to print it out and read it that way, but it's not worth the investment in the paper to do so currently.)

John

[sleeplessdwarf]

jhanic. Try getting up with ari racing. He was able to open it and read it. You should be able to extract then open without problem. It will be in pdf form later on so I'll reply to those pms then. Sorry about the link, Mods.

[Bev Vincent]

I can remove the link , if it is illegal (looks like it may be ) shall I ?

I think you should. It's a link to a page-by-page scan of the story.

[Hannah]

As I'm sure most of you know we don't allow links to illegal copies of copyrighted material on the site. For those who'd like to discuss the file, opening it, and sharing it further, please do it outside of the public threads.

Thank you so much for understanding! :grouphug:

[Matt]

For real Yo! :pirate:

[gsvec]

Thanks for that. I will read the chapbook tonight in bed.

http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/563/UR.jpg
Okay, I'll bite.

:panic: Where'd you find that, RT?

[Brice]

I'd guess that he just printed it.

[sleeplessdwarf]

I did not intentionally break the rules. I am more clear now on what those are though. I can't say I agree with the drm. I paid for the story so If I let all my friends come over and borrow the book that should be my choice. However I do understand that this is not the way the world works anymore. :P I will not discuss the file here anymore so please keep it to PMs.Thanks guys.

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

I'd guess that he just printed it.

Give that man a coconut :thumbsup:

[Brice]

I'd guess that he just printed it.

Give that man a coconut :thumbsup:


:thumbsup: Limited edition chapbook 1/1 :lol:

[gsvec]

Gotcha. I didn't make it into the tread until after the link was removed, so I didn't realize the 'cover art' was part of it. Thanks for the clarification -I thought there was a real chapbook (not the 1/1 limited :lol:) and I wanted to get my hands on one!

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

I have a feeling that this story will be rushed out to general release now that Amazon's "exclusitivity" has been compromised.

[mae]

Well, I finally read this novella last night, and I thought it was very good. It read in parts like Duma Key for some reason. And that's a good thing. There were some Dark Tower things, but I wouldn't consider this a proper Dark Tower story. No more than Low Men in Yellow Coats. As far as the story itself and the infomercial aspect of it, I did not feel even once that King was consciously pimping the Kindle. It was just a device. He's mentioned iPods before in his recent fiction, and this is no different. I thought the Kindle allowed King's imagination to come up with a very original story. This should make a great lead-in to his next short fiction collection.

[Gris]

Well, I finally read this novella last night, and I thought it was very good. It read in parts like Duma Key for some reason. And that's a good thing. There were some Dark Tower things, but I wouldn't consider this a proper Dark Tower story. No more than Low Men in Yellow Coats. As far as the story itself and the infomercial aspect of it, I did not feel even once that King was consciously pimping the Kindle. It was just a device. He's mentioned iPods before in his recent fiction, and this is no different. I thought the Kindle allowed King's imagination to come up with a very original story. This should make a great lead-in to his next short fiction collection.

Difference is that stories with iPods were not sold exclusively through the iTunes Store for use only on $500 iPods.

[mae]

You're right. But a story is still a story, and Amazon will let non-Kindle folks buy the story soon. And it has been said it will be published, either on its own (unlikely), or in King's next collection. So we'll all be still left with it being just a story, regardless of how it first appeared. This happened with Riding the Bullet and, especially, Blood and Smoke (if you'll recall, at the time it was said the stories from Blood and Smoke were audiobook-exclusive and would not be published, but they were shortly after).

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

You're right. But a story is still a story, and Amazon will let non-Kindle folks buy the story soon. And it has been said it will be published, either on its own (unlikely), or in King's next collection. So we'll all be still left with it being just a story, regardless of how it first appeared. This happened with Riding the Bullet and, especially, Blood and Smoke (if you'll recall, at the time it was said the stories from Blood and Smoke were audiobook-exclusive and would not be published, but they were shortly after).

It's not a case of Amazon "letting non-Kindle users buy the story". They have a time-limited, first publication rights to the story. When this time limit expires, Stephen King will be able to publish it in any way he pleases.

According to King's office, it will be available to the general public when Amazon's time-limit runs out.

(The next collection is at least five years away)

[mae]

As I understood it, after the Kindle-only exclusivity expires, the novella will still be available at Amazon.com, probably for the same $2.99. King may then publish it physically, but I doubt he'd publish it on its own. Am I wrong?

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

It will be a $2.99 download from stephenking.com (my guess)

[Matt]

They don't have a way to take in money there as far as I know.

[jhanic]

I don't remember how they handled The Plant. They could set up a Paypal account, though.

John

[Matt]

Very true--I had just remembered the hubbub over the store and one of the reasons it was hard was the collecting of money.

I bet they can overcome it easily though.

[mae]

The Plant was sold at Amazon, too, if I recall.

[Randall Flagg]

I can't say I agree with the drm. I paid for the story so If I let all my friends come over and borrow the book that should be my choice.

That is a discussion that lawyers make a lot of money debating, and we could have a lengthy discourse about it in another area of the board.

In layman's terms my understanding of it is this analogy: If I buy a hardback book, or a physical CD, I can loan that single book or CD to anyone I care to, whether they are at my home or not.
I cannot (legally), scan the book, or copy the CD and then distribute (share) those copies.
Thanks for understanding.:grouphug:

[Randall Flagg]

The Plant was sold at Amazon, too, if I recall.

Actually it was initially sold through King's website, on an honorary pay basis.


In 2000, King picked up The Plant again and started to publish it as an electronic serial. The first part (matching the 1982 story) was put on his own web site for anyone to download. He also said that he wanted everyone that downloaded the story to pay him $1 either before or after reading it.
The idea was that if enough people paid up, more parts would be published in the same way. The limit was set at 75% of payers versus downloaders. The rate of paying customers decreased over time, but at least the first parts were over the set limit. As of mid-2001, six parts have been published (making up the first somewhat self-contained part of the novel). King has said that there will be more, but that some other projects will be finished first.

Full article on Wikipdia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plant)

[Matt]

Well there you go. :lol:

[jhanic]

But how did we pay?

John

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

I cannot (legally), scan the book, or copy the CD and then distribute (share) those copies.

UK law is slightly different. A person can make 1 copy of the DVD, CD, Program etc, that they own, for their own use only. They cannot distribute this to anyone else.

Also, it is not illegal to own pirate or illegal goods, but the selling or distribution of them is.

[mae]

Through Amazon, I'm pretty sure. At least that's what I did. but this was nearly nine years ago so I could be mistaken.

[sleeplessdwarf]

The way I use to understand it was "not to be shared for a profit". That was the old days when it was just a warning on a vhs tape I think. I am sure the new drm is different but I do not honor it so i have not read it. I do honor our boards rules though so I ofc will not be posting links or such again. :P I do not know if they make up the new rules because of how hard it had become to protect music and movies. Take my iphone for example. Apple insist that even though I have bought my iphone, they still have the right to tell me what to do with it. According to them I am not allowed to have a program that allows me to have a video cam since they decie to not allow the app. Well ofc I jailbroke my device right after I got it. Now if I use illegal free apps the they can say I am wrong but as I give iTunes a fair amount of cash from month to month they can suck it. :P I do understand our rules here though and respect them as I do the people.

PS In some places it is legal to grow weed but not to harvest it. This makes as much sense to me. :P

PSS I do not smoke weed do support those whose choose to. :P

[sleeplessdwarf]

I can remove the link , if it is illegal (looks like it may be ) shall I ?

I think you should. It's a link to a page-by-page scan of the story.

BTW, it was so much more easier than that. I like you guys but not sure if it is enough to scan 300+ pages. :P

[Darkday]

Pablo's right: the PDF was available on King's web site, but the payment was handled by Amazon.

[Ari_Racing]

Here in Argentina you cannot make a profit of a pirate content, no matter which, but if you download a movie from the internet or a cd for personal use, nothing happens. The internet providers protect user's connection and the law doesn't act against the one who downloads a movie to watch. It DOES go after the one that sells them.

With UR the things turned a little bit more complicated here. I saw that some people didn't want the story to be shared and spread, but most of the people did. It's inside each one of the ones that got it to buy it anyway when it becomes available for purchase outside Kindle's system.

Personally I think that we all here share the same passion and I don't see it's bad to want to read the new story earlier. If we want to follow all the rules, then the ARCs shouldn't be for sale or purchased before the book goes on sale, and it takes 10 minutes at ebay.com to find one of the latest books (specially Lisey's Story and well..I guess Cell and Just After Sunset didn't appear that much) a month prior its publication. Or you can see that some members have photocopies of earlier works by King. I don't know in the rest of the world, but in Argentina it's illegal to photocopy a book...

I don't judge anyone, everyone does whatever they want with their stuff, and so did the one that purchased UR and decided to share it with the fellow King fans that were unable to read the story due to lack of Kindle or Ipod Touch. I shared some digital texts before that are more or less hard to get and of course I didn't do it for a profit, I did it to share the jewel with my close King-friends.

Just my thoughts.

[Ari_Racing]

I remember I didn't have a CC at that time so I sent money in an envelope to King's office. :)

[Brice]

I think if the marketing people at Amazon/Kindle were smart they'd have done a limited edition UR pink kindle. :lol:

[lophophoras]

I agree. I would have gone for one if they had.

[Patrick]

I borrowed a friend's Kindle and read the story. I liked the story, and I liked the Kindle. Now I'm tempted to buy one myself.

Aside from any downloadable print version, I'd bet there will be an audio version of this story sold through audible.com (which is iTunes' source of audiobooks as well).

[Pasiuk57]

I've got to say
the Kindle 2 is very nice.....
Works truly great!

[Gris]

No plans on buying a kindle, but I read the story this weekend, it was great.

[mae]

I thought it was very good myself. It could've been a tad longer, too, I felt, in the middle.

[Randall Flagg]

I cannot (legally), scan the book, or copy the CD and then distribute (share) those copies.

UK law is slightly different. A person can make 1 copy of the DVD, CD, Program etc, that they own, for their own use only. They cannot distribute this to anyone else.

Also, it is not illegal to own pirate or illegal goods, but the selling or distribution of them is.
I was speaking in a non-professional situation regarding USA laws.:grouphug:

I do honor our boards rules though so I ofc will not be posting links or such again. :P

Thank you.

[willie3]

I convinced my wife to download the story to her IPhone the other day, but haven't had a chance to read it yet.

The price was the same as a Kindle download, but the app for the IPhone was free.

Just a FYI

[herbertwest]

it have been released 2 months ago : any news from the book version?

[mae]

No news regarding a non-Kindle "Ur" but there is news today of a yet another new Kindle coming soon: Kindle DX:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2346639,00.asp


Hot on the heels of the super-successful Kindle 2 launch, Amazon announced the Kindle DX ($489 direct), a larger, higher capacity, and more expensive version. I was able to get some hands-on time with the device and found it to be just as advertised: a larger version of the Kindle. That said, that extra screen size and the new partnerships with textbook vendors could help the Kindle DX open markets previously untapped by e-book readers.

The biggest difference between the Kindle DX and the Kindle 2 is the size of the screen, which is 2.5-times larger than the original. Moving from a 6-inch display to a 9.7-inch display makes the reading experience a lot more like reading a standard 8.5-by-11-inch piece of paper. Whereas reading the Kindle 2 is akin to reading a book, the Kindle DX feels more like reading a magazine. Indeed, Jeff Bezos said at today's announcement that presenting structured, designed content is one of the key reasons for developing the Kindle DX.

The device measures 10.4 by 7.2 by 0.38 inches, and indeed, it feels incredibly thin when you hold it in your hand. It weighs 18.9 ounces and has about the same heft as a spiral bound paper notebook. Two small slits on the left side of the device will be used to attach a protective case, but none were on display today. The back of the Kindle DX features the same brushed metal back as the Kindle 2. Not much to see there.

One upgrade that won't be immediately obvious is the increased memory. The Kindle DX comes with 4GB of memory and room to store about 3,500 books, compared to the 1,500-book capacity of the Kindle 2. I doubt many Kindle users ever max out their libraries, but since Amazon is increasingly pushing the Kindle as a tool for reading your own documents, the extra capacity could come in handy. There is still no removable memory slot adding memory.

The Kindle DX's interface hasn't changed much from Kindle 2. The Home button is still the best way to restart your navigation process and the five-way directional toggle lets you navigate the menus. I still think this process could be smoothed out some, but it isn't too difficult to move around. Although the Page Forward and Page Back commands are still along the right side of the device, they've been removed from the left-hand side.

One key improvement is the addition of an accelerometer. Like the Apple iPhone, the Kindle DX can detect its orientation and rotates the screen accordingly. This lets you view documents, photos, and charts in landscape mode. In fact, the device can even be operated upside down, so that left handers can use the Page Forward/Page Back keys with their left hand if they want. (Typing on the QWERTY keyboard upside down is much, much more difficult.)

The Kindle DX also adds native PDF and RTF file support. Although previous Kindles have been able to display PDFs, this support was experimental and often achieved mixed results. The Kindle DX will ship with native PDF support that uses Adobe Reader Mobile technology. The demos I saw included nautical charts, maps, and legal documents, and the results were very impressive. Of course, I will have to load my own PDFs to really evaluate this feature.

Otherwise, the Kindle DX supports the same assortment of file formats, including Kindle, (AZW) TXT, Audible, HTML, Doc, JPEG, GIF, and PNG. Files can be sideloaded via the microUSB cable or sent through Amazon's Whispernet service for $.15/MB.

As with the Kindle 2, the DX comes with a built-in 1xRTT EVDO modem for wirelessly loading books and other digital content using the companies Whispernet service. Whispernet works seamlessly in the background, but it should be noted the company recently moved to per MB pricing for files that you upload to the service. If users do start uploading lots of their own files to the device, as Amazon seems to want them to, this could end up adding to the price of the device.

Other than the increased size, the biggest improvement in the Kindle ecosystem is the deal with textbook publishers. The textbook market will be key for the DX to succeed. Amazon has already signed up three of the top five textbook publishers (Cengage Learning, Pearson, and Wiley) as well as 27 University Press Publishers. The Kindle DX will be used in trials with at least five universities this fall.

There are lots of unanswered questions about the Kindle DX that I will answer when the device comes into PCMag Labs for testing. That said, given how closely the device builds on the Kindle 2 platform, it seems like a useful addition to the Kindle portfolio. This will be especially true if Amazon can succeed in evolving the device from a pure e-book reader into a device for reading all sorts of digital documents, including textbooks, magazines, blogs, word documents, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, e-mails, or any other document people currently print out.


Sorry, don't mean to sound like an advertisement, but the larger size appeals more to me. I think I may get one, but not until they make one with color (there is a color e-ink reader out in Japan already).

[Randall Flagg]

Sorry Amazon, I am not tossing $500 your way (not counting content). I have usually been an early adopter, but not today.

[Cloysterpete]

I think by the time Amazon get round to releasing these in the UK then the device will be on it's fifth release with colour, expandable memory and touch screen controls so half the front of the thing isn't consumed by a load of buttons.

Pricing the thing so shockingly high is a deal breaker though.

[mae]

Yeah, touchscreen capability would be nice for that tactile page turning effect. I don't know if it could be compatible with the e-ink technology though.

[herbertwest]

Hope we soon get news for the book release...

[mae]

I doubt it'd be released on its own. I think we'll have to wait for King's next collection.

[herbertwest]

from lilja, 10th of feb. :


It was confirmed today that Kindle will have an exclusive on Ur for its users first but will then release it (anywhere from 1-3 months after) as a download to the general public.

We're close from 3 months now...

[Patrick]

Good point, HW.


The new Kindle is WAY too expensive.

[gsvec]

I agree, Patrick. I bought a Kindle 2 (and I really like it), but I had to debate about forking out the money for THAT one. No way I'd have spent $500. And one of the things I like most about the Kindle 2 is the size. The new one's too big to be convenient, IMO.

[oy-the-brave]

I agree, Patrick. I bought a Kindle 2 (and I really like it), but I had to debate about forking out the money for THAT one. No way I'd have spent $500. And one of the things I like most about the Kindle 2 is the size. The new one's too big to be convenient, IMO.

I agree one of the great things about the kindle is the size I would not want one that is bigger.

[herbertwest]

there are still no news around the book... :-(

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

there are still no news around the book... :-(

No news. (Everyone seems to have it, that wants it)

[mae]

I'm thinking we won't see this in print until King's next collection, which may be not that far off actually, since it only took six years between Everything's Eventual (2002) and Just After Sunset (2008). Before, it was nine years between Everything's Eventual and Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993), eight years between Nightmares & Dreamscapes and Skeleton Crew (1985), and seven between Skeleton Crew and Night Shift (1978). So seven years on average, or around 2015...

[Bev Vincent]

UR will be available as an audiobook on February 16, 2010. The reader has not yet been selected. The suggested retail price is $14.99 in CD format or $11.99 for the download edition which will be available July 2010.

[jhanic]

Thanks for the information, Bev. That's a lot longer than we thought it would be.

John

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

UR will be available as an audiobook on February 16, 2010. The reader has not yet been selected. The suggested retail price is $14.99 in CD format or $11.99 for the download edition which will be available July 2010.

What a rip-off for such a short story.

I will record it and give it away on here for free :)

One problem. I sound like Gerald Butler in 300, so nobody will understand me. ><

[Bev Vincent]

[quote=Bev Vincent;414970]
I will record it and give it away on here for free :)


Hang on a sec, Urticus. I think the sys admins would have an issue with that.

[jhanic]

I'm pretty sure he was being facetious.

John

[Gris]

$15 for a what would be 20 typed pages IS a bit ridiculous.

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

My copy is 33 pages :ninja:

[sleeplessdwarf]

I still have not read it, as I did not want my mind to wonder while taking on the DT series. 15$ does seem a bit steep though.

[mae]

I'm waiting for the next collection. Although I do have the digital story.

[jhanic]

Amazon has dropped the price of the Kindle 2 to $299 from $369.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00154JDAI?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=priceg148-20&linkCode=asn

Still too expensive for me.

John

[herbertwest]

should we expect a book version as well or not then?

[mae]

I doubt it would be published on it's own. It's not long enough. Maybe in some anthology? But that's not very likely.

[MonteGss]

My Kindle will arrive on Thursday and I've got Ur already purchased. I'm excited to read it. :)

[gsvec]

Just hope it's not pink. :evil:

You'll understand once you've read the story . . .

[MonteGss]

I get it already! :)

[earthtome]

Amazon has dropped the price of the Kindle 2 to $299 from $369.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00154JDAI?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=priceg148-20&linkCode=asn

Still too expensive for me.

John

I need to get me one of those http://breakingjist.com/sig.jpg

[mae]

Thanks to Bev we have a comparison of the original ebook version of "Ur" and the collected version: http://cemeterydanceonline.com/2015/10/stephen-king-news-from-the-dead-zone-186/

Would love a complete one, if that's possible, as was done for The Gunslinger,

[Bev Vincent]

I do have a fully annotated hardcopy that shows all of the changes, but copyright restrictions would prevent me from presenting it anywhere.

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

I do have a fully annotated hardcopy that shows all of the changes, but copyright restrictions would prevent me from presenting it anywhere.

Copyright restrictions? On this site. That's a new one! :)

[mae]

I'm not sure why copyright would come into play. Wouldn't this be fair use for educational purposes of sorts? If it's not the full text, just the changed parts. We've had the complete Revised Gunslinger comparison on this site for years with no problem.

At any rate, I'm glad to have my original ebook copy. Another uncollected rarity now. Have any of the other stories in Bazaar been revised?

[NoAttitudeThisTime]

A few of them have minor revisions - some have word differences in their beginnings, others have new endings.

[Bev Vincent]

I'm sure there are minor revisions to many of them -- different copy-editors will flag different things, for example -- but Ur is the one that was radically revised. There's hardly a page that doesn't have some modifications. That's why it wouldn't be practical to post the changes. I'd pretty much have to post the entire story, which wouldn't be kosher.

[Kevbot]

I'm thinking we won't see this in print until King's next collection, which may be not that far off actually, since it only took six years between Everything's Eventual (2002) and Just After Sunset (2008). Before, it was nine years between Everything's Eventual and Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993), eight years between Nightmares & Dreamscapes and Skeleton Crew (1985), and seven between Skeleton Crew and Night Shift (1978). So seven years on average, or around 2015...

Nailed it.

[mae]

And we now officially know it's Ur, not UR.

[Kevbot]

Note about the revisions: the text version has the revisions, but the audiobook uses the original text. That may be a practical way of going through things to see/hear the differences.

[CRinVA]

You don't come around here very often Mr. Quigley, now do you! :-)

[mikeC]

Note about the revisions: the text version has the revisions, but the audiobook uses the original text.


I was wondering this, thanks for the info.

[Kevbot]

I've been coming by more and more. I'm hoping for info about new books soon! :)