No more Free Ploughshares

[Roxane Gay]

The free issues are all gone but you can (and should) still buy the issue. It promises to be outstanding.

Cheers,

Roxane

--
Roxane Gay :: http://www.roxanegay.com
Co-Editor, PANK :: http://www.pankmagazine.com
http://www.indiepublishingwiki.com

[Alex V. Cook]

I just saw on Facebook that issue of Ploughshares is available on the Kindle for $3.99

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/181-9482362-0966053?redirect=true&ref_=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1&a=B004FV56OU

Btw, I've never figured out the right way to say it: available for Kindle (or Nook or whatever), available on the Kindle, Kindle version, etc. I guess that's one of the thinks that rubs me funny about Kindle and iTunes and the re-proprietization of digital content in the App Age.  

[Owen Kaelin]

Controlling the market by contractual agreement, yeah... . Electronic media should be free.

[Andrea Drygas]

Hey Alex, thanks for sending this out -- I was going to alert you all today, but you beat me to it!

We were originally trying to get the issue into the iBookstore. After the file languished in the "pending" category for 3 weeks, the file was then marked "removed from sale" with no explanation.

Long story short, Kindle was not our first option, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get the issue up there, and now it is available in a digital format. And at least you can get a Kindle app on devices other than the Kindle. (I downloaded the issue on my iPhone in less than 5 minutes, including downloading the Kindle app.)

Ideally, there would be 1 digital format, and the files you purchase from any distribution site could be moved between devices and eReaders. I'm sure it will happen eventually, but at the moment choices are somewhat limited.

On Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 3:46 PM, Alex V. Cook <cook...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
Andrea Drygas
Managing Editor
Ploughshares Literary Magazine

120 Boylston St. Boston MA 02116
phone: 617-824-3756
fax: 617-824-8991

Andrea...@emerson.edu
pshares.org

[Joe Johaneman]

As someone who has been covering Apple for awhile now for ThoughtsMedia, I can tell you why:  Apple generally doesn't let magazines into the iBookstore.  Books go into the bookstore, magazines have to be an app.  It's dumb, I know.  But it's how they do things. 

On 12/13/10 11:06 AM, Andrea Drygas wrote:

Hey Alex, thanks for sending this out -- I was going to alert you all today, but you beat me to it!

We were originally trying to get the issue into the iBookstore. After the file languished in the "pending" category for 3 weeks, the file was then marked "removed from sale" with no explanation.

Long story short, Kindle was not our first option, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get the issue up there, and now it is available in a digital format. And at least you can get a Kindle app on devices other than the Kindle. (I downloaded the issue on my iPhone in less than 5 minutes, including downloading the Kindle app.)

Ideally, there would be 1 digital format, and the files you purchase from any distribution site could be moved between devices and eReaders. I'm sure it will happen eventually, but at the moment choices are somewhat limited.

--
Joe Johaneman
jejohaneman.com
All writing is translation

[Andrea Drygas]

Hi Joe,

Thanks for the explanation. It's interesting because VQR is in iBooks, but maybe they got in before Apple drew the line. And yeah, that's pretty dumb. Individual apps are not a sustainable choice...but I guess that's what we have to work with.

Andrea

[Joe Johaneman]

Hi Andrea,

Expect some changes in the coming months.  There will be magazine apps with the ability to have in-app subscriptions, and that will solve that issue.  Apple just has to work out the issues with the publishers, who want the subscriber info for advertising and marketing reasons (data Apple would rather keep for themselves).

Joe