Yes, this is the saddest news of all time. But yesterday, I was stuck waiting around to find out if I’d have to sit on a jury! Despite that it would have been the funniest thing ever had I actually gotten the chance to be on a jury, alas, my group was dismissed as a whole. But between that and trying to catch up on all the work I missed doing my ~real job~ in the ~real world~, I still have not seen the next episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
This never happens! I pride myself on being consistent and delivering posts daily to both my sites, but for once, things not on the Internet actually interfered! Blast it! Anyway, I apologize for this one day delay. Generally, I’m pretty good at managing my time and getting this stuff done ahead of time, but the past few days have involved the following things:
- A fifty mile training ride here in the East Bay, which is training for my fourth time doing the AIDS/LifeCycle, which you should totally donate to! You should! I need lots more money and you’re helping keep people alive! Anyway, I did a pretty gnarly ride. I should mention at this point that I ride a fixed gear bicycle only on all my long distance rides, which is both foolish and….foolish. I don’t have any other adjectives to use. They look like this:
[Image description: Professional photo of a steel Masi fixed gear bicycle, mostly forest green with white and brown complimenting parts.
- That’s right! No gears, no freewheel. REALLY FOOLISH, AMIRITE. But it’s fun! And I love it! And, aside from a few small modifications, that’s actually the bicycle I ride.
- Ok, there’s a point to telling you this. I found a hill here in Oakland that provided me with the first time I have flat out given up. I’m a great hill climber, but this one defeated me and I didn’t ride one foot on it. It was so steep I almost threw up just from the sight of it. It basically was this:
[Image description: Screenshot of Google Maps, showing two hills. The first is highlighted with red, with an arrow annotating it as, “PURE HELL.” The second hill starts at the end of the first, where a road sharply turns to the left and becomes a new one. It is annotated in blue and says, “WHY WOULD ANY HUMAN BEING WILLINGLY PAVE A ROAD LIKE THIS PLEASE END ME SWIFTLY, GOD.”
- On Sunday, I did a fantastic, eleven-mile hike in Big Basin Mountains in Santa Cruz! It was lovely and you should add me on Flickr so you can see a small collection of photos from this gorgeous spot here in Northern California.
- Watching “Day of the Moon” late Sunday night because Comcast is awful, so I didn’t get my normal head start on Mark Watches stuff AT ALL.
- Accidentally falling asleep on my friend’s couch on Sunday after “Day of the Moon” was over because I’d just done this SUPER INTENSE HIKE and ridden fifty miles in one weekend and LOOK, I WAS FUCKING EXHAUSTED.
- The best part about that? I fell asleep just after 9pm on Sunday and woke up at 5:30am and I had no clue where I was or why I was in this strange place and, I swear to you, I immediately thought that I had been kidnapped. what is my brain.
So all of this is to explain that, more so than usual, I was incredibly busy and I hope that y’all will forgive me for this momentary lapse in Avatar-y goodness. And I didn’t just want to put up some bullshit post! Why not give you all something to read in the meantime?
So, on that point, I’d like to talk about something rather exciting! No new projects or anything because SERIOUSLY, I COULD NOT FIT ONE MORE THING IN MY LIFE AT THIS POINT. I had posted something about it on my Twitter last week and the response was FANTASTICAL, so I thought I’d have an open forum for this sort of thing here on Mark Watches so we can discuss! I love talking with you folks and I think this is something that would only work if a lot of you were on board.
So! (I’ve started three paragraphs with that word. COME AT ME BRO.) I make very, very, very little money doing all of this. I can’t tell you how much because then Google Analytics will come at me, bro, and kick me out of their program. Which is bad. But suffice to say it is not anything I could even remotely live on. And I mean that in the purest sense: I could not even afford to eat off of it if all of my other expenses were paid for. But that’s ok! This shit is SO FUN AND REWARDING and I am not saying this as a preface to asking anyone to donate money for this or to suggest that I’ll make you pay for this. THIS WILL ALWAYS BE FREE FOR YOU, FINE WATCHER. And I plan to keep it that way!
I have recently come into possession (AND QUITE LEGALLY, I MIGHT ADD) software to create e-books! Once I discovered this fabulous technology, an idea popped into my head! Here is that idea, spelled out in bullet points because bullet points are gorgeous things and they are round and they make me smile:
- I would like to start a Mark Does Stuff weekly newsletter. It would include links to all my reviews for the past seven days, will include lots of more personal ramblings and info, will also share stuff that I’ve created for places like Tumblr and Flickr, and will serve as the MASTER ANNOUNCEMENT LOCATION. Having three sites means that sometimes I repeat myself and I hate that. They are three very different communities and I don’t like when I can’t acknowledge that. Â Additionally, I just want a place to keep everyone updated about when I am starting a new series, when liveblogs are, and maybe include some neat stuff just for the newsletter. So! (There you are again.) My question is: Would you sign up for such a newsletter?
- Here’s the second half. Included in the newsletter, I would like to start offering my reviews as e-book collections. I plan to start retroactively, wayyyyy back at the beginning, and bundle each set of reviews as a “book” to have as a companion for all of you who have e-readers. I’ll start with one “book” for each of the Twilight books, then work on Harry Potter, then move on to The Hunger Games and Firefly and Doctor Who. Each season/series would have it’s own book as well. They’ll be in a format to read on the Kindle or iBooks or Google Books and not only will I offer them for download on my sites and in the newsletter, they should be in all three of those book stores! (Amazon, iTunes, Google.)
- Now, for the reason why I mentioned money. If I charged a mere 0.99 for each book (one book for a single book in a series, with chapters and footnotes included, and one book for each series/season of a show), would you pay a dollar for them? When I am adapting these reviews for the e-book, they will largely remain what they are, but the e-book is not the same as a blog, so certain reviews will have to be re-adapted. That means if you buy them, THERE WILL BE NEW STUFF IN THEM. Which is kind of exciting! I’m also going to include a lot more Author’s Notes and footnotes to give a bit more insight into the process of writing all of the reviews.
So that’s what I’m thinking. I don’t want to make a fortune and a dollar is inexpensive. But it’s a lot of work to adapt them into e-books and I should be starting that next week, once I’m done The Book Thief, and I don’t think it’s entirely ludicrous to ask for a dollar for each book.
Anyway, I’d like to know what you think! As I finish a series of a show here on Mark Watches, it will be much easier to format them for a publishable e-book because I now use that program to write all of my reviews, so they’re already ready to be formatted. So, for example, once I’m done season one of Avatar, I could post an e-book of that season’s reviews within a few days of being done!
Again, this is just an idea I think is pretty neat, but what I think is secondary to what you think. And I’d like to know what those thoughts are! Anyway, this isn’t an Avatar review, but it’s virtually the same length, so it’s almost like you got a review today! Ok, it’s not, but the next episode will be updated tomorrow afternoon. I PROMISE, MY FELLOW WATCHERS.
Just to make this clear, too, thanks to each and every one of you who read this site and pass it along to your friends, to those who comment and make it so much more than just a blog, and to all of you who joke with me on Tumblr and make me enjoy my life. And that’s really true: I have never felt so good about my life ever. You all bring a joy to my life that I have been seeking out for the last twenty years, and I will never, ever forget this. Every day is a reminder that people care about reading and writing and watching quality TV and caring about the world, and honestly, all of you who are apart of this community and Mark Reads are making me tear up in a coffee shop right now.
I have never been this happy, and all of you mean the fucking world to me. Thank you, from the bottom of my sometimes-cynical-but-foolishly-hopeful heart, for being you. You’re saving my life every day and that’s a beautiful thing.
Until tomorrow, happy watching and reading!
No Review!?
<img src="http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/49/dawson_crying.gif">
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lidav23EqI1qcymtb.gif">
That second one is kind of disturbing, TBH.
But alas, I cannot blame you. You have a life, and we are simply rabid fans who cleave to your every word.
So that's what Soun Tendo would look like in real life? o.O;
*high-fives*
God that second one is making my eyes water just looking at it. In a "that looks really really uncomfortable" way. And yet I am also now really thirsty.
Yep! Would definitely pay 99 cents each for collections of your reviews! They'd be readable on an iPad, right? I look forward to it!
$.99 is easily a comfortable price point for your summaries/reactions to each text. *Easily*
I'd totally buy up the ebook collections of reviews–I have found them immensely useful in many ways! Looking forward to having them be searchable books on my nook!
Now that my sadness has been properly expressed through GIFfage:
Yes. I would pay a dollar to have an entire collection your reviews in my hand, to be read at any given time. I would pay up to $12, in fact.
DO EET.
Pingback: Hello there, Readers! Here is something you should read. |
Exciting! I would absolutely sign up for a newsletter and pay for ebooks. I'll be especially interested in some of the older reviews with more gifs and images. I imagine those won't translate as well to the e-book format. Is there a plan for that? Will they just get truncated, or if that where new material will go? Will comments be included somehow? I would gladly pay $0.99 just to have these questions answered. And also to be able to carry the reviews around with me
These are the same questions I had! I would probably buy the Twilight and HP ones, I'm just curious about how/whether images and gifs will be included. AND ALSO WHAT KIND OF NEW MATERIAL. All you have to say is "new material", really, and I'll buy it.
Y U HAVE REAL LIFE AND REAL RESPONSIBILITIES?
I kid, I kid. But yes, I'd definitely buy your ebooks for $0.99. So glad I have my Kindle now. I think this is a great idea, Mark!
Plz be feeling better, and get some rest. We love you too.
I would definitely be interested in the ebooks. I just hope they'll be in a format I can read on a Linux laptop! (I'm pretty sure Google Books is compatible, but some kind of DRM-free PDF/epub would be even better.)
Do you get any revenue from ads being viewed/loaded in people's browsers, or just for clicks? Cause I use adblock but I totally want to support you. So I just white-listed this site, just in case.
And I'd totally be up for the ebook thing.
EDIT: OMG WE CAN OFFICIALLY SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR NEWSLETTER. And here I thought it was just a saying.
Ok, that is a good question. It's for clicks, but the number of impressions I get increases the amount an advertisers generally bids to put ads on my site. So either way, it sort of depends!
I'm impressed how relevant the ads sometimes are. I get a lot of Doctor Who/BBC ads, some Avatar/Nickelodeon stuff, so they're usually not annoying at all.
OMG WE CAN OFFICIALLY SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR NEWSLETTER.
I had not thought of this. This is brilliant!
DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I CAN HAVE ALL MARK DOES STUFF REVIEWS WITHIN MY NOOK COLLECTION?!
this is pure brilliance.
You know, I don't think it matters what you post about, I just enjoy reading the things you write! So even though it's not an Avatar review, I am totally ok with that (in case you were losing sleep over it or something lol).
I would definitely sign up for the newsletter (great idea but HOW DO YOU FIND TIME? I can barely even find time to post to my roleplay every day lol). As for ebooks, I don't tend to read them, but I would probably buy them just b/c you are awesome. A published version would be EPIC but probably not financially sound lol. In short, if you write it, I'll be there ;P
You wanna know something? I've actually been thinking for a while that your reviews should be adapted into books, so yes I would most definitely buy them!
It's been wonderful going along on this ride with you. I may mostly lurk, but this really is a wonderful community filled with super awesome people and I'm glad to (somewhat) be a part of it.
And something else! I've been thinking for a while now of starting my own blog, and Mark, you've inspired me to believe that it could actually be successful. So once I get past some time-consuming things in my real life (getting married in a month aaahhhh!) I think I'll be starting my blog chronicling my journey of teaching myself to draw in hopes of one day creating my own comic. Would you guys follow me? (Aaahhh oh god I'm nervous about it even now)
I would definitely follow that. Go after your dreams!
Sounds awesome! I say do it!
That sounds awesome!
(Congratulations on your wedding!)
Having the reviews all in one place sounds like an AWESOME idea and $0.99 is not at all expensive to have all the reviews nicely laid out and a newsletter would be the best thing ever.
$.99? ARE YOU DAFT?
You should be charging at least $1.99. With the work that would go into adapting each and every chapter review–how many did you have for Twilight alone? And Harry Potter must easily double that. Not to mention the Hunger Games! PLUS additional behind the scenes things, it seems like $.99 is underselling yourself.
Besides, $1.99 is the price of a single episode of most shows on iTunes, so $1.99 on commentary for a whole season seems pretty reasonable to me.
I was just about to suggest something like this. Especially for the bigger books such as Harry Potter. Heck, I'd be willing to pay 2.99$ even if it came to it, because OMG! Mark Does Stuff in my eReader (I'm still debating between a Kindle and a Nook. Biggest question is if the Nook has my school textbooks like the Kindle does) which means I could show them off and share them and enjoy them when I wasn't home or away from my computer!!! Or just wanted to read through them again while rewatching/rereading things he's covered.
I love your sites and I love your reviews, and I would be more than happy to buy the collections once I get an ebook to read them on. One question, though, and this is for your own safety: are you sure that it's legal for you to charge money for this kind of material? Fair use is kind of a crazy thing, and I want to make sure that Warner Bros. doesn't unleash its unholy wrath above your head for using too many screencaps of its copyrighted characters or something. Like I said, I would love to buy the reviews, I just want to make sure you won't get hurt somehow if you publish them.
P.S. I'm so glad you love these projects that you do! I'm proud to be a part of the community you've made, and I hope that my comments have contributed something positive to it.
Oh, that's a very good point. I imagine a lot of pictures might be off-limits, then.
Not just pictures, but perhaps also the reviews in Harry Potter that are mostly large quotations surrounded by thoughts that are basically just "#!$#@%$T^$#!%$!%." I understand the contribution that makes to the original material, but Fair Use might not.
Didn't most of those keysmashy reviews come from later (longer) books? In which case, I think there's a good, fair-use-compliant balance between quotation, commentary, and original material.
Let's all hope so. *crosses fingers*
There would be little to no images of that sort, and as long as you use promotional images, it's legal.
In terms of quoting, that's part of the reason I'd have to adapt the reviews for the books, so that's also why there will be new stuff in them!
Oh, good! I'm glad you have this covered. I look forward to the release of your totally legally publishable ebooks, then! 😀
I'm glad this was discussed! I'm in law school atm so (unfortunately) my brain has become conditioned to automatically jump to legal issues. I think the "new stuff" plan could definitely work– especially if you educate yourself on copyright and Fair Use laws before publishing anything. I remember a few years back the Harry Potter Lexicon tried to sell their content in book form and JKR/Warner Brothers swiftly brought them to court. What you're doing sounds very very different from that situation, though, so I don't think you'd have any similar issues.
That being said– I would most definitely sign up for your newsletter, and would also be super excited to buy your ebooks!
Yeah that Lexicon business was very different. What they were trying to sell had no original content. I know there are plenty of books out there that are just discussions of Harry Potter or theories relating to the books and those are perfectly legal. I don't think quotes should be a problem since the source material is being cited each time.
I would absolutely buy your Mark Does Stuff ebooks! (Because the idea of footnotes makes me wary: would your ebooks be in an easily resizeable format for those of us who have ebook readers with smaller screens?)
Alas, I have no e-reader at the moment…for I am lacking in money and the drive to go get one….BUT EVEN SO! I would pay a dollar for collections of your reviews. As it is I semi-constantly go back and re-read your reviews. They're so much fun.
And I'm glad you're enjoying this project! ENJOY LIFE MY FRIEND! *hugs*
What, you can't do a review because real world stuff got in the way?
Unacceptable!
You should have five reviews up per day, they should all be ten thousand words long and you should come to my apartment and make me fish and chips every Tuesday! I'm a commenter on the internet dammit, everything I say is reasonable!
But seriously though, I would be more than willing to pay a dollar for a collection of your reviews. For some of the larger ones (the last few Harry Potters, The Book Thief, etc) I'd probably be willing to pay two or three.
No review?
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/10dbcjd.gif">
jk jk
The newsletter sounds interesting, and it'd be nice to have your reviews in a more portable format. You'd still be covered by fair use in publishing excerpts, right? I don't want you to get in trouble.
And thank you for your amazing blog, and giving me a place to joke around and talk with my fellow teevee fans, as well as an amazing internet book club. You being joy to my life every day — twice, even! — and have caused untold damage to my keyboard from tears. Thank you for being wonderful, Mark.
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2vtz3b4.gif">
WHERE IS THAT FIRST GIF FROM
HOLY GOD THAT IS AMAZING.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold! It has THE BEST Aquaman.
A+ use of Brave and the Bold gif.
I think the ebook idea is a fantastic one! It would allow us to support you and also have your reviews in a portable format! But yeah, 99 cents is unbelievably cheap for what you would be giving us and the work you would put into it! The only thing that saddens me about the ebooks is WHAT ABOUT THE GIFS???
Also, I am not a huge commenter on this site but I've been around awhile and I can say personally anyway, that you bring a lot of joy and community to this little corner of the internet. I can't remember any one blogger that I have followed this intensely to the point that I know WHAT TIME OF DAY you update (I mean really what is that?) Anyway what I'm trying to say is hugs forever the feelings you feel are mutual! <333333333
Why is there no FUCKYEAHMARKDOESSTUFF tumblr yet. What is this. I would do it, but I am a lazy bum.
Also, I agree, you need to charge at least $1.99. I don't own an e-reader, but I'd buy it anyway. Just for you.
I think you can download the kindle app for free to any computer, smartphone, or tablet. The you can read on the device of your choosing without buying an actual kindle. I'm not sure how other platforms work, but I'm sure there are other ways to read ebooks on you computer.
Thanks! BRB doing research
I know there's an Amazon Kindle computer program (for Windows and Mac, I think?), and Barnes & Noble has a similar thing for Nook book. Plus, there are programs like… Calibre, I think it's called, which can handle a lot of different file formats. So, you've got options.
Alas, I am without a device that would enable me to read any e-books, but if I had one, I would definitely spend a dollar on a collection of your reviews! That's actually a really great idea – I remember just recently reading an article about some girl who self-published a couple books at ninety-nine cents a pop, and then went on to sell a million copies. (My advice – start with Harry Potter. I think people who love Harry Potter but haven't read your reviews would be really into it. I have no idea how long it takes to package documents into e-books, but if you started getting them out in June, they'd be timely, seeing as the last movie is looming and all. As far as I'm concerned, your reviews are the closest a person can get to reading the books for the first time all over again, and I think that would appeal to a lot of people.)
Anyway, those are my two cents! A+ idea though!
There's a plugin for Firefox to be able to read Epub files. It works without an internet connection. Otherwise it would be rather foolish for me to suggest it.
Epub files can be unzipped as HTML files and read in your internet browser of choice that way. The formatting isn't always perfect, but you don't even need special extensions or programs that way.
Just change the .epub extension in the file to .zip, and then unzip it using your program of choice.
You can read Google Books in a web browser, I think, without having to download an app.
Newsletter? Great idea. I'd definitely subscribe. I mean, I'm pretty active here, but I don't, um… read much, so I've pretty much missed everything over on Reads. However, I'm interested in reading along with the Tolkien stuff because I've tried to read LotR twice now and haven't gotten through more than about 30 pages, but I think the idea of following along with you will help motivate me to read them. Finally.
I think the ebook idea is great. I've got a friend I'd love to introduce your stuff to (particularly the HP reviews), but she lives out in the wilderness or something and connects to the internet on dial-up (on good days, she can connect at about 32 kbps, but those are getting fewer and far…er between), and I think she'd have a horrible time loading the original reviews. So… yes, I like the idea, and I would totally buy collections.
(Though, I kind of wish some of the better comment shenanigans — like for "Flesh and Stone" and the like — could be included somehow… mostly because they make me laugh. Still, they live on here, so that's fine.)
If you can manage to deal with Fair Use and copyright stuff to get these published, I would definitely pay for them. And also a newsletter sounds like a wonderful idea. I haven't been able to follow along with your Reads projects very much thanks to college, but am looking forward to you starting HDM and Sandman, so it would be great to have a heads up for that!
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MARK, for all the love and work that you put in to your projects. Reading your blogs and being part of the community on here make my days a little brighter. You are a really great person.
Fair use shouldn't even remotely be a problem – Mark is writing book and TV reviews, and quoting for that purpose is a well-established part of fair use law.
I would like to have the newsletter because I have missed out on various announcements before and so I have been left in the dark until I find out that Oh NO Mark has been gone on vacation this whole week?!
Also, you could set the price for the ebooks at $0.99 and then allow people to donate more if they would like. I believe that's what Wil Wheaton did for his ebooks, although I don't know exactly how he did it.
Oh Avatar…this just makes the whole review process even MORE like seeing the series for the first time.
Time delays, odd scheduling, preempted showings… ahh.
I guess it's not a TRUE Avatarded experience without having delays. 😉
Just don't leave us hanging for weeks/months on end!!
You are wise not to have tried the hill-of-DOOM!
I'd pay a dollar for that! 🙂
I agree with your sentiments. But "Avatarded" is disturbingly close to "retarded", which is a pretty problematic word. I'm sure there's a better word to combine with Avatar or airbender or Aang to get the point across. I'm having trouble thinking of one just now, but we're a creative group of people. I'm sure the power of Mark's minions can come up with something.
That is true, I never thought about it that much when it was coined. I think it was during the great hiatus, and every one was a bit nuts then.
It's nice to be rewatching it and seeing the wonderful reactions.
This will be FUN! 😀
Aaaaww, we love you too Mark. Astral plane hugs all around! I would totally pay a dollar for your review collections. Harry Potter in particular.
Mark! How DARE you have a life?! I demand my review!
But seriously now. I would totally buy everything you'd bring out. Twice. No wait. That would just be silly.
I don’t want to make a fortune
I don't care if you want to or not, I think you SHOULD make a fortune! There's no reason you shouldn't get paid for being good enough at something to have this many fans. You put hours and hours of work into creating content for us to enjoy, you deserve to get paid for it. Plus the free blog/paid ebooks model is one a lot of bloggers have used (ZenHabits seems to have been really successful at it).
I'd sign up for the newsletter and get some ebooks, but I agree with people who say they should cost a little more. I also wonder if you've thought about doing a tip jar like Cleolinda started a few months ago so people who don't want ebooks can just give you a buck or two for blog posts they really enjoy.
In conclusion: yay Mark.
If I had an e-reader I would most certainly pay a dollar! Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to buy an e-reader any time soon/ever 🙁 BUT IF I DID! I would pay for your books 😀
I would also LOOOOOOOOOOOVE to sign up for a Mark Does Stuff Newsletter! I think it's a great way to keep track of what you're doing
The same thing is happening to my tooth RIGHT NOW. I'm literally weeping into a cold flannel and wondering how many painkillers I can take before dose becomes overdose. I feel your pain mate, and am sending you happy teeth vibes on the astral plane.
I really hope you can get to a dentist soon, I'm broke and living off TEH GOVMINT too and it's shitty. Good luck.
Oh dear, I'm sending you happy teeth vibes right back!
I've got an appointment this weekend, so all I've got to do is last that long. Not that my personal financial situation has changed, but I'm fortunate enough to have parents who went 'you what the what? Nooo, set up an appointment, we'll work something out'. Not that their financial situation is all that great, but.
I wish you the best. I don't understand why constant omggoingtodieokay pain isn't considered emergency dental care, but it's hard for me to complain when old white rich guys are going on about how it'll be totes cool to cut down that support even more (and eventually remove it. Uh, thanks?) and etc etc etc it'll all be okay because people can just pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they try hard enough. Disabilities PFFFFFT.
In conclusion, Appa cares and wants you to get better. <img src="http://puppybunnyguineapretty.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/appaplushieonevj3.jpg">
Okay that Appa plushy is obscenely and almost illegally cute.
Ahaha. I knew, I KNEW the past two weeks or so reading this site (actually, from back a few months ago when I found Mark Reads Harry Potter/Twilight) that sooner or later I would be dragged kicking and screaming from the cave of lurkdome. Avatar was the first (I AM SO SO SO GLAD YOU ARE WATCHING IT AND YOUR REACTIONS AND ALL THE COMMENTS (except the spoilers, boo spoilers) ARE AWESOME) straw, this is the last.
I would totally buy an e-book from you! I am really excited, actually, that you are thinking about this!
I would sign up for a Mark Does Stuff Newsletter in a heartbeat 🙂
And I think publishing e-books is a wonderful idea. And 0.99 is a great price for them. You could even get by with $1.99, but I think you would get more traffic with .99. A $0.99 purchase for me a is a spur of the moment, eh, it's only a dollar, what the hell. But a $1.99 purchase is one I think a bit more about whether I want to get or not. So while I think your work is worth $1.99 (and much more!) I think you would be more likely to get not only us fans, but strangers to buy the books if they were only 0.99.
So many tasks for you to do though!! Out of curiosity (not nagging, cuz honestly, this this your blog, and if you can do whatever you wanna do, even release reviews once per week if you so felt that way) but are you going to hold off on starting another book series until after the e-books are made? Cause adding another book series on top of all that would seem like a LOT of work.
What extension files/e-book reader program does your software release to? I use Stanza on my iPod, but still pretty new at it, so would it be open to all e-book reader types, or do we have to have something specific, like "Kindle" or "Nook", etc.?
*EDITED TO ADD*
The other great thing about the books is that currently I have to be on the internet to access your reviews- which, as one of the only people remaining in the world without a smart phone is a problem for me. However, with an e-book form, I could access your reviews at any point in my day to reference them, or to show others items from them. JUST PUTTIN THAT THOUGHT OUT THERE.
Oops, fail at reading comprehension today- you already stated what formats they'd be released in 😛
EXCUSE YOU, MARK. I AM ENTITLED TO A REVIEW TODAY AND TO GET ALL OF YOUR EBOOKS FOR FREE. HOW DARE YOU HAVE A LIFE. HOW DARE YOU WANT TO MAKE A LITTLE MONEY. HOW DARE YOU NOT CATER TO MY EVERY NEED.
Just kidding. I hope no one says that to you sincerely.
That said! I would certainly pay $.99 for your ebooks, even if they didn't have a whole ton of new content, as a show of support to you. But also because, HELLO, convenient! I know that some people may be willing to pay more, but as I am a poor college student, a standard ebook price (about $9.99) is a no-go for me. However, a dollar is affordable, and if anyone can't afford it, well. Your reviews are still on the web.
And for everyone who's saying, "If only I had an e-reader!" just so you know, you can get Kindle software for your computer for FREE. And then buy them. It's also free for iPod and whatnot iirc.
I was kind of bummed not to see a review this afternoon, but I think you are entitled not have one due to real life. I've been a big fan of yours since you were on Buzznet and did the Harry Potter Books. I felt as a lifelong Harry Potter fan how odd it was to have someone know about the series. But, you brought your whole heart and soul into the series and let us complete strangers into your past and I felt touched by that gesture. Before I start getting all sappy, I want to emphasize how glad I am that this blog exists. I get to attempt to be as candid about my feelings in conjunction with whatever you are reviewing. Plus, you have reviewed and are reviewing shows that I consider a big part of my life. Especially Firefly, I love that show to pieces for so many reasons and it makes me enormously happy whenever someone else discovers this awesome gem of a show.
As for the newsletter idea, I really like it. I know it would be conveinant and easy to browse through. The e-book idea is a good one as well, despite the fact I don't own an e-reader. I think it will allow you to get even more fans and commentators.
I would buy the e-books (although right now I don't have an e-book reader yet) and subscribe to the newsletter. And thank you, Mark, for giving me a site that I always look forward to checking!
Okay – So that last bit made me happy – I'm glad you are happy! :):)
I THINK WE SHOULD GIVE MARK ALL OF THE AWARDS!!!
Such a great idea about the books and so sweetly explaining that they will be a dollar – question – overseas shipping? Or shall I download? Hhmmmmmmmmmmm
Also I love this and have introduced many many many friends to it. <3
E-book compilations sound like a really good idea-especially with NEW STUFF. But any reader would miss out on the AWESOMENESS of the comments pages!
I would indeed pay money for such a thing as portable joy! (And this coming from a girl who gets most of her books from the library) I would love to share your reviews in a portable way, so I may infect increasing numbers of the populace with MarkLove!
Also, have you thought about putting out a t-shirt? I personally would love one that said "Mark Reads" "You Are Not Prepared" and "Shit Is Getting Real!" (You could put out multiple versions, both Reads and Watches, or even just MarkVerbs for those of us following both)
What do you say? Pleaaaaaaaase? *puppy dog eyes*
OMG! Queen quote! Love you forever.
Alas, no Avatar review. I guess I can stop manicly checking the website every 15 minutes. Perhaps you'll give us an extra one on the weekend. 😀
I would ABSOLUTELY subscribe to that newsletter, and would buy the ebooks as well – but not write away, because an ereader is still on my to-get list. :/
On the topic of ebooks, I've been thinking more about getting an ereader as I don't currently have one. So maybe you guys could give me some advice on which one to get?
I want one that I can easily upload pdfs to from my computer. I have some ebooks in pdf form already on my computer and it would be sweet to be able to read those anywhere.
Is there one that I'd be able to read graphic novels on?
I'm leaning towards the Kindle since I really like how the screen looks and it has a really long battery life but what do you guys think? What are your experiences with the different brands?
Okay, so all I have experience with is a Kindle. Overall, I like it, but I'll tell you now that it's somewhat limited with pdfs. You can't change text size, you can only zoom. And that can get annoying if the font is small. I've still been able to read the pdfs I have on mine fine, but for some of them the text is pretty small. That being said, reading pdfs is one of the things that people seem to complain about with ereaders across the board.
As far as graphic novels, go, most of the ebook readers are black and white. There's a nook color that duh, has color, but it's backlit meaning it can get glare outside, and has a much shorter battery life than the Kindle. All the same, I have tested some picture books on my Kindle, and while I think the page turning is a bit slower, it's still doable. So, assuming the file format is supported, you should be able to read them, but it might not be the best reading experience compared to the actual physical copy.
If you haven't yet found this site, it's thorough. http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Mat…
Thanks for the info!
As for pdfs, I was looking around and came across this: http://lifehacker.com/#!5744899/briss-trims-pdfs-…
It's an open source program that trims down pdfs to make the small text easier to read. I haven't tried it, but lifehacker is pretty reliable.
For folks who don't have dedicated e-book devices or iThingies or smart-phones or what-have-you but would like to know they can support Mark in his e-book endeavors, there's always the option of calibre, which is an e-book library manager program (with a handy built-in reader) that works on Linux, OS X, and Windows. It supports a bunch of formats, so there's no worries on that end.
To be honest, I haven't used it very extensively (because I don't really do a lot of reading that's not Twitter and here and the spoiler blog), but folks I know who are very into their e-books swear by this program, so it's something to keep in mind. Or something.
(Basically, I wanted to get this in a top-level comment so folks can more easily find it.)
Sign me up for that newsletter right away!
As for the ebooks, I would looove to have them, but sadly I have no (internet) moneys, but I still think it's a wonderful idea and I'm sure lots of people would love to get them, because your blogs are amazing, Mark <3
Awwww.:')
Don't make me cry now, dammit.
A dollar per book is NOTHING. I'd buy them all.;D
I would absolutely subscribe to your newsletter! And I'd buy your reviews, too. I like the $0.99 idea because I could actually afford that, but I agree with everyone else that your reviews are really worth more than that. It might be possible to set up a sliding scale payment for the books with $0.99 as the minimum.
I'm glad you enjoy doing this, because your reviews really are a pleasure to read. Thank you, Mark!
I would totally buy your e-books for a dollar! Or…whatever that is in pounds. 😛
I don't have an e-book reader though. But you can just…um…put it on a computer, right? I am so NOT TECH SAVVY. Hell, I would buy an e-book reader to support you.
We love you too Mark! 😀
I'm sure I'm not alone in that sharing a favourite TV show or book with someone new and watching them fall in love with it is one of my greatest pleasures in life. I've always loved reading reviews too, and this combines the two! Checking Mark Reads and Mark Watches each day has become part of my daily routine, and it's so much fun to read your witty, insightful reviews, and then delve into the comments to see what everyone else in out little community thinks as well.
Sorry, I'm gushing a bit, but I first discovered Mark Reads when I just started my first term at University, everything was changing, and all my friends were off at other places. It's been a really nice constant in my life because one of the main things I'd do with my old friends was discuss the nerdy TV shows we loved, and there isn't really anyone I've found at Uni I can do that with. We used to reference The X Files every chance we got, were part of a book group that read The Book Thief…it;s just like old times, being here. 😛
Weirdly personal story over with! But I just wanted to say, never underestimate the power of the Internet, because your projects really have made a difference to me, at least. And I'm so glad you're enjoying the ride too.
🙂
I would not read a free newsletter, even though I read most of your stuff (sorry, Mark), but I will definitely spend money e-books made mostly of reviews that are available for free online and that I've read several times.
Now I am sitting here trying to figure out what that says about me as a person.
Anyway, good luck with the sales!
Take whatever time you need to be a fully functioning human being, Mark. Real life likes to rear its ugly head every so often.
I would probably subscribe to the newsletter, but iffy on the e-books for me 'cause I don't own an e-reader, but if I did, it would be fantastic.
Good luck!!
there are so many new faces in the comments.
HELLO LURKERS, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF SO I CAN SAY HELLO BACK YOU.
Well, I don't have anything to read an e-book on, but if I were to get an E-reader or iPad or whatever, I'd totally buy one. You give such awesome entertainment, Mark, you deserve some payment for your brilliant dedication.
I would also definitely pay a dollar for your e-books and would like a weekly newsletter! I don't always keep up on all your sites (I prefer to go to things I already have familiarity with), so having a weekly newsletter would be perfect!
I would even pay $2. Or $3. 😀
Yay we love you, Mark! Even if there is no Avatar review today, which means slight sadness, but we'll just have stuff to look forward to tomorrow.
I would definitely pay a dollar for your e-books. I don't think it's ludicrous, and if it helps you out, I am all for it. I can tell you put in a lot of time on them. Cleolinda Jones over on Livejournal did something similar with her Harry Potter Movies in Fifteen Minutes. She actually had a set price, but I think she set it so that you could pay more if you wanted to. She used Lulu to put them up for sale.
Anyway, good luck keeping up with stuff. I am trying to learn Japanese and upright bass for bluegrass and read and watch all the things I want to including Japanese dramas which means a whole 'nother country of media omg and OH HAI MASTERS DEGREE and, ya know, work to eat and stuff, so I definitely feel you on the busy part. However, it sounds like you are involved in some really great causes. I go to school in the Monterey Bay area, and I concur that this is a ridiculously gorgeous area for nature-y things, and I'm glad you got to see some of it! Well, actually quite a lot of it.
Great to hear that you are happy and "see" you tomorrow!
I would totes subscribe to your newsletter and buy your very reasonably priced ebooks. Especially since I started reading during Harry Potter and I never got around to reading the Twilight ones because it's such a pain in the ass on Buzznet.
Dude, I'm totally going to pay a buck for each of them! Because I've followed through your reviews since Twilight and I still go back and read them. I have the small kindle and it'd be awesome to have those reviews as portable.
Also, I still have the twilight books on my shelves(I was a fan, what can I say?) and I was thinking of going through them and putting some commentary penciled in the margins before donating them to the library.
Hi Mark. Just wanted to say that just as you say we're saving your life.. sometimes this project and the community around it saves ours. It's not much.. but having this little light to look forward too sometimes after a dark day during a dark period of ones' life is that one little thing that keeps someone going for a day more.
I speak from personal experience.
Started reading you during a bad moment last year… then things got better.. and I thought things were wonderful.. and now things are the lowest they've ever been and I'm still reading you. Why? Because a happy or funny gif can make me smile for the first time all day.. and some days.. the sad, wonderfully beautiful gifs about love or life can remind me.. why I am so sad and what I am missing from my life.. and it tells me "He's worth it…" even if he doesn't know what he means to me.
So thanks, Mark Does Stuff.. and thank you Mark Does Stuff Community (Spoiler blog included!)
Now I'm gonna go play minecraft until my brain rots.
I would definitely like to subscribe to your newsletter, Mark! And I'd buy all Twilight and Harry Potter reviews books. ^_^
Fixed gear bikes are downright DANGEROUS, man. why do you ride one.
Delurking like a boss! I have been avidly following your blogs since partway through Twilight, but got completely sucked in when you started reading Harry Potter. The sheer joy and passion of your writing, discovering new shows and books is just wonderful. And I'm not gonna lie, when you said you were reviewing AtLA I actually shrieked out loud to my roommate "OMG MARK IS REVIEWING AVATAR". So yeah, I love following you on tumblr and I lovelovelove the fact that you're down with pointing out sexist/racist/cissexist/homophobic/ableist/etc-ist fail in shows in books, and that shit gets jumped on in the comments too. Reading a site where I don't have to worry about being triggered is just fantastic, and you and all the other commenters make this such a great community.
*cough* ANYWAY YES I AM INTRIGUED AND WISH TO SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR NEWSLETTER. So delighted to use that phrase 😀 😀 😀 Also I don't have an ebook reader, but I'd definitely download a plugin or something and buy them, much easier than paging through each review online.
In conclusion:
<img src="http://www.gifsoup.com/imager.php?id=268936&t=o" border="0"/>GIFSoup
ILU MARKDOESSTUFF
Those hills look BRUTAL. D:
I would happily pay a dollar for your reviews. <3
<3 <3 <3
I would definitely pay the dollar for an ebook (YAY PORTABILITY AND NEW STUFF), and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter! It's a great idea. I don't have any idea how you have time for anything but major props to you. I love this community as well and thanks for providing such a wonderful place to hang out and discuss awesome books/tv/fun.
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/bhlgro.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Mark, I think people like you.
Mark, please do this. You need to do this. Having these in ebook format would be brilliant. I also think that the newsletter idea is great, 'cause you do repeat yourself sometimes.
"I have never felt so good about my life ever."
That is awesome, Mark!
And hell yeah, I'd pay a dollar like a shot and think the e-book idea is FANTASTIC! 🙂
$0.99?? I would pay $2.00 easy.
-coming from the Biggest Cheapskate in the world(no really)
Mostly a lurker, but I wanted to chime in and say, YES, I would sign up for a newsletter. As for the e-book dealio, I don't have a reader and don't really have any intention to get one, but if I did, then I would happily pay up to 3 WHOLE DOLLARS for an entire season of reviews. Lookit me, I'm Ms. Moneybags!
$0.99?? I would pay $2.00 easy.
Coming from the biggest Cheapskate in the World (no really) ,
-Lady X
If they were in a format I could read on my laptop (Google Books, I guess?) I would totally buy them. I don't have the patience to go through the old site for the Twilight reviews but I would LOVE to read them; same with the MRHP which I did read as it went along. I can't afford an e-reader but I can totally afford a buck a book.
ebooks of your reviews would be the awesome. I'd buy them.
I would definitely subscribe to that newsletter. Can't wait to see how much more hooked you get with Avatar!
Oh, Mark. First of all, I would SO pay more than $.99. In fact, hearing that I could take your reviews with me and make my lazy friends read them has probably convinced me to finally buy a Kindle. Also, I am SO glad I delurked for Mark Reads the Hunger Games. I came in late to HP, and told myself that the next book you did, I would comment on. I am so glad I did. This is one of the nicest internet communities I have ever been a part of, and I love it very much.
Keep up the wonderful work and be assured, I doubt anyone will be upset that there was no Avatar review today with such awesome news. I wish you the best with your journey into the world of Ebook publishing.
I just realized, I never said anything about the newsletter. I would love that too, please do it.
Also, I just donated. It's not much as I needed to help get a friend out of Nebraska this week and that put a damper on my funds. I hope to make a bigger donation soon.
Hi! I think this is my first time commenting, but I've been following along since Harry Potter and I have to say I would DEFINITELY pay for ebook versions of these reviews! I also would sign up for the newsletter. 😀
want mark ebooks. now.
Hi Mark! I will be happy to sign up for your newsletter! I think it will take me a while to get an e-book, but when I get one I will love to buy your reviews (especially HP!!). I never comment but I love reading MR! (English is not my first language – I am from Paraguay, South America – so is kind of hard to do it). A friend of my brother (who lives in L.A.) recommended your site (MR) to him, and when he came home for Christmas(to Paraguay) he showed me your site. I really enjoy reading your reviews! Thank you for doing this! 🙂
We understand 🙂 Also, biking YAY!
I will support this endeavor! With monies even. (I have a job now!)
Sounds brilliant.
First time commenting for me. I just wanted to say that yes, I would pay a dollar. Not for the Twilight ones (a lack of interest in that series, not in Mark's writing.) But I would definitely like to own the Harry Potter reviews, plus any goodies, and I might end up getting some of the others as well. I have gotten so much enjoyment out of the whole Mark Does Stuff enterprise (can it be called an enterprise? You own an /enterprise/, Mark!) that I feel like I should give something back. Not sure I have anything capable of reading ebooks, though. So…yeah, I don't know.
I would happily pay as much for an e-book of your reviews as I would a physical book, Mark. I've been following you (mostly silently) since halfway through Mark Reads Twilight, and there are no words for the joy you bring me every morning.
I would absolutely sign up for a newsletter in a heartbeat.
As for e-books, I don't have an e-reader now, so I'm not sure I would buy them at this point, personally….BUT that is not to say that I wouldn't want them to be available. I think it's a great idea, and if I ever do get an e-reader they'd be great material to have. I think an asking price of 0.99 is entirely reasonable, and come my hypothetical purchasing time, I'd be very willing to pay that much.
Several things. I am a lurker, I have commented a few times on your Harry reviews, and this is my first comment on AtLA. I am disappointed that you did not do a review, but appreciate your post. It answered some questions I had about your REAL LIFE, like do you get paid for doing this? That said, I think that $0.99 is a very fair price, although, I do not have an e-reader. I am old fashioned like that, O. K.? I like killing trees O. K.? No, I don't, but there is something about holding a hard print copy in my hand (omg, that sounds so wrong…). Mainly, I don't have to worry about losing a book like I would have to with an e-reader (to use the old cliche, I would lose my head if it weren't attached). I will definitely sign up for the newsletter, though.
Also, if I wake up someplace and can't realize for a minute where I am (traveling, friend's place, just moved myself, etc…) my first thought is always kidnapping! I believe this is a totally natural reaction, and is probably evolutionarily advantageous because it means we are always on the lookout for kidnappers who would probably kill us, thereby ending our one-day contributions to the gene pool.
I would absolutely LOVE to have the Harry Potter reviews in ebooks! The Kaspar reviews would be reread so so many times. 😀
The only thing I would wonder about is would you have to pay royalties and what not when you include quotations in your reviews? I really have no idea.
Adding my two cents: YES I WOULD GLADLY PAY THIS PITTANCE OF $.99 FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL REVIEWS. That is all.
Delurking for a bit to say that I agree with all of the above. You are fantastic and have introduced me to a couple of new book series and TV shows. I would totally buy your reviews either for my computer or for the e-reader I've been considering getting for like a year now.
Hell yeah, I would gladly pay .99 cents or more for your reviews in e-book format! A dollar is more than fair really, and I would definitely subscribe to a newsletter.
The one thing I would really look into is the legality of publishing these reviews. I think it's mostly a grey area, but you don't want to end up on the wrong side of the law in any way.
Dear Mark,
In our household, the words "well, Mark said," come out about once an hour (three or more if we're watching Avatar at the time). We would love to have a way to support what you're doing here in a commercial way. And having all your reviews readily accessible via Nook would be awesome.
Won't Amazon charge you an enormous fee to sell through their site?
NEWSLETTER? Sign me up. I would totally buy your ebooks! I mean, it might even be the *deciding* factor in me finally buying a goddamn Ereader, which Ive been DYING to do. Mark Reads And Watches on my EReader? HELLS YEAH!!! And you should totally charge more than 99 cents for them. You can't even get gum for 99 cents anymore. I would def. pay more. 😀
eBook versions of Mark Reads/Watches reviews?? SIGN ME UP!! (same goes for the newsletter) ^_^
Just the other day I was trying to format some of your reviews to put on my kindle, and it wasn't pretty. I was even thinking, "I am terrible at this, Mark should totally make kindle versions of these!" How did my wish come true? I would be so happy to give you all sorts of money to get well done versions to read at any time.
Hey, I know those streets! My dad grew up on Skyline and tells a fantastic story of having to bail out of his go-kart because it got going too fast down the hill.
I already read your reviews on my Kindle (through the wonder of Instapaper, yeah!), but it would be really cool to have whole series of them available in one e-book. Also, if I ever get around to watching some of the shows you've watched (I'm mostly on Mark Reads), I'd love to have the e-books available then, too. $0.99 is totally worth it (and very reasonable anyway).
I also just donated to ALC because 1) it's a good cause, and 2) I have no idea how you manage to fit all of this being awesome into your life. I'm lucky if I can have one or two side projects, let alone the huge and ongoing ones you have!
PS: Yes, newsletter!
YES. 1,000,000x yes I would buy them for 1 monies. You could probably get even two monies from me.
I would pay a dollar for those, easily.
Especially, (and I'm not being all demandy, I just think it would be awesome) if NEW THINGS = reviews that originally were chats with Kasper / Hedwig's reports / Livejournals etc were made into, or supplemented by um…actual reviews?
Not that those weren't fun, they TOTALLY WERE, but I just don't know if they'd suit the flow of an Ebook, and I'd like to know your thoughts on some of those chapters.
Anyway, that might sound terrible and entitled so, um, sorry…yeah gonna hide.
So, erm, Hi! Haven't commented on a while (SCHOOL WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO. I NEED MARK DOES STUFF, WHY ARE YOU TAKING IT AWAY FROM MEEEEEE. /drama queen). Anyway, Questions. I has them.
1) This is not a question but, MARK THIS IS REALLY REALLY AWESOME. Right, Donna?
<img src="http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/af56/affirmed_hope/GIFS/dwthisisbrilliant.gif">
I'm glad you've found such a happy place, because the world is a bit happier with you in it.
2) I would totally pay a dollar for those. BUT, because I fail at the internet and all things involving technology (I really, really do D: D: D: D: ), I would like to ask: How does it work for someone who (like me) doesn't live in the States and such?, I AM A CHILD PLEASE EXPLAIN WITH APPLES AND HAPPY COLORS AND COOKIES. Thank you. 😀
3) I don't have an e-book reader (Oh, the life of an incredibly broke college student), Could I read for my laptop? HOW DOES THAT WORK.
4) Have I mentioned how great I think this is? New things= All the awesome. Dancing gifs! Show my appreciation!
<img src="http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/emilyrdkennedy/gifs/tumblr_ljtq2tLf551qfw7zw.gif">
<img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b353/steph_f_123/DW%20GIFs/dancedancedance-eleven.gif">
<img src="http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g458/ZombiesAreCool/Icons%20and%20Gifs/cat.gif">
Pingback: Check out my FB profile