4ed PDFs - Are you still getting the books?

[malraux]

How do we know that someone at WotC didn't leak the books on purpose with the explicit intent of driving sales UP? Sounds a little far-fetched, but crazier things have happened.

Explicit denials for one.

But also its not the sort of thing that works for WotC. Had a few pages leaked (like maybe some of the racial pages or anything else that's interesting but doesn't give much away), then maybe. But printshop ready quality electronic copies is the sort of thing most likely to negatively affect sales, thus the least likely sort of thing to use as viral marketing.

 

[Obryn]

How do we know that someone at WotC didn't leak the books on purpose with the explicit intent of driving sales UP? Sounds a little far-fetched, but crazier things have happened.

Um, because they said so?

It's silly not to take their word at face value about this.

-O

 

[ZetaStriker]

I can't even to get myself to read the whole thing. PDFs always feel like a chore to read through. Without pages to turn, I don't even want to use them for more than just a quick reference. Something about having to scroll through them just feels wrong to me.

Anyway, even if I liked PDFs, I would've still kept my pre-order. I'm no pirate.

 

[Toryx]

I'm going with the option not provided...waiting until a printing with errata updates added in.

 

[Calbos]

malraux and Obryn- Fair enough.

 

[Nail]

Given the inherent problems with pdfs (readability, portablitity, page-flip-ability, art-spliting, etc), I can't see anyone going with just the pdf for the long term.

I mean, pdf ain't Kindle.

 

[xechnao]

Um, because they said so?

It's silly not to take their word at face value about this.

-O

On the contrary it would rather be silly to do than not to.
If it was done to create hype that is.

 

[jodyjohnson]

The PDFS didn't have much effect on my decision to cancel my Amazon preorder.

The 4E - Core Handbook Errors thread (http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=227743&page=10) that is already up to ten pages of problems and typos did.

I think I'm going to wait for a revised printing that clears up all the errors and mistakes before investing in 4E.

If the Forbes article is correct and the PDF was a version 10 days before ship-to-printer how many of those errors aren't even in the printed copies?

 

[mattdm]

I can see it hurting the sales of the pdfs under the old (3e) scheme where the pdfs cost as much as the books. I'm not sure if WotC were to implement the cup of coffee cost for the pdfs after buying the hard copy that people wouldn't be reasonably likely to do that.

Anecdotal evidence #1: I'll buy the PDFs at any reasonable cost, assuming they're DRM-free and as convenient to use as illegal ones would be. At this point, I'd even exceed reasonable to help prove a point. (As suggested in another thread, though: WotC could sell the PDFs for almost hard-copy price, but offer a significant mail-in rebate for purchasers of both versions. Mail-in rebates can be a PITA, but I'd accept it as a way of eating my cake and still having it electronically. So to speak.)

Anecdotal evidence #2: the gift set is now up to the #4 most-popular sellers in all books on Amazon, up from #7 or so before the leak. Not saying the leak necessarily helped, but sales seem to be going up regardless.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

Got the pdf. Will most absolutely positively get the books - and would have done so with or without pdfs.