Comments on: Hooray! Blackmask may return with 20,000 titles: Several hundred classics already back online http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:10:31 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/comment-page-1/#comment-94169 David Rothman Wed, 11 Oct 2006 09:54:39 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5416#comment-94169 Hi, Eric. Actually we did have an item on a Shadow and/or Doc Sav licensing deal. Not sure if it was the same guy. Thanks for the info. David Hi, Eric. Actually we did have an item on a Shadow and/or Doc Sav licensing deal. Not sure if it was the same guy. Thanks for the info. David

]]> By: Eric Wilson http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/comment-page-1/#comment-94166 Eric Wilson Wed, 11 Oct 2006 08:49:51 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5416#comment-94166 I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but around the time of the Blackmask closure, there was news that Anthony Tollin acquired the license for a series of Shadow and Doc Savage reprints. Is it possible CN/Advance's cease-and-desist was just "clearing the deck" in advance of the new official product? I don’t know if this has been mentioned yet, but around the time of the Blackmask closure, there was news that Anthony Tollin acquired the license for a series of Shadow and Doc Savage reprints. Is it possible CN/Advance’s cease-and-desist was just “clearing the deck” in advance of the new official product?

]]> By: Malcolm Barres-Baker http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/comment-page-1/#comment-82405 Malcolm Barres-Baker Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:56:15 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5416#comment-82405 This entire business seems absurd. As people have pointed out, the Doc Savage stuff was probably reaching a new audience rather than competing with CN. Most e-book readers will still buy a 'deadwood' copy of something they really like, or buy it for or recommend it to someone else without a PDA. And surely CN have enough money not to quibble about this minor matter. Moynihan, on the other hand, seems to have a fixation about the Man of Bronze, who isn't exactly the best character in fiction, even in pulp fiction (maybe he means more to North Americans, he certainly doesn't mean much to me, and I'm quite a fan of Fu Manchu, Sexton Blake, Fantomas and even Belgian Jean Ray's Harry Dickson), and (unless I have misunderstood) is endangering a goldmine of public domain goodies, including some useful history and numerous classics, to protect a few Doc Savage books (or, perhaps, a principle). Anyway good luck to Moynihan. The sooner Blackmask is back online, with or sans Savage, the better. This entire business seems absurd. As people have pointed out, the Doc Savage stuff was probably reaching a new audience rather than competing with CN. Most e-book readers will still buy a ‘deadwood’ copy of something they really like, or buy it for or recommend it to someone else without a PDA. And surely CN have enough money not to quibble about this minor matter. Moynihan, on the other hand, seems to have a fixation about the Man of Bronze, who isn’t exactly the best character in fiction, even in pulp fiction (maybe he means more to North Americans, he certainly doesn’t mean much to me, and I’m quite a fan of Fu Manchu, Sexton Blake, Fantomas and even Belgian Jean Ray’s Harry Dickson), and (unless I have misunderstood) is endangering a goldmine of public domain goodies, including some useful history and numerous classics, to protect a few Doc Savage books (or, perhaps, a principle). Anyway good luck to Moynihan. The sooner Blackmask is back online, with or sans Savage, the better.

]]> By: Kerry Murdoch http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/comment-page-1/#comment-79481 Kerry Murdoch Fri, 01 Sep 2006 09:47:13 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5416#comment-79481 KP, The DVD will be on PSP, but not the whole website? Which had a reasonable amount of stuff not on the DVD. KP,

The DVD will be on PSP, but not the whole website? Which had a reasonable amount of stuff not on the DVD.

]]> By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/comment-page-1/#comment-79431 David Rothman Fri, 01 Sep 2006 03:15:42 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5416#comment-79431 Good point, Howard, although this is still better than, say, just an ASCII/PDF duo. Let's hope David can soon crank up his entire operation again (well, minus the disputed titles). - David Good point, Howard, although this is still better than, say, just an ASCII/PDF duo. Let’s hope David can soon crank up his entire operation again (well, minus the disputed titles). – David

]]> By: Howard Bernier http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/comment-page-1/#comment-79415 Howard Bernier Fri, 01 Sep 2006 01:36:25 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5416#comment-79415 Upon checking boysbooks.org I find that one of my favorite formats (.rb)for the RCA Rocketbook 1100 is missing. In fact aren't several missing? Upon checking boysbooks.org I find that one of my favorite formats (.rb)for the RCA Rocketbook 1100 is missing. In fact aren’t several missing?

]]> By: Robert Nagle http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/comment-page-1/#comment-79256 Robert Nagle Thu, 31 Aug 2006 13:50:37 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5416#comment-79256 I would be curious. How much money does CN actually make per year from the disputed titles? Are we talking about 100,000$? 20,000$ I would be curious. How much money does CN actually make per year from the disputed titles? Are we talking about 100,000$? 20,000$

]]> By: AC http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/comment-page-1/#comment-79228 AC Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:08:03 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5416#comment-79228 I agree with KP: CN could use the ready availability of the texts to their advantage. When the furor over music on the web was at it's height, before mega-companies started terrorizing 12 year old girls, some artists started offering downloads of their music free and found that their sales actually increased once people listened to free tracks and found they liked the singer. I have all the texts of The Shadow and I still bought the recent reprint published by Vintage Library. I agree with KP: CN could use the ready availability of the texts to their advantage. When the furor over music on the web was at it’s height, before mega-companies started terrorizing 12 year old girls, some artists started offering downloads of their music free and found that their sales actually increased once people listened to free tracks and found they liked the singer. I have all the texts of The Shadow and I still bought the recent reprint published by Vintage Library.

]]> By: KP http://www.teleread.org/2006/08/31/hooray-blackmask-may-indeed-return/comment-page-1/#comment-79206 KP Thu, 31 Aug 2006 09:07:56 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5416#comment-79206 Like it has been said, by this point whether Blackmask continues to provide access to the disputed titles is largely irrelevant; the materials are easily available through P2P networks and elsewhere, and several of them have also been available previously (all Blackmask really did was providing a convinient multi-format portal for accessing them). The genie's out of the bottle, and I believe CN should concentrate on how to use the situation to their advantage--I believe that the free availability of the texts at Blackmask has expanded an already existing market, and created it where there was none before (being European non-native English speaker, I had only cursory interest in the Shadow or Doc Savage titles previous to being able read them at Blackmask; I certainly would not have purchased any of of them sight unseen). Like it has been said, by this point whether Blackmask continues to provide access to the disputed titles is largely irrelevant; the materials are easily available through P2P networks and elsewhere, and several of them have also been available previously (all Blackmask really did was providing a convinient multi-format portal for accessing them). The genie’s out of the bottle, and I believe CN should concentrate on how to use the situation to their advantage–I believe that the free availability of the texts at Blackmask has expanded an already existing market, and created it where there was none before (being European non-native English speaker, I had only cursory interest in the Shadow or Doc Savage titles previous to being able read them at Blackmask; I certainly would not have purchased any of of them sight unseen).

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