The Svensdotter Omnibus
Is it more convenient to buy an omnibus edition of a series in ebook format? Debatable, in a world of nigh-infinite virtual shelf space. Is it more cost-effective? Aha! That’s the ticket, gentle reader. More books, fewer bucks.
We’ve combined the three volumes of Dana Stabenow’s Star Svensdotter series—Second Star, A Handful of Stars, and Red Planet Run—along with the Mars short story, “No Place Like Home,” into a single title, very attractively priced at $4.99. The first in the series is free/99¢ (depending on the store) so there’s a fair chance that readers who enjoy Second Star will feel confident buying the omnibus edition and saving a bit. Science fiction in particular has a long tradition of publishing two- and three-title collections in one cover, and there are a number of them currently offered as ebooks, so it seems a format readers may welcome.
The mechanics of ebook retail are such that there’s not a lot of merchandising small publishers can do, beyond setting a list price. Omnibus editions allow us to offer readers what is essentially a boxed-set at a discount—in this case, 37% off list. Will they respond? Will the omnibus eat into single-unit sales or attract a different customer entirely? All good questions… this is our first, so we’ll be watching.
Where to Buy
On Amazon, for your Kindle.
On Barnes & Noble, for your Nook.
On iTunes, for your iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch.
About Dana Stabenow
Dana Stabenow is an American author who has produced works in the science fiction, mystery, and suspense/thriller genres. Find her on the web at Stabenow.com.
Hat tip to Flickr user Sir Hectimere (Barry Lewis) for RTL 531 in Victoria, BC
(CC BY 2.0).
Great idea–love omnibuses (omnibusi??). Of course, I already have all your books in single format, but for those just now being introduced to Star and/or Liam, these are a great way to save some money and get them all. Apropos the cover question you posed on Facebook–this one is great! Love Star’s freckles!
Thanks for so many hours of reading pleasure, with or without covers or multiple titles all-in-one.
Lin
are these published in the proprietary Nook/Kindle formats? My e-reader doesn’t handle either one of those, but can take EPUB or MOBI.
Mary,
The B&N and iTunes versions are DRM-free ePubs, so it sounds like your reader should be able to handle them. Of course, the process of getting the book onto it won’t be as easy as if you had a Nook or iPad, since B&N and Apple are able to better-integrate their devices with their stores, but you’re likely used to jumping through a hoop or two if you have an uncommon type of reader.
The Amazon versions are DRM-free as well, and should be very MOBI-like, but I believe Amazon distributes them as .kmz files, which your ereader may balk at. Afraid I can’t advise on the likelihood of an Amazon purchase working, without knowing the specifics of your device.
Thank you. I have a BeBook NEO, and have no issues with EPub format, so I’ll be heading over to B&N momentarily!
All set; purchased, downloaded and transferred successfully. Thank you!