Is It Really That Tough?
Let me say upfront and for the record that I have never created a book for the Logos/Libronixi system using Personal Book Builder. As an owner of WORDsearch and QuickVerse, (in addition to Logos), I have created user books in their formats, (the means of which is built into their products for free, automatically converts verse references and creates books that are fully searchable), but I haven't found a compelling reason given my method and scope of Bible study to invest in both the initial cost and annual fees that Logos charges for PBBi. (Let me also say upfront that this is just me and my needs. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for those whose areas of interest and ministry really benefit from this tool and are willing to share the fruits of their labor with others here and elsewhere.) And please understand that I am not being sarcastic or rhetorical or critical of Logos (or especially of PBB users) in my question. I really just simply don't understand and welcome any and all insight and this seems like a safe and knowledge-rich place to ask.
The catalyst for my posting this lingering query of mine is the recent offering of the A.W. Tozer collection in pre-pub on Logos.com. The substantial 55 volume set will be sold for $399.95 when it is complete, but can be purchased now for just $189.95 which seems fairly reasonable, equating to about $3.45 per book. The challenge in my understanding and the indication that there is something I am probably missing is that I purchased an almost (if not) identical Tozer collection for my WORDsearch library about six-months ago for $69.95 or about $1.27 per book. (I have since found it offered routinely on ebay for only $29.95. Ouch! That's just 54 cents for each book.)
So I come back to the question I started with which is, "is it really that tough to create books to work in Libronix compared to the formats the other main players in the Bible software arena use?" (And I'm fully open to an informed answer of "yes" from anyone who has created works for multiple products.) I pretty much use my Bible software for verse commentary exploration and topical studies and know from experience that the core Logos software is MUCH more powerful than all the others in the areas of language tools and breaking the Bible down into as many exciting pieces to explore as possible and it's MY clear first choice of where to add books that can be purchased at comparable prices, but in the case of these "layman's libraries" by authors like Tozer I don't get it, (and it really bugs me not to get stuff like this, in case you can't tell).
Maybe to put the question another way, (and probably a better way for this forum), "what will PBB do for me within Logos that the other book builders (within WORDsearch, QuickVerse or Biblesoft's PC Study Bible) won't/don't do for me in theirs?" I know from both common sense and from the information Logos offers on the PBB pages that there's more that goes into the "for sale" book creation process, but if I can understand more about PBB maybe I can begin to better understand and appreciate some of the added value of the books Logos is offering in Libronix compared to the same publications offered elsewhere.
Thanks!
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You've asked a good question, and I actually posted similar thoughts on my own blog recently about this Tozer package. I look forward to hearing the comments that follow from the more knowledgeable people. I can only offer that PBBs are different from pre-pubs, so there may be a considerable amount more of markup that is done to the texts. But whether it justifies the price, I would say no, and imagine that Logos would turn a tidy little profit *if* people actually shell out that money. It would be much better to make it affordable, sell more, and affect more people.
While I can not speak with absolute authority on the subject I have gathered a few "price points" from the Logos Newsgroups over the years. The pricing of Logos books is effected by a number of factors
While it doesn't effect the cost the worthiness of the text goes up a small percentage by being fully integrated with all of the Libronixi reporting and searching features.
All of these factors together with others of which I'm not even aware will eventually play in to the cost they ask for. Of course the only cost that really and truly matters is the one you are willing to pay.
Thanks for the breakdown of some of the factors that go into the mix. I'm sure that given the relative power and flexibility that the core Logos software provides there is much more than meets the eye, especially in connection with the built-in language tools. My confusion and question really relates to the realtive nature of the costs. For example, how can WORDsearch offer their Tozer library for $99.95 (the normal price on their website) or less when the "normal" price of the Logos Tozer library will be right around $400? Wouldn't each Bible software company have the same or similar variables to contend with, especially with the less-technical (language-wise) type of books?
In addition to the possibility of the additional complexity of the coding, it may indeed come down to more a matter of the sales/marketing strategy of each company as gho eluded to above. (Or it may be with Logos offering many more books, some available in other Bible software formats, but many unique to Libronixi they don't really take sales volume into consideration since if they get enough pre-pubs to cover the cost of development they almost have to keep the future cost of the book higher than the pre-pub price to maintain the incentive regardless of how many they sell or want to sell, but that's a different posting entirely.) I would have to believe that Logos/Libronix is the market leader in Bible software given both its prevalence in seminaries and with pastors, as well as its eBible connection. However with WORDsearch and Biblesoft offering some pretty substantial sales on their growing list of add-on books every so often (including this most recent holiday season) in addition to the pattern I see of them often having a lower regular price in general (although not always and not always by much) I find myself using my very tight electronic book budget to build my general Christian library (which includes resources by authors such as Tozer, Piper, Evans, etc.) in places other than Logos too often by necessity, not by preference.
That said, I'm sure there is more to the story. (Again, I'm not trying to pick on Logos as I'm sure that I - a non-pastor, non-seminary student, just a Christian guy who loves studying God's Word and reading Christian books on my computer using Bible software - am not their primary target audience as evidence by where their Bible Study package falls on their Top Ten sales list relative to their other packages, which is all well and good.)
I can see how the book from Logos could be worth it - definitely for the $190 price. Building the books yourself takes no small amount of time - as I am learning. :)
And of course, how much time it takes depends on how much functionality you want to build into the product. If you are only putting the text in, it's not too bad. Converting from CCEL is also not too bad, but still leaves some work. Building a book from scratch with text, footnotes, and keylinks takes some time.
I don't know the other programs that you have listed, but the same books in eSword or the SWORD project would be similar to only putting the text in - IMO. So, to me, that would explain a price differential between a Logos book and the open source books - as the Logos could be much more beneficial to an "easy" study.
gephartr
http://gephartr.blogspot.com
PBBi builder guys - think you might make a copy of the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 into a digital libronix book?????
That would be way cool!
http://www.vor.org/truth/1689/1689bc00.html
http://www.vor.org/rbdisk/
thanks,
Steve
I'll see what I can do as time allows. Shouldn't take too long.
I have several problems with the whole pricing scheme. The software for creating your Libronixi titles should be free, or the reader software should be free, or both. The books you create with the private edition can only be read on the same computer on which they were created. And your license to create new books runs out after one year.
You can pay three times as much for the right to give away your documents to other people, but you still can't sell them. And the license also runs out in one year.
I don't buy the argument that it is difficult to make Libronix books as a rational for high prices. It is difficult because Logos has made it difficult and has restricted access to the tools to generate resources. They don't want people making editions of public domain works, because they want to own the only versions in the Libronix format.
Rod
The reader (Libronixi software) is free. The PBBi key is free when you purchase one of the Logos sets. It is not however up for sale, though I have been requesting that. I haven't purchased the PBB writer software because I would not be able to produce enough works to make me feel it was a wise investment. I suppose I could stage a few hundred works and then purchase the license... hmmm...
"don't want people making editions of public domain works"
And that is the benefit to this site. There are some of us (like me) who have gone ahead and paid the price for the software license to create PBBi files. These files are then placed here - and there are a great many here already.
The more I learn about John McComb's Builder Builder it becomes much easier to take the Public Domain works from CCEL and create PBBs. And to create your own is as simple as typing a Word document - given that does not have some of the advanced features in it.
Hopefully Logos will at least start offering the reading key for free to all.
I would encourage Logos to take the PBBi availability and accessibility concept one step further, especially as they look at what to build into the next version of their software. Like I mentioned when I began this "dialog," WORDsearch, QuickVerse and Biblesoft (PC Study Bible) ALL have built into their core software products the capability to create "user books." There is no additional cost for this feature in any of the three. WORDsearch and Biblesoft even have as part of their software and/or website a community feature that allows people who have created original or public domain reference works in that software format to share them with others, again at no cost. (Thank you tcblack for at least helping fill that gap.) Make the Personal Book Building feature available to anyone and everyone who purchases your product and not just so that we can read them (which is already provided), but so that we can create them (for our own use) and, if you are really serious about your mission of serving the church both in the U.S. and worldwide, please do not hinder their distribution by restricting our ability to share them with others or requiring us to pay for this privilege of joining you in your critical mission. Build the books you think we will purchase (which as your website explains contain many more components and capabilities than PBB creations) and charge what you want to/need to cover all the different business-related aspects, but PLEASE take a careful, prayerful look at how other Bible software companies (who are not "ministries," but Christian businesses like yourself) are serving their users by allowing for (and actually encouraging) the free creation and distribution of available non-copyrighted Christian literature and "test" your motivation for charging us for the ability to do likewise in your Bible software, a product that I, and I know many others, appreciate and enjoy using. Thank you!