Thoughts on the "Free Book of the Month" benefit of LN
It would be very nice if some modern resources were included in the offering each month. I read a post quite a while back which made the argument, quite convincingly, that PD resources were no less expensive for FL to develop than copyrighted material, so there was virtually no difference in the wholesale cost of PD vs copyrighted resources.
If that is the case, why are all (or most all) the free books PD resources? Can the FL team at least include a few modern books each month? That would be really nice! The PD books are of little value to me. I mean, I appreciate getting a free book and all, but it's just another book to be added to the library that will rarely, if ever, get used.
At least if it were a newer work, published in the last 20-30 years or so, it would be much, much more valuable to Logos users, IMHO. I am not asking for the newest, latest, hottest NYT best sellers...just some works by authors published in my own lifetime (IE 1970s +), even it were just a $2 magazine or journal resource. This would bring so much more value to the LN FBOM program, IMHO. As it is right now, it should be called the LN Free Public Domain Book of the Month.
Thanks everyone!
Myke Harbuck
Lead Pastor, www.ByronCity.Church
Adjunct Professor, Georgia Military College
Comments
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The difference is in the marginal cost for Logos, if it is not public domain they will have to pay a royalty for each unit "sold", this would be a cash cost to them. To give away a public domain volume has no cost to logos at all, beyond the remote possibility that they will lose out on sales of such volumes because people get them free rather than buying them.
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Mike Pettit said:
To give away a public domain volume has no cost to logos at all, beyond the remote possibility that they will lose out on sales of such volumes because people get them free rather than buying them.
True, but the sales revenue is probably negligible, since many of these public domain resources are part of base packages, where their unit "cost" is probably only $1 or less.
There are some public domain LN books which aren't bundled at all, and are regularly priced at $25. But as you said, you'd have to have wanted to buy them in the first place, for FL to lose out on that sale by giving them away for free.
I'm happy with the benefit. It will probably take me a few years before I run out of books I'm currently interested in getting for free.
Thanks to FL for including Carta and a Hebrew audio bible in Logos 9!
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I have no problem with with what is being offered. I never expected anything but PD titles from the moment this idea was discussed.
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Disciple of Christ (doc) said:
I have no problem with with what is being offered. I never expected anything but PD titles from the moment this idea was discussed.
Same here. For myself, I'm looking forward to all the Puritan works I can get for free out of this perk.
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I'm very pleased with the books being offered. Here's what i am doing to make good use of this LN perk:
1. I've set up a wish list for Free Logos Now books/
2. I use this search of the available free books which sorts by newest first and only books i don't own:
3. I am in the process of scrolling through this list which currently has 45 pages of 60 books per page for me. Whenever i find a book that seems interesting, something i'd like to read or have for a reference, i add that book to my Free Logos Now wishlist.
I am only on page 12 today, i'm going through a few pages today. However, I've added 31 books to my wishlist so far including works by G.K. Chesterton, nooks about Abraham Lincoln, Church History books and books about the Greek Orthodox Church and the Coverdale Bible.
John
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Myke Harbuck said:
I mean, I appreciate getting a free book and all, but it's just another book to be added to the library that will rarely, if ever, get used.
I think you have a very valid point. This is pitched as a perk for LN subscribers, but the value (not in Logos dollars, but in actual usefulness) is relatively low for me. I have not looked at all the resources available, but those I have looked at I would probably never purchase. So, yes, we get one more free book a month, but it really, for me, isn't that much of a perk. Not that I'm ungrateful, I just don't think its a strong selling point for a LN subscription.
On the other hand, if they are going to give me 12 books a year and I pay $100 for all of LN, I don't see how they could put much that costs them a lot in the mix, so I really shouldn't have high expectations.
Pastor, North Park Baptist Church
Bridgeport, CT USA
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I do not have a problem with the selection offered. When it was first announced, I thought there would only be a handful to choose from, but the selection is large enough that I had no problem putting together a good-sized list. Are they books that I will use every day as my go-to resources? No, not really. But I would argue (1) it provides access to some books I am interested in that so far I have not been able to get as part of a base package, and (2) for those of us who strongly prefer ownership over renting, it gives us something permanent to keep even after the subscription has ended. Both of those are wins in my book.
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Mark Smith said:
for me, isn't that much of a perk
Here is where the perk may come in for you... If you are strategic in your purchases, you could acquire an entire collection. If you purchase a base package in the future with those resources, your price will be dynamically lower. [;)]
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I'm very pleased with the books being offered. Here's what i am doing to make good use of this LN perk:
1. I've set up a wish list for Free Logos Now books/
2. I use this search of the available free books which sorts by newest first and only books i don't own:
3. I am in the process of scrolling through this list which currently has 45 pages of 60 books per page for me. Whenever i find a book that seems interesting, something i'd like to read or have for a reference, i add that book to my Free Logos Now wishlist.
I am only on page 12 today, i'm going through a few pages today. However, I've added 31 books to my wishlist so far including works by G.K. Chesterton, nooks about Abraham Lincoln, Church History books and books about the Greek Orthodox Church and the Coverdale Bible.
John
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Hi.. How does this work.. I too have this list and used your link.. But none are free..
So you add ones your interested to your Free Wish List and and then wait for them to come up as the monthly Free LN book and then get it?
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Rodney Phillips said:
Hi.. How does this work.. I too have this list and used your link.. But none are free..
So you add ones your interested to your Free Wish List and and then wait for them to come up as the monthly Free LN book and then get it?
Not exactly. Every month any ONE of all of the Logos Now Free offerings will be free (using a coupon code on the Logos Now Members page).
Once you have "purchased" ONE of them, the rest will show regular price till next month and next coupon code.
Note that seeing the free price requires you to add the coupon code to the coupon box on the checkout/shopping cart page.
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Thank you..
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John Kaess said:
3. I am in the process of scrolling through this list which currently has 45 pages of 60 books per page for me.
I have a total of 13 books to look through - doesn't take too long.
I'll have them all in a year.
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I agree. I've looked through all the selections and cannot imagine making use of a single one. So, this is a benefit that has no value to me.Myke Harbuck said:It would be very nice if some modern resources were included in the offering each month. I read a post quite a while back which made the argument, quite convincingly, that PD resources were no less expensive for FL to develop than copyrighted material, so there was virtually no difference in the wholesale cost of PD vs copyrighted resources.
If that is the case, why are all (or most all) the free books PD resources? Can the FL team at least include a few modern books each month? That would be really nice! The PD books are of little value to me. I mean, I appreciate getting a free book and all, but it's just another book to be added to the library that will rarely, if ever, get used.
At least if it were a newer work, published in the last 20-30 years or so, it would be much, much more valuable to Logos users, IMHO. I am not asking for the newest, latest, hottest NYT best sellers...just some works by authors published in my own lifetime (IE 1970s +), even it were just a $2 magazine or journal resource. This would bring so much more value to the LN FBOM program, IMHO. As it is right now, it should be called the LN Free Public Domain Book of the Month.
Thanks everyone!
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alabama24 said:
Here is where the perk may come in for you... If you are strategic in your purchases, you could acquire an entire collection. If you purchase a base package in the future with those resources, your price will be dynamically lower.
Exactly this. I'm quite pleased with the works offered in systematic theology. Many of these are classics of 19C/early 20C theology and are useful in their own right. Moreover, they frequently feature in base packages (e.g., and especially, the Reformed ones). The whole situation is win-win.
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I was debating continuing with LN, and will. I do like the idea seeing enhancements before I decide to upgrade or update, the books are a plus. But for me is the preview resources it has enabled me to see if a lot of these books are something I would ever use, and not buy books for the sake of buying one.
I have thousands of resources from buying packages that truthfully were a total waste of $$$$$$$$$.
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Myke, Just read through this thread and I'm wondering what your final decision was. Are you sticking it out with Logos Now?
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Is there a way to modify this search to include a character string that would be found (hopefully) in the book title?John Kaess said:I'm very pleased with the books being offered. Here's what i am doing to make good use of this LN perk:
1. I've set up a wish list for Free Logos Now books/
2. I use this search of the available free books which sorts by newest first and only books i don't own:
3. I am in the process of scrolling through this list which currently has 45 pages of 60 books per page for me. Whenever i find a book that seems interesting, something i'd like to read or have for a reference, i add that book to my Free Logos Now wishlist.
I am only on page 12 today, i'm going through a few pages today. However, I've added 31 books to my wishlist so far including works by G.K. Chesterton, nooks about Abraham Lincoln, Church History books and books about the Greek Orthodox Church and the Coverdale Bible.
John
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Rick Ausdahl said:
Is there a way to modify this search to include a character string that would be found (hopefully) in the book title?
Add search term after question mark with q= prefix and & suffix: e.g. Luther
https://www.logos.com/products/search?q=Luther&Product+Type=Free+titles+for+Now+members&unlocked=no
Keep Smiling [:)]
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Rick Ausdahl said:
Is there a way to modify this search to include a character string that would be found (hopefully) in the book title?
Sure! For example:
https://www.logos.com/products/search?q=Holy+Spirit&Product+Type=Free+titles+for+Now+members
One way to do this is to normally do your search on Logos, then append the desired additional parameters to the end of the URL. E.g.,
- &Product+Type=Free+titles+for+Now+members
- &unlocked=no
- &pageSize=60
and so on.
The store will also let you filter the search, by clicking on Product Type or other criteria. That automatically adds the same parameter to the URL as shown above. It's a bit easier and faster, since you don't have to remember the specific parameter to use.
Thanks to FL for including Carta and a Hebrew audio bible in Logos 9!
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I love this Free Book for Logos Now User and have to say this will be a Reason to stay. And I allways get Book I will use in my Study in Patristic and Textual Critism...soo I'm intrested in the old Books :-)
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Myke Harbuck said:
I read a post quite a while back which made the argument, quite convincingly, that PD resources were no less expensive for FL to develop than copyrighted material, so there was virtually no difference in the wholesale cost of PD vs copyrighted resources.
If that is the case, why are all (or most all) the free books PD resources?
In addition to the cost of producing the book, Logos has to pay royalties every time a book is sold. This will probably be a percentage of sales, but there's likely to be a minimum. The agreement with the publisher will probably specify a minimum price too, not just s minimum royalty. That means giveaways and big sales of modern works will probably only be possible with the explicit permission of the publisher. That could be done, of course, but what's in it for the publisher?
This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!
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This resource was new to the LN/Free set this month. LN is listening. Thank you!
New International Commentary: The Epistles of Paul to the Philippians and to Philemon
Grace & Peace,
Bill
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iPhone 12 Pro Max 512Gb
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BillS said:
New International Commentary: The Epistles of Paul to the Philippians and to Philemon
This actually was already on the list, and the only reason I can confirm that is it is on my "LN Free Books" wish list and has been for a while. It is an older volume from the set that has since been replaced. Thankful it is available though!
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[:D]
I myself would really like to see them do something like Amazon does with their Prime membership.
9.99 per month gives you the opportunity to read countless books across a broad spectrum of subjects of books both new and old.
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Matthew said:BillS said:
New International Commentary: The Epistles of Paul to the Philippians and to Philemon
This actually was already on the list, and the only reason I can confirm that is it is on my "LN Free Books" wish list and has been for a while. It is an older volume from the set that has since been replaced. Thankful it is available though!
That's what I picked this month also. I would not have paid for it, but glad to add it for free.
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FL doesn't have a customer base the size of Amazon and aside from a few novelty items all its sales revenue comes from electronic books. I don't think it would be financially viable for them to offer something like that.
Jesse Blevins said:
I myself would really like to see them do something like Amazon does with their Prime membership.
9.99 per month gives you the opportunity to read countless books across a broad spectrum of subjects of books both new and old.
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It's also telling that Amazon's deal doesn't include books from most of the major publishers.
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danwdoo said:
It's also telling that Amazon's deal doesn't include books from most of the major publishers.
Indeed. I trialled Amazon's offering for a month, and found it extremely difficult to find any books worth reading. I went through my "Want to Read" list of over 500 items, and found only 4 were available.
Plus there's the big difference that with Kindle, you'll only really be reading one book at a time, whereas with Logos you could actually be 'using' dozens or even hundreds of books a month through search results and guides. So although Kindle offer thousands of books, they'll only pay royalties on a few a month. It wouldn't be like that with Logos.
This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!
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