I’ve always been a fan of Wimax, back in the day I did some work for Wimax Forum and have always felt that the technology is impressive (as are the people working on it); I’ve been pretty gung-ho to check it out since it become available in Portland. Since I’d been having problems with my Comcast service (endless modems dying) I decided, why not? Well, I’ve learned that lesson.

If only it was just that I couldn’t get much of a signal in my house (despite being in a sea of dark green, supposedly a strong signal area) it would be forgivable, really. However, when I could get a signal, even a strong signal, I was lucky to get speeds of .5 mbps, dramatically different from the 6 mbps they talk about. Okay, no harm, no foul. The technology just isn’t perfect yet. I live in the suburbs not in the city core so it, perhaps, just isn’t an option for me.

Tragic, but hey the sales guys were nice, they thought I was an idiot (I had to break down the cost of paying for a modem vs. leasing it for them as they kept trying to convince me paying $5 a month forever AND signing a 2 year contract was really the better deal than just paying $50 upfront), but nice. I just had to bring the modem back and they’d get me all sorted. At least that’s what they told me. But wait a minute, that’s just what they said when I asked about the return policy, you know, when they wanted to make the sale. The moment I actually tried to return it I was told I had to contact customer care.

Oh, but when I contacted customer care I got a long long run around where they demanded I try and increase the signal, it just must be a problem with where I’m placing the modem (really, I have a laptop, was I supposed to leave it sitting in the bathroom in the hopes of getting .6mbps rather than .5?). I should try tilting it differently in the USB port. Maybe unplug it and replug it. Did I try rebooting? Maybe I have a virus slowing my computer down and that’s why the speed was so slow (um trust me, I don’t). No, I just wanted to cancel! Oh? Well actually I didn’t contact the right department (silly me, following the instructions on their website), I needed to call x, click x at the menu and oh yeah, it’s already past their support hours so I’ll have to call tomorrow. Can I just email them? I mean they don’t even advertise their contact number if you’re logged in as a customer, you have to hunt for it. No, I need to talk to them. Odds on whether or not that’s so another retention specialist can try and talk me into keeping my service?

So are you thinking about trying Clear? Well if you know someone who raves about it, try theirs. Because trying to get rid of yours if it doesn’t work out…well if I ever manage it I’ll let you know.

Today Macmillan started to announce some details about their new agency model, book available and pricing. While pricing isn’t something I’ve really gotten into voicing my views on yet (don’t worry, I will) availability is and as much as I disagree with other things they’ve done I’m really digging their views on this, at least so far.

First, as CEO John Sargent says, “All the new adult trade books for which we have the rights to publish in e-book format will be available at the first release of the printed book.” Meaning, Macmillan books won’t end up on my boycott list.

How will they do this you ask? The same way publishers have been doing for ages now, with tiered pricing, meaning the initial release will be priced higher. Think of it as a hard cover for ebooks. If the book you want is released as a hardcover first and you want to read it the day it comes out, expect to pay more than you would if it was a paperback. They say that prices will be lower than the paperbacks, “between $14.99 and $12.99; a few books will be priced higher and lower” and as a paperback version is released or time goes by (for those that do not come out in paperback) prices will be lowered.

Is this going to solve everything? No, odds are their prices are still going to be higher than many are comfortable with paying. It’s a step in the right direction, though. I like that at least one publisher is recognizing that ebooks aren’t just another medium like paperbacks vs. hardbacks, it’s another market entirely. Pricing higher at release and lower over time is the way to go in my mind. If I want a book the day it comes out and it’s something being released in a hard cover edition, I’m already conditioned to pay more–I’m fine with this. As long as it’s cheaper than the actual hardcover (showing both the savings from the print costs and the loss of value in terms of resale, sharing, etc, to me as a reader) I’ll be happy. Will they actually hold firm to prices the market is willing to pay? That’s the real question.

I’m incessant book reader, it’s rare to find me without a book somewhere near. I can generally be found perched somewhere, Kindle in hand, immersed in an imaginary world dreamed up from the imaginations of those far more creative than myself (notwithstanding my own book writing attempts). My habit got so bad that a couple of years ago I chose to switch to an ebook reader (the aforementioned Kindle) to use while feeding my addiction because it allowed me to carry multiple books at one time without causing back aches and meant I could continue to build on to my well over a 1,000 book library without needing to buy a larger house (a genuine concern at the time). eBooks allowed my addiction to grow to further and further heady heights. Suddenly, if I finished a book while out and about I wasn’t stuck, I could buy another one and start reading seconds later. The hours I spent reading dizzily spun even more out of control and I’ve loved every second of it.

Never again would I be afraid to try a new author because now I could download free samples allowing me to read a couple of chapters and try things out. Nothing is worse than buying a book based on reviews or the back cover description and getting it home only to realize the writing is so appalling that you can’t make it past the first few pages. Never again would I be forced to make the decision to part with my precious books because of lack of shelf space, they can all be stored on one small device or online.

However, now I feel like I’m stuck in the middle of a war and I’m nothing but fodder. Here I am, a passionate reader. For the entirety of my life books have been one of my best friends, as pathetic as that may sound. I’m fairly certain I’ve seen more of the interior of books than I have that large glowing ball of light up in the sky. But I’ve become a second class citizen in the realm of books.

Publishers have decided that I’m not worthy of reading books the day they come out unless I want to go back to dead tree versions. Instead I need to wait, because ebooks are second class citizens. Ignore the fact that the majority of ebook readers are generally the passionate types who love books, we don’t seem to matter. I guess they think we love books enough that we’ll buy those we truly want no matter the format. They ignore the fact that it’s not a hard cover vs. paperback kind of debate. eBooks are a completely new medium that deserve completely different treatment and they need to move with the times.

Well no more. I love books. I have a very long list of authors who I previously would have purchased their most recent book the very day it came out, and that list keeps growing every time I discover a new author (made so much easier by my lovely reading device). But I’m being thwarted by publishers who won’t allow that behavior.

I don’t think publishers are going to listen to anything but money, so that’s what I’ll speak with. If the ebook doesn’t come out the exact same day as the initial release…too bad. I’m just one person, but it’s better than none. Maybe if they see an overall drop in sales of a book when they delay the ebook launch it will mean something.

Publishers, please don’t get caught in the same stupid abyss that the music industry has been and refuse to recognize the digital medium or try and restrain it. I’m never going back to non-digital versions. It isn’t a pricing decision (I can, have, and probably will again discuss that topic, though, so don’t think price doesn’t come into play with ebooks). I don’t see ebooks as an alternative to hard covers or something like that. It’s a convenience choice, it’s a delivery preference. Just as I don’t want CDs cluttering up my house and I want to be able to carry hundreds of them with me easily, I want the same for my books. You don’t see the music industry trying to impose restrictions on when the digital version of an album is released vs. the hard copy, do you? Don’t tell me that the music industry is behaving better than the publishing industry! That’s just sad.