Baen Free Library
From Free net encyclopedia
The Baen Free Library is a digital library of the science fiction and fantasy publishing house Baen Books where (as of June 2005) 77 full books are available for free download in a number of formats, without copy protection. It was founded in autumn 1999 by science fiction writer Eric Flint and publisher Jim Baen to determine whether the availability of books free of charge on the Internet encourages or discourages the sale of their paper books.
The Baen Free Library represents an interesting experiment in the field of intellectual property and copyright. It appears that sales of both the books made available free and other books by the same author, even from a different publisher, increase when the electronic version is made available free of charge. [1]
In 2002, Baen also started adding CD-ROMs into some hardcovers of newest titles in successful series. They contain the complete series of novels preceding the printed book (for those books that were the latest in a series), other works by the same author, some works by other authors, and multimedia bonuses. The CD-ROMs have a prominent permissive copyright license which expressly encourages free-of-charge copying and sharing, including over the Internet.
Baen also operates Webscriptions, a subscription-based e-book program.
External links
- Baen Free Library
- Flint's description of the inspiration for the Library in an USENET post Sat, 05 Oct 2002 16:22:49 GMT
- Building the Baen Free Library by Eric Flint - a 2002 essay, republished from Library's news at the link above
- Annotated Baen Free eBook Listing - Baen Free Library and Baen CD-ROM Library
Letters To and From Bean's First Librarian
This section lists letters from readers to Baen's First Librarian, Eric Flint, and responses he made in return about the Free Library and it's offerings. Of particular note, are the grateful letters from blind and handicapped individuals, and the wide geographic demographic of the Baen experment.
- Introducing the Baen Free Library — Eight pages on how the library came to be and the software piracy and publisher issue in general.
- Letters to the Librarian December 20th, 2000 — A selection of 123 letters about the free library as seen by the readers; of particular note: Messages from a blind reader and a handicapped reader.
- Letters to the Librarian January 16th, 2001 — Report on 200 Letters recieved in 24 hours when the Free Library made internet news.
- Letters to the Librarian February 04th, 2001 — Specal Report on self-publishing on the internet with comments by the First Librarian including getting published.
- Macaulay on copyright law — Two speeches on copyright law the the British House of Commons during 1841, characterized by Flint as brilliant, as they cover the issues still problematic in copyright law.
- Letters to the Librarian, Eric Flint September 1, 2001 — This letter deals with intellectual property rights and piracy of intellectual materials