Baen Free eBooks and WebScriptions

Annotated Lists and Selecting eBooks

    These notes were put together so I could make some very informed purchases from WebScriptions; and I am posting this information on the Internet, in the hope it will also be of use to others.

 

Annotated Baen Free eBooks Listing

This listing includes both the Baen Free Library and the Baen CD-ROM Library. These ebooks are available in multiple formats including HTML, Rocketbook, RTF, Mobipocket, and Microsoft Reader.

 
Annotated Monthly WebScriptions Listing
Original Source: http://www.webscription.net/catalog.asp

 NOTE: This list is years old, so it will take a long time time to get it updated.  I have attempted to list what books are in any omnibus edition, and where a novel belongs within any series of books. All the monthly WebScriptions are listed on this one long Webpage, so the browser's "Find on this page" function can be used to locate things.

    Each month, Baen tries to publish four books that are new original works, and a few more that are some manner of a reprinting. (Usually the paperback version of a hardcover.) And the selection of ebooks in each WebScriptions month corresponds to the new releases of Baen's printed books— so the ebooks can provide some immediate word-of-mouth marketing for the physical or "dead tree format" books.

    On the other hand, both the Baen Free Library and the Baen CD-ROM Library are long-term promotional giveaways, for the purpose of generating more lasting book sales.

Thus I suggest the following method when obtaining Baen ebooks:

1. First go through the books that Baen offers for free, which should help to determine what authors and series you do and do not like.
    
   
2. Next go to the WebScriptions site, to purchase some carefully chosen monthly ebook packages.
   • Each chosen month provides several books you still want, for not (much) more than the cost of those individual ebooks.
   • Any additional (not duplicate) books, in a monthly selection of ebooks, can help to discover what else you do or do not like.
      
     
3. Finally, fill in the remaining books you want by purchasing individual WebScription ebooks.

Sources for Baen eBooks

 
The Baen Free Library
http://www.baen.com/library/    [New Window]

Promotional full length ebooks for mass market Science Fiction and Fantasy. (Often a few books by an author, or the first few books of a series.)

 
Baen Free eBook Library
http://webscriptions.net/c-1-free-library.aspx    [New Window]

The alternate Baen free ebook site at WebScriptions, which does not contain all of the books in the Baen Free Library. (Only a few books missing.)
 

 
baencd
http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/    [New Window]

Possibly the best site for viewing or downloading the Baen CD-ROM Library CD's via the Internet.

 
Jim Baen's Publishoverse Tribute Page
http://baencd.freedoors.org/    [New Window]

Another site for viewing or downloading the Baen CD-ROM Library CD's.

 
Oberon's site for Baen CD-ROMs via BitTorrent
http://oberon.zlynx.org/    [New Window]

To find the sizes for the ISO and (smaller) ZIP'd ISO files available at that site, use their BitTorrent Tracker Status link.

 
dak180's site for Baen CD-ROMs via BitTorrent
http://dak180.dynalias.com:8080/PHP/tracker/    [New Window]

    Some will find BitTorrent a preferable method for downloading the Baen CDs, as that makes large file downloads over night— or even one large file over several separate nights— convenient and very reliable.

    If you wish to use BitTorrent with a PC, then try µTorrent— which is a full featured BitTorrent client for Windows, Mac and Linux. Or the newer versions of Opera also support BitTorrent.

 
WebScriptions
http://www.webscription.net/    [New Window]

Individual Baen ebooks and monthly ebook selections, at bargain prices.

    Most of the Baen CD-ROM Library CDs are available as a bound-in CD inside the first edition of specific hardcover novels. Thus for anyone who purchases a monthly book selection or individual ebook that corresponds to one of those hardcovers, WebScriptions will also provide an ISO file for the CD-ROM that was included with the first edition book.

Related Information

 
Science Fiction & Fantasy from Baen Books
http://www.baen.com/    [New Window]

The main Website for Baen Publishing Enterprises.

 
Martin's Indexes and Listings for Baen eBooks
http://www.bonham.net.nz/SF/Baen/WS/index.htm    [New Window]

Baen's Bar, A Successful Community
http://www.learningfountain.com/baensbar.htm    [New Window]

An article (from 2002?) about the Baen Books on-line community (Baen's Bar), which also provides a nice introduction to WebScriptions and the Baen Free Library.

Fictionwise . . . Excellence in eBooks
http://www.fictionwise.com/    [New Window]

Some Baen books that are not available as an ebook from WebScriptions are available as a MultiFormat download from Fictionwise. (Only the MultiFormat books have no DRM.)

 
5 excellent places to find DRM-free science fiction
http://www.davidbdean.com/2006/07/27/5-excellent-places-to-find-drm-free-science-fiction/    [New Window]

This lists more places to find e-books that have not been copy protected using Digital Rights Management (DRM).