# A FREE James Patterson Pre-Order!



## Tabby (Oct 7, 2009)

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this...I hope it is. I searched to see if it had already been posted, and it seems as though it hasn't.

Witch and Wizard (Kindle Edition)


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## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

Woohoo!  Got it!  Thanks!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Got it for my mom.  Thank you.

deb


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Got it.  Thank you.
You may want to check out the book bazaar from the kindle boards home page freebie list.  Many of us post freebies there.  Go visit and enjoy.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Pre-ordered for October 26 release. Thanks for the heads-up!


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## danfan (Apr 17, 2009)

Just pre-ordered! Excellent!


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Thanks I preordered it.


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

I got it too.. Thanks!


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

Thanks for the tip!


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## ryansmom33 (Oct 3, 2009)

Awesome!! Thanks for sharing.


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## Jaasy (Feb 28, 2009)

Good looking out, thanks...


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## Jay (Feb 3, 2009)

Thanks for sharing!  I just ordered.


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## Dris (Feb 28, 2009)

Thank you Mr. Patterson, that is very generous.  I love the Jade Owl and am looking forward to your new book.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

Dris said:


> Thank you Mr. Patterson, that is very generous. I love the Jade Owl and am looking forward to your new book.


Actually, this book is by _James_ Patterson, mainstream best-selling novelist, not our own _Edward_ Patterson, Kindle bigshot and all-around good guy.


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

marianner said:


> Actually, this book is by _James_ Patterson, mainstream best-selling novelist, not our own _Edward_ Patterson, Kindle bigshot and all-around good guy.


Edward Patterson, James Patterson... they're practically twins anyway, easy mistake!


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Ed you are a celebrity.


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## Buttercup (Oct 28, 2008)

Awesome, thanks!


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

I wonder if this is the whole book because now it says Free Preview after it. It didn't say that before. 

Melissa


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

It's a good question.  I've sent a feedback queston to Amazon.

Betsy


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

Yippee!!!!  Thanks Tabby for letting us know about this.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> It's a good question. I've sent a feedback queston to Amazon.
> 
> Betsy


I also tweeted the publisher - no response.


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## Tabby (Oct 7, 2009)

meljackson said:


> I wonder if this is the whole book because now it says Free Preview after it. It didn't say that before.
> 
> Melissa


I sure hope it is more than just a preview. It will be a disappointment if that is all we get. We can always get a sample of a book for free.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

oh so cruel if it is just a preview. my kids no longer allow me to read aloud from my iPhone. I had read a sample and could not finish the story.  I would know how they felf if this was just start.
sylvia


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Tabby said:


> I sure hope it is more than just a preview. It will be a disappointment if that is all we get. We can always get a sample of a book for free.


According to Amazon's *Great Deals on Kindle* page, the whole book is free.


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

That was some major bait & switch then!


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## webhill (Feb 12, 2009)

X-Ray Witch said:


> It's only a preview


I know that it says "preview," and I was wondering what that means. In the product description it says "...It begins- now. FREE! Read -Book One- of Witch & Wizard by #1 bestselling author James Patterson now!" Frankly, that's seriously annoying. I mean, it says "read -book one-" and not "read an excerpt of book one," and it also says "now," which, as we all know, isn't the case either since this item is only available for pre-order.


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## hackeynut (Dec 16, 2008)

And it is a 600 location preview.  What a bunch of BS.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I got it today. . . .came as scheduled. . . .only about 650 locations, so really, nothing more than a sample.  A the end it says "on sale 12-14-09.

Going to delete it now. . . . . .


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

As Tabby observed, on it's main Amazon page it now shows it's a preview. . . .it is, in fact, as hackeyhut says not much more than a sample.

Mine came this morning and I've already deleted it. . . . .even if I were so inclined, at this point I would likely NOT buy the full book. (I might get it if it were _really_ free.) The marketing was, whether intentionally or not, somewhat deceptive -- in my opnion, of course.


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## Tabby (Oct 7, 2009)

I sure hope this does not become the norm...enticing us with a free book offer when it is actually just a sample. At least a regular sample can be permanently deleted. A sample delivered this way will forever be in our archive.


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## r0b0d0c (Feb 16, 2009)

Mine was delivered this morning, also. But, although I'd "preordered" it for $1, checking my Amazon order page, it was discounted to $0, so I guess that we all get it for free after all. Haven't read it yet - too many other things to read first!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Well. . . .it was only just distributed today, so if you really don't want it you can contact Amazon and have it refunded.  Of course there's no money to get back but I imagine they'll take it completely out of your media library.

I would also suggest, rather than just leaving a useless poor review, that you use the link to contact Amazon about it at the bottom of the book's page and let them know that you don't appreciate this sort of somewhat sleazy marketing.


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

That sucks that it is just a sample.  It should have been clear it was a sample and not the actual book.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

It IS clear, now.  More or less.  It says "free preview". 

But it did NOT say that 3 weeks ago when it was first announced and many of us ordered it.

I still think it's a silly marketing scheme:  Just tell us when the book will be out and we'll order a sample then if we want one.  There's the added trouble of listing a book that's really only partial and then having to re-list the full book when it comes out.  And no added benefit to the publisher I can see.  Since it's not even a  'real' sample, if you get it, and like it, you can't go ahead and order the rest from a link at the end of the book like you can with a sample.

I expect this was the publisher's idea and they totally didn't think it through.


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## hackeynut (Dec 16, 2008)

Its funny, I left a nasty review just to let off steam.  I figured that it would get a bunch of negatives considering I haven't read a page of it.  Nope, nothing but helpful votes.

Heh.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

The hardcover of this book comes out Dec 14. I do not know why they did this with the preview which is just a sample. We could have read a sample when the book came out in Dec.


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## hackeynut (Dec 16, 2008)

Don't they understand of all the people to irritate with book marketing, the Kindle readers are dead last?


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

webhill said:


> I know that it says "preview," and I was wondering what that means. In the product description it says "...It begins- now. FREE! Read -Book One- of Witch & Wizard by #1 bestselling author James Patterson now!" Frankly, that's seriously annoying. I mean, it says "read -book one-" and not "read an excerpt of book one," and it also says "now," which, as we all know, isn't the case either since this item is only available for pre-order.





911jason said:


> That was some major bait & switch then!


Originally, the description gave no indication that this was a preview. Honestly, this tactic really ticked me off. "Bait and switch" is a good description. Samples are already available for almost all books so why the need to get "previews" into the hands of readers? An intentional action, IMHO.

I called CS and told them what I thought of this and told them to remove the preview from my account and pass along the feedback.


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## Silver (Dec 30, 2008)

MikeD said:


> I called CS and told them what I thought of this and told them to remove the preview from my account and pass along the feedback.


I didn't call, but I did go to my account and email them to remove this "preview". Just another K reader who thought she was getting a book. When I want a sample I'll ask for it.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestion!  I have no desire to clog up my book list with a sample.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I also requested that the "Free Preview" be removed from my Media library.


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## Tabby (Oct 7, 2009)

So far it has 8 one star reviews. I'm not one of them, but I do hope that it gets the attention of those responsible for the "mistake."


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

This is the response I got from Kindle CS when I asked to have it removed from my media library:



> Hello Ann,
> 
> I'm very sorry to hear that you received only a preview of the title instead of the full version as listed on our website.
> 
> ...


followed by the usual 'let us know if this answered your question.'

It kinda sounds like he didn't really know what I was talking about. I wonder if I will hear anything further. . .he at least sounds conscientious.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Like others, I'm positive that when I pre-ordered the book a couple of weeks ago, it was advertised as a complete book, or at least nothing was mentioned about it being only a sample.

I would love to know the story of what happened, and if this was Amazon's idea or something the author or publisher cooked up.

In any case, if they were looking for publicity, they certainly got it. I just hope this reduces the number of sales when the complete book is released, not increases them. I for one will not be buying it.


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

JimC1946 said:


> Like others, I'm positive that when I pre-ordered the book a couple of weeks ago, it was advertised as a complete book, or at least nothing was mentioned about it being only a sample.


You're right Jim, I even took this screenshot to prove it in this previous post on the first page of this thread:



911jason said:


> According to Amazon's *Great Deals on Kindle* page, the whole book is free.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I personally like the idea of being able to read previews of books before the books are released and wouldn't mind it if it became a common practice (if it causes the archives to become overly cluttered then Amazon could provide us with the means of deleting what we don't want them to save for us, something that they should already be doing), however, I'm 100% against bait and switch tactics, and feel that these publishers need to be up front about what we're getting.

With that said, if it had been a full book I'd have tossed it into the unread pile of freebies that I have on my PC, but since it's only a preview I'll go ahead and read it. So I guess that they had a tiny bit of success with their trickery.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Selcien said:


> I personally like the idea of being able to read previews of books before the books are released and wouldn't mind it if it became a common practice


You can always get a sample for any Kindle book.


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

Selcien said:


> ...however, I'm 100% against bait and switch tactics, and feel that these publishers need to be up front about what we're getting...


Well, that is the thing, isn't it? I personally don't care how they market their books so long as they are upfront and honest about what they are providing. But when they try to deceive, that crosses the line.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

CegAbq said:


> You can always get a sample for any Kindle book.


But not before the book is released.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Meh, didn't cost me anything so I'm not really out anything.  Am annoyed it's a pain to get the preview removed from my archive.  

As far as marketing, I've never bought a James Patterson book, thought this might be a good opportunity to try a well known new to me author, guess not.  Oh well.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

CegAbq said:


> You can always get a sample for any Kindle book.


I'd like to be able to look at upcoming books, read previews from the books that catch my interest, and then have something to look forward to (I would so love to be able to get a preview of Under the Dome).

Once a book is released it joins all of the other books that have been released, and besides series (for obvious reasons) I do not make any distinction to when a book was released, but I do make a distinction when a book is about to be released for the first time as that only happens once.


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

I emailed Amazon last night and asked for the sample to be removed from my media library.  I have not gotten a response yet.


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

I got an unhelpful non-response to my email regarding this situation (along with the standard, did this help you?) Uhm, my concern was not over the price of the item though and no where did I mention price, it was over the fact that it was not what was advertised.

_Hello, 
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

I've passed on your comments to our concerned department.

Rest assured I confirm that you've not been charged any thing for this order.

Customer feedback like yours really helps us continue to improve our store and 
provide better service to our customers. Thanks for taking time to offer us your 
thoughts.

Thanks for your interest in Amazon Kindle.
_


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

ravenclawprefect said:


> I emailed Amazon last night and asked for the sample to be removed from my media library. I have not gotten a response yet.


Did they remove it from your library yet?


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

No, it has not been removed from my library    I clicked on the "not helpful" link and restated again to remove it from my media library.

Has anyone been successful in getting Amazon to remove it?


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I'm still a bit miffed about this, although in the big scheme of things, there are certainly bigger things to worry about. I did send a message to Amazon inquiring whether it was Amazon's idea or the author's to promote the book as a freebie, then change it at the last minute to a preview only. No response yet.

Now I feel silly for getting so excited about the book. After I pre-ordered it, I set a reminder in Outlook to remind me to keep my Kindle and wireless turned on the night before release so I would have it on my K2 when I woke up.

It's probably just beating a dead horse







, so I'll get off the soapbox now.


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## salaniz (Oct 6, 2009)

I'll chime in and say that I'm pretty disappointed too.  We got my nephew a K2 for Christmas and wanted to put this on his Kindle before I deregistered it from my account.

He loved the Maximum Ride series and I thought this would be another good one.  I'll probably still leave it on there so he can see what it's about.  Maybe we'll get it for him for his birthday or something.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I sent an email 24 hours ago and  still have not received a response of any kind.


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

How is it possible that a sample is #10 on the Kindle bestseller list??


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## Susan B (Oct 27, 2008)

I sent an e-mail to Amazon on the day the "book" came out.  No answer yet.


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

I think Amazon CS must be overwhelmed with all of the new sales the IK have generated. It's been almost 2 days since I sent my e-mail requesting a refund for Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less and I haven't heard a thing.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Patricia said:


> How is it possible that a sample is #10 on the Kindle bestseller list??


Obviously the bait and switch worked. My guess is that a lot of the people who "bought" the preview still haven't figured out that they didn't get the whole book.

I really hope this innovative marketing scheme backfires.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't see a bait & switch here, I see some clerical person at Amazon making an error in posting a product. 

I remember recently there was a flat screen TV at Best Buy that accidentally was posted at something ridiculous like $50? They didn't honor that either. Mistakes happen.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

pidgeon92 said:


> I don't see a bait & switch here, I see some clerical person at Amazon making an error in posting a product.
> 
> I remember recently there was a flat screen TV at Best Buy that accidentally was posted at something ridiculous like $50? They didn't honor that either. Mistakes happen.


Whether or not it was an intentional "bait and switch" or was a result of a clerical error or an error in judgment by either Amazon or the author/publisher who submitted the item to Amazon, at the very least they should acknowledge the situation, make an apology, and promise to try to do something to avoid such "mistakes" in the future. I think it would also be a good business idea to provide those who pre-ordered the "sample" at least some sort of discount on the full book, should any of us still be so inclined to want to read it, in order to reduce any ill will their potential customers are feeling. (Personally, I read about 1/2 the sample last night and so far am not particularly impressed.)

Anyway, I've added my email to the stack in Amazon's CS in basket, for whatever good that may do.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I've read the preview

The one thing that could prove to be a problem for me is the way the book switches back and forth between Whit and Wisty as it seems to be a bit forced, but I also think the switching mechanic could be interesting if the characters get split up, beyond that I found the book quite enjoyable, and would have happily pre-ordered it, which brings me to my complaint about this mess.

The e-book cannot be pre-ordered at Amazon because all that shows up there is the preview (completely defeats the point of getting previews if you can't pre-order the book), in contrast, Barnes & Noble has the free preview and the pre-order for the full book (their price is $9.99).



Forster said:


> As far as marketing, I've never bought a James Patterson book, thought this might be a good opportunity to try a well known new to me author, guess not. Oh well.


You'll just have to try a different book of his which is free (I haven't read it yet but I did take a look at the user reviews, you should note that one of the user reviews mentions that it doesn't have an ending).

The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book 1) (Kindle Edition)


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

Patricia said:


> How is it possible that a sample is #10 on the Kindle bestseller list??


I guess what I really meant is...how can a sample be "eligible" for the Kindle bestseller list? Unless someone at Amazon thought it was a whole book like we did.


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

Amazon has responded to my request to remove the preview from my media library.

_When a book is purchased from the Amazon Kindle store, even a free one, it is 
permanently saved within your archived items. If you've downloaded the book, you 
can delete it from your Kindle. But it will always be available for download 
again.

We look forward to seeing you again soon. _

Dead horse beating here but I sent yet another email that said I didn't want to download it, I don't want it in any form and to please remove it from my media library totally.


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## carrie (Feb 16, 2009)

I also emailed Amazon regarding the "free" preview -- and, pointed out to them that on their current "free preview" product page they list the book length as 320 pages, calling it deceptive advertising.  We'll see what happens --


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## Tigress780 (Oct 3, 2009)

How many locations/chapters are you all seeing for the book/preview?


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Tigress780 said:


> How many locations/chapters are you all seeing for the book/preview?


664 locations


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

Another response from amazon

_Following your e-mail I would like to confirm that we are unable to remove the 
"Witch and Wizard "Book One" from your Kindle library and please accept my 
apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you. _


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

First Amazon response to my nastygram:
----------------------------------------
I am sorry for any inconvenience this situation may have caused to you.

We are unable to remove the "Witch and Wizard "Book One"- Free Preview" from the archived items as this was a free preview. 

Please understand that it's the publisher who decides the type of content to be made available on our website (whether it may be a free preview or full version). Also, publisher sets the price that they want to receive, and that in turn affects the end user prices. 

It is always important for us to hear how customers react to all aspects. Your valuable feedback will help us to improve the selection and service we provide. 

I have also sent your comments to the Kindle team.

I apologize again for the inconvenience caused to you in this regard. We hope to see you again soon.

Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
------------------------------
I wrote them back in all caps saying that I want to 'return' the book and got this response:
I've removed the title Witch and Wizard "Book One"- Free Preview from your Kindle library. There was no refund issued as the title was free.

Just so you know, you can cancel accidental purchases yourself. Simply select the "Purchased by Accident? Cancel this Order" option on the order confirmation page displayed on your Kindle. If you have navigated away from the confirmation page or you wish to return any items purchased from the Kindle Store within 7 days of purchase, you just need to contact us.

Thanks for using Kindle.
--------------------------
My first request actually was a request for refund/return, but I agree, they were probably getting a lot of complaints on the book.  I will now head over and write a negative review based upon this experience.


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## mwvickers (Jan 26, 2009)

Jesslyn said:


> Also, publisher sets the price that they want to receive, and that in turn affects the end user prices.


Not to highjack the thread, but it looks like they finally gave an answer for the pricing of e-books.

I have read where Amazon has simply said the publisher sets prices and publishers have said Amazon does.

Apparently, they're both true. The publisher can adjust/set the price which, in turn, _can_ affect prices on Amazon.

Of course, prices still fluctuate like crazy, but this is at least closer to an answer than what I've seen yet.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I have sent the following to CS stating I want to return the book. I separated the return request from my complaint in hopes that this will be clearer to them.


> I want to return this book. It was not what I expected from the product description at the time I placed the pre-order.
> Thank you,
> Anna Taylor
> 
> ...


I was glad I had been posting three different measures of size (pages, locations, file KB) on the October group book count as it made it easier for me to see that 1 book page is about 1 KB in Kindle format (with images taking more KBs ). I will now be very suspicious when I see a file size with 1/3 KB per print page.


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## Shastastan (Oct 28, 2009)

Well, I guess we have been duped, more or less.  No major harm done except our annoyance of wasting our time and getting a little excited over nothing.  I had downloaded this freebie with a little glee.  I take Red Adept's blog and she did the same thing.  Her review of the so-called "preview" was less than exemplary, too.  I'm thinking that this was a marketing risk to a certain degree.  Rest assured, that when the real book comes out, I won't be rushing to buy it.


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

I have not gotten a response from Amazon after my latest email but I just looked at my account, the preview has been removed from my media library.  It only took 4 emails, the last one all caps and pointing out that yes, they are able to remove it from my media library to get it actually removed.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I noticed that someone has gone through the 1-Star reviews and marked "not helpful" on the reviews.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

JimC1946 said:


> I noticed that someone has gone through the 1-Star reviews and marked "not helpful" on the reviews.


Since Amazon has linked the Free Preview with the hardcover book, large print paperback, and CD audiobook versions of the complete book, it may have been someone who did not find the reviews of one helpful on the other.  I wonder how long it will take Amazon to deal with this marketing disaster.

Does anyone know if the "return" or cancellation the order for this preview book will result in updates to the Amazon.com Sales Rank (currently #9 in Kindle Store)? That may be another reason for contacting CS to return the book besides cleaning up our archive list.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

Am I correct in thinking that it's the second listed author (Gabrielle Charbonnet) that actually wrote the book?

Either way I've got it pre-ordered.



JimC1946 said:


> I noticed that someone has gone through the 1-Star reviews and marked "not helpful" on the reviews.


It's a losing battle as more people have voted that they're helpful than not  but after seeing this post I went ahead and clicked "not helpful" on all of the one star reviews (making sure that I didn't accidentally click no on an opinion of the actual content) as they're not helpful to anyone, just a way to vent (you can clearly see that it's a preview now). I'm not sure if they all took as only three messages popped up saying that my vote would show up in 24 hours, all the others just gave me a generic "Thanks for the feedback."


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Annalog said:


> I have sent the following to CS stating I want to return the book. I separated the return request from my complaint in hopes that this will be clearer to them. ...


I received an e-mail back from CS that began:


> Hello,
> 
> Thanks for writing to us with your concern.
> 
> ...


I used the Contact Us option and was called by CS. In summary:
The person I spoke could not cancel the order or remove the sample from my archive because it is a free item. I explained that it had not been identified as a Preview at the time I pre-ordered the book. I also explained why I did not want the item in my archive. I explained what I thought was still misleading about the current listing and mentioned that the reviews on the preview (sample) were connected with the complete book listings as well. After checking with a supervisor for more information, he connected me with someone on the technical team as the people on that team have more tools than are available to regular CS.

I went over everything again with the technical person but in more detail. He was able to remove the preview from my archive. In reference to the change in book listing, including the change in name (Free Preview) and cover image, that made this feel like a 'bait and switch' to those of us who pre-ordered early and the fact that the preview and complete versions are linked as if they are the same, he checked and said that "a technical team is already working on this."

When he asked if there was anything else he could help with, I mentioned that when an author or publisher updates a book to correct formatting/editing problems, we cannot get the corrected version without cancelling the first version and repurchasing the newer version. I added that this was one of the reasons I wanted to get the Preview out of my Archive. If I ever decide to purchase the complete book, I would have two versions in my Archive, one complete and one not.

He seemed to understand why the various issues I brought up were problems and said he would record my feedback so that it would be considered.

All of the above was handled politely and considerately. I once again had a pleasant experience with CS.

EDIT: I suspect that someone is busy right now updating the pages. The preview page is no longer listing the complete versions of the book while the book page still lists the Kindle preview version.


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

Heh, I got a response from Amazon finally. What I find amusing, in a sad way, is that I was told it could not be removed yet it was removed from my account BEFORE I got this email.

_Thank you for writing back to us at Amazon.com.

I understand you're upset, and I regret that we haven't been able to address 
your concerns to your satisfaction. We can't offer any additional insight or 
action.

Please refer the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=help_search_1-1?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200375840&qid=1256764131&sr=1-1

Note: Click on "Removing Kindle Content" _


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Annalog said:


> ..., he checked and said that "a technical team is already working on this." ...





ravenclawprefect said:


> Heh, I got a response from Amazon finally. What I find amusing, in a sad way, is that I was told it could not be removed yet it was removed from my account BEFORE I got this email.


Maybe the "technical team" is working on all of the e-mails related to this issue and the standard CS process does not have visibility. I can just see standard CS replying based on the tools and knowledge they have (in this situation they cannot resolve the problem ) while the technical support team is busy resolving the problem (using power tools ). Reminds me of "the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing."


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

The Amazon pages for this titile are currently very inconsistent. 
(EDIT: Most of these have been corrected. )

Witch and Wizard "Book One"- Free Preview (Kindle Edition) by James Patterson (Author)  - No listing of Gabrielle Charbonnet as an author at all.

Witch & Wizard (Hardcover) James Patterson (Author), Gabrielle Charbonnet (Author) - Has link to Kindle Preview in standard format for the book on the Kindle. James Patterson is listed first as author.

Witch & Wizard [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD) James Patterson (Author), Gabrielle Charbonnet (Author), Spencer Locke (Reader), Elijah Wood (Reader) - Has link to Kindle Preview in standard format for the book on the Kindle. James Patterson is listed first as author. Spencer Locke is listed first as reader with Elijah Wood listed second.

Witch & Wizard [LARGE PRINT] (Paperback) James Patterson (Author), Gabrielle Charbonnet (Author) - Has link to Kindle Preview in standard format for the book on the Kindle. James Patterson is listed first as author. No image.

Witch and Wizard (Hardcover) Gabrielle Charbonnet (Author), James Patterson (Author), Elijah Wood (Narrator) - Does not show link to Kindle Preview. How can a Hardcover book have a Narrator? Only Elijah Wood as Narrator and no Spencer Locke. Gabrielle Charbonnet is listed first as author. No image.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Annalog said:


> Witch and Wizard (Hardcover) Gabrielle Charbonnet (Author), James Patterson (Author), Elijah Wood (Narrator) - Does not show link to Kindle Preview. How can a Hardcover book have a Narrator? Only Elijah Wood as Narrator and no Spencer Locke. Gabrielle Charbonnet is listed first as author. No image.


I've noticed before that descriptions seem to be copied from other editions, and clearly they aren't proofed very well. The Kindle editions quite often have been copied from the Audiobooks.

Betsy


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## luv4kitties (Aug 18, 2009)

I'm glad I came across this discussion because I also ordered Witch and Wizard (before the word "preview" was added) and was surprised to receive a sample instead of the entire book.  I've been feeling pretty unhappy with this for many of the same reasons you have all mentioned.  Maybe I'll call Amazon and say I want it removed from my archive too.  I haven't had my Kindle long enough to have a cluttered archive!

Anyway, I was looking on the "Big Deals on Kindle" page at Amazon just a few minutes ago and I saw that "Witch and Wizard" is still listed there, and the listing still makes it sound like you can get the entire book for free (until you click on the link and see that it is only a preview).  I don't understand why Amazon would not have at least corrected this by now, after receiving calls from unhappy customers.  Maybe they still think a free sample is a "Big Deal."  If this is their thinking, I am surprised.  They know that we can get free samples on any book, so they know that a sample is not a "deal" at all.  
  
Despite the fact that Amazon knows that a free sample for the Kindle is not a "deal" or any sort of a special offer, there is now another listing on the "Big Deals on Kindle" page for a free sample.  I clicked on the link and the book is selling for $9.99.  But (sarcasm here), you can download a free sample--what a great deal! At least this is a regular sample, not a "free preview" that will stay in someone's archive forever.  BUT, I just don't understand why they would ever advertise book samples on the "Big Deals on Kindle" page.  According to the page header, the page is supposed to be for "special offers and free content."  I'm unhappy because I feel like Amazon is trying to manipulate it's customers by offering "Big Deals" that aren't deals at all.  I feel like they think their customers are stupid.  I LOVE my Kindle, but I'm not happy with Amazon right now.

Here's the text from the latest ad for a sample (sorry I don't know how to make it look all fancy, with the photo and everything) on the "Big Deals on Kindle" page:


Protect Your Pocketbook
America, Welcome to the Poorhouse In America, Welcome to the Poorhouse, you'll find out what you should do to protect your financial future. Try it before you buy it by downloading the introduction and first chapter for free.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Based on the responses I've seen, my feeling is that Amazon listed it as the publisher directed and only later became aware that they weren't offering a whole book free.  At that time they changed the listing.

Yeah, they should have contacted any who'd already pre-ordered to let them know, but I expect they figured it was free anyway so what's the big deal.  And, in fact, it's not really a big deal, money wise.  The annoyance is that it was inaccurately listed initially.  I'm even willing to believe it wasn't intentional on the publisher's part, but it sure doesn't look good.

I am a little surprised that Amazon haven't yet changed the wording on the "Big Deals" page. . .but at least the main listing is now accurate.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

KindleUndecided said:


> I'm glad I came across this discussion because I also ordered Witch and Wizard (before the word "preview" was added) and was surprised to receive a sample instead of the entire book. I've been feeling pretty unhappy with this for many of the same reasons you have all mentioned. Maybe I'll call Amazon and say I want it removed from my archive too. I haven't had my Kindle long enough to have a cluttered archive!
> ...


I definitely recommend phoning Amazon over sending an e-mail since my e-mail resulted in an e-mail from Amazon stating that I needed to phone. If the CS person tells you that they cannot remove the item from your archive and does not ask if you want to be transferred to the technical team, suggest that yourself. I had to be persistent and clear about why the free item in my archive was a problem for me. (I used the example that if I purchased the complete book then I would have two nearly identical items in my archive. I did not say that it is highly unlikely that I will purchase this book.)

I believe that the more people who phone and have their order cancelled may result in getting the "sales" numbers corrected. It may also send a message to the publisher that this practice for electronic books is not effective.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Have you tried to edit your review, rho?

Betsy


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

I was wrong - I apologize -- I didn't read it well enough -- my whole review is there - they had some text in between and I thought it was another review instead of a continuation of mine --  I deleted my posts above referencing this -- I apologize again .... I should learn to read the entire page before getting my knickers in a twist


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

"Never mind."

(If you are too young to understand the reference, search for Emily Litella.)



Glad to hear, rho!

Betsy


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> "Never mind."
> 
> (If you are too young to understand the reference, search for Emily Litella.)


I wish I were too young to remember that ---- and Gilda was one of my favorite comedians 

thanks for the memory - I wish I had been as quick as you were on that one lol


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

Don't know if anyone cares but Amazon has cleaned up their mess. So now the correct book, the full book, appears under "formats" rather than the free preview, which also means that the "reviews" for the free preview will not taint the other reviews.

Also, the Witch and Wizard pre-order price has dropped a whopping 28 cents.    Okay, not much, but I still canceled and re-pre-ordered anyway.  A penny saved is a penny earned and all that.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Selcien said:


> Don't know if anyone cares but Amazon has cleaned up their mess. So now the correct book, the full book, appears under "formats" rather than the free preview, which also means that the "reviews" for the free preview will not taint the other reviews.


Thanks for the update, Selcien.

I checked my previous links and the only strange one remaining is not linked to any of the others. I looked at the Product Details and now know how a "Hardcover" can have a Narrator -- the Publisher is Playaway. So it is a digital audio book in a hard cover. 

Witch and Wizard (Hardcover) Gabrielle Charbonnet (Author), James Patterson (Author), Elijah Wood (Narrator) - Only Elijah Wood as Narrator and no Spencer Locke. Gabrielle Charbonnet is listed first as author. No image.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Earlier, I had the free preview removed from my Archive by technical customer support. I checked and found the following:

The free preview does not show in my Archive, my Orders on the Manage Your Kindle page, or my Media Library when looking at the entire library.

It probably does not matter but I do see that I had ordered the free sample from the Amazon page for the free sample and it appears in my Order History list. If I look at the specific order I do not see any indication that the order was cancelled. I can also go to my Media Library from this order and see the item in my Media Library. 

Maybe this means that it is gone but not forgotten.


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