This is good news SPOT. I have just placed my order.

I would love to order this book, but i spent my last money to buy the academic package from SoFo. Anyway i wrote a review of your book at Amazon, see when it popsup.

Frankie
Singapore

Quote:'...bit of wayward HTML wondering about...'

Hm, bit of wayward grammar wandering about too!

;o)

Wayne

Great news! I just wonder why Vegas is described as an entry level NLE - I thought SOFO was trying to get away from this perception of Vegas?!?

"...Vegas 4 Editing Workshop guides readers to a working knowledge of this powerful, entry-level NLE."

This kind of thing makes it just that more difficult to convince my peers (and clients) that Vegas can easily stack up against FCP, Premier and Avid Express. :-(


Shawn

Two questions for SPOT

a. Are there two books, one for Vegas, another for DVDA?

b. Is the publisher allowing you to sell copies yourself from your web site
asuming you want to?

If B is true, you should order from SPOT directly, assuming he gets a little bigger
slice of the pie.

The problem is the author has no control over what the "editor" says. In Amazon's case their "editors" assuming that's who wrote the introduction are typically so clueless they couldn't figure out how to unwrap a MickeyD burger without help. About the par for your average computer magazine editor.

"The problem is the author has no control over what the "editor" says."

That really sucks, but thanks for clearing that up for me.

Shawn

Spot, Can we order from you directly?

I just sent the email below. The more of us that send similar emails, the more likely the incorect description will be fixed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

To: book-typos@amazon.com

Hi,

Your description of this book:

Vegas 4 Editing Workshop

describes Vegas as an "entry-level NLE. "

This is incorrect. I am a professional video editor and I would never use anything other than Vegas. Not FCP, not Avid and definitely not Premier. You should change the description to reflect that.

I will be purchasing this book, but I will not be purchasing it at Amazon unless the description is changed.

Thank you,

Matt Reason.

That's telling em! :-)

Funny true story below. Or what to do when you have a pesky customer. Cute in that is about how potato chips came to be. :-)

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/story007.htm

More similar odd but true stores on how some popular things came to be.

Matt,
I just sent Amazon a very similar message using the email address you gave. May I humbly suggest other users do the same. VV4 is NOT entry level and should not be advertised as such.Barry

I sent a letter to that address, also. Thanks for providing it.

Being a teacher involved in video, I gave them a lesson on "entry-level" NLEs, and the fact that Vegas isn't one of them. Told them that it ranked right up there with, or even above, Avid, FCP, Premier and others, except that Vegas is a more modern, easier to use program, and that it isn't prone to crashing frequently.

Thought I'd praise as well as "inform."

GOOOOOOOOOOOO, Vegas. ;)

Here's my message to amazon.com:

Subject: "Vegas 4 Editing Workshop, ISBN 1578202191"

In your Editorial Reviews, Book Description, you describe the book as "an introductory text for novice users" and the application the book is about, Vegas 4, as an "entry-level NLE."

I haven't actually seen the book yet (obviously), but from the communications from the author on several Vegas Video forums, this is NOT an "introductory text for novice users." Also, Vegas 4 is not an "entry-level NLE". It's power ranks it above Adobe Premiere. Your description of Premiere states "Adobe Premiere is a comprehensive desktop video-editing solution." You need to come up with a MUCH BETTER description for Vegas 4.

Please correct the errors for this book.

***************

To Whom It May Concern:

Having seen a discussion on a forum for video editing/production professionals regarding your listing of the above-titled book and your concomitant description of Sonic Foundry's Vegas as an "entry-level" NLE, I feel impelled to echo the sentiments expressed there . . . that your description of Vegas is grossly misleading.

Until a week ago, I was using Premiere 6.01 accelerated by a Canopus DV Storm board for professional editing. After hearing such incredible buzz for Vegas, and because of my need for enhanced DVD production tools as well as the tremendous price incentives Sonic Foundry offered to jumpstart the recent release of Vegas version 4.0, I downloaded the "Vegas 4 +DVD" demo.

It didn't take long for me to know I had to buy this software. It so thoroughly surpasses Premiere in features, depth, interface efficiency and design, speed, and responsiveness that I bought it realizing that I would have to forfeit the tremendous realtime effects and firewire output that DV Storm affords Premiere. Indeed, using Vegas just underscored how much of what I heretofore valued in Premiere was not really intrinsic to the program but was imparted by the superior realtime hardware to which it was coupled.

And Premiere isn't the only NLE Vegas outshines. Its features and performance place it on par with or above the most highly-touted DV editing tools in the market, including Final Cut Pro and Avid DVExpress. In terms of audio features, it is without doubt the best DV video application available anywhere at any price.

Ultimately, the only thing "entry level"-ish about Vegas is its price. So I hope you will correct your misdescription of this wonderful program, since such ignorantly-purveyed labels only further impede and delay the recognition and credibility Vegas, as a relative newcomer to desktop video, is due in the professional video community as a whole.

I certainly will not be buying the "Vegas 4 Editing Workshop" title, or any other product, from Amazon until this correction is made.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Lowrey
Amore Productions

*************************

Guys,
Thanks to you all for giving me something to send to the Amazon folks. I was pretty upset myself when I read that. Made some phone calls, sent some emails, I'm told Amazon will clear it up shortly. Takes them 3-5 days, they say....Duh! I keep asking for the name of the numbskull who wrote that. No one at Amazon seems to know.
Anyway, we/I won't be selling the book directly. Support B&N, Amazon, or BORDERS. At the VASST classes, we'll be offering a direct VASST discount, but that's about it. It will become part and parcel of the VASST classes in the future anyway. But I don't wanna be a bookseller, distributor, or whatever. No time. Thanks for looking out for me though, it's appreciated more than you know.
I really enjoy these forums.

While at the Amazon website, we can listen to samples of Douglas Spotted Eagle's award-winning Native American music (I bought his "Pray" CD)!

Brandon's Dad

Hey! Thank you! Pray was a fun one. VOICES was better. "Ghosts and Lovers" is coming out fairly soon. Thanks for the support!

Amazon has changed their description of the book, and lowered the price to $34.97! Those who have already ordered might want to contact Amazon to get their price adjusted.

Easiest way is just to cancel your current order, then reorder.

Here is the "reply" from Amazon about the bad description of Spot's book:


Greetings from Amazon.com Book Catalog Department.

Please know that the bibliographic and descriptive content,
including book descriptions, are sent to Amazon.com directly from a
product's publisher, author, or distributor. We will contact the
publisher of the product in question with your feedback, so that
they may consider revising the descriptive content for the book.

Thank you for your interest in Amazon.com.

Best regards,

Pete S.
Book Catalog Department
Amazon.com, Inc.

Good way to pass the buck, anyway...
One thing that was a shock, is this is a technical book, ranking over 1000 in the Amazon lineup! Vegas is REALLY coming into it's own!