Even though these books may be found on pirate websites, it is in fact STEALING from Ray's widow to get a copy that way. Anybody who has a computer and can afford internet service can afford to BUY a PDF version. They're certainly inexpensive enough, and that's the only honest way to download a copy.
What a shame - but fortunate for the org
by Mickey mouse 31 Replies latest jw friends
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Blind_Of_Lies
But alas my friends, I reached out to Mrs. Franz herself regarding getting more books in print or opening them up in the E fromat for Kindle and Ipads... and here is the reply I recieved:
Thank you for your kind suggestion.
Cynthia Franz has plans to expand the promotion her late husbands books in the future including e-books. I cannot give you a timeline as she has a number of projects to resolve first. I will make a note to notify you when I do have a timeline.
Thank you once again for your inquiry.Deborah Dykstra
Assisting Cynthia Franz -
watson
There may be some interest in putting some $ together to buy the rights.....
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Diest
At the very least someone who is well known in the Apostate community should apraoch Cynthia about getting this book printed again, and getting it professionally formated for Kindle and Nook. I cant immagine it would take more than 15-20 hrs of work. I am sure that many people would even donate to help speed along the process.
Could someone like Barbara Anderson or Dog Patch reach out to her?
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blondie
Randy Watters has been coordinating the printing and distribution for Cynthia. For details send a pm to him (Dogpatch) on JWN or his website www.freeminds.org
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Dogpatch
Hi Blondie,
Actually I was working with Dan Dykstra who is handling some of Cynthia's affairs. Dan was good about it.
I don't recall Cynthia ever speaking to me or contacting me in 30 years. I thought it was very strange, as we never had met, although Ray gave a wedding talk for a friend of mine while we were both there. I was also shunned by Ray for 30 years. The only reason I can figure out is that someone (not Ray) tipped me off around the time his book came out that he "Didn't like my tract" that came out a year before his book, no doubt because he disliked Trinitarians or saying Jesus was God. So I made thousands and thousands of dollars for a man that disfellowshipped me without telling me - but apparently he had no problem doing business with those he disfellowshipped. I just bit the bullet because it was such an important book.
Randy
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Dogpatch
Tom Cabeen was the first to help Ray get Crisis published. I don't know if it continued with the same company for years, but slowly Ray's reprinting of other language books disappeared. I assume, knowing Ray's desire to help especially with Spanish-speaking persons, since he worked with them for years before coming to Bethel, that he really wanted to reprint it. Perhaps he just couldn't afford it. I am sure if he could, he would have, as he loved these wonderful people. It may have grieved him a lot not to have it available. Thankfully he made PDFs of the books in several languages.
The problem is, you just can't make much money on books, especially nowadays, and even more so with Amazon, since you will make small profit because they discount everything. Don't get me wrong, I loved Ray for what he did. It really didn't hurt my feelings that he didn't like my style, as that is just common as peanuts in a Western bar.
I was quite used to the personalities of the GB at Bethel, and it was like, "big deal," since most ex-JWs hate the idea of equaling Jesus with Jehovah. I knew he wouldn't like the tract. BIG DEAL. Ray was no one special to me, except the publishing of his book. I don't take doctrine THAT seriously. Besides I wasn't even advocating a Trinity, just Jesus' relationship with the Father, with the emphasis on grace.
Ray was short on brains when it came to church history and the underlying reasons behind forming doctrine. His whole second book is really HIS DOCTRINE he is trying to teach you... stay away from the churches. I'll bet you a dollar he never entered one or studied the history of the early church with an open mind. He needed to side with the ex-JWs who hated Christendom, or he would certainly lose his audience. Another reason to not show any signs of having me as a friend.
Well he had nothing to worry about there, because his responses to history and doctrine were very naive in his second book. He was never a scholar. Neither am I, but I know many and know exactly what they believe, and I understand why they believe it. Perhaps he was too old to have an open mind anymore, but I suspect he still needed JW friends and so he had to disparage Christendom.
He would turn over in his grave if he knew that Tom Cabeen and Cris and Norma Sanchez became Catholics! Don't think he didn't have his prejudices. But he was a good man and many loved him, and in the end, that's often all that counts.
Randy
Some of you are advocating putting the book up free on PDF now. I warned Dan several times that making the book scarce will result in this very thing. As an author (even though virtually everything I have written in the way of books (about 10) is on my website for free in different formats. I am so tired of shipping stuff... I just want to write. I also hate working on websites with lame software.
Well a rude awakening happened three years ago with the economy collapse and the rise of the digital age. Major bookstores starting closing stores right and left. Many went bankrupt. Sales constituted HALF of Freeminds' income for a decade, the three years before we made $50k a year selling books, mostly older WT publications making the money.
Then the depression hit. 16k a year for the last three years, with no signs of recovery, because even though the recession would be temporary, the advance of the digital age, piracy, and just free stuff all over guaranteed sales would never return. Income dropped from a two year high of over 105k to 75k a year. OUCH! I could'nt live on a lower salary than the 23k a year I got for years. We had to make drastic changes in Freeminds' budget.
Miraculously, my long term donors did not quit, and contributions remained healthy. (Oddly, now sales are picking up on my Amazon bookstore) :-))
Immediately with the extra time of not having to package up books and crap and send them to the post office, I had more time, along with Besty (Paul Morrisson, who is doing fine in London now with Sam and the kids) to set up a new look for Freeminds, with V's good help. Shipping took up half of my day literally before. Now working on a website took up more time than I had ever spent on a website before. It still does. If I had to sell so many books, I would have no time for that. Mixed blessing.
But my peeps of 10, 20 and over 25 years who supported Freeminds continued to pick up the slack. I didn't have to borrow any money or never asked ANYONE specifically for funds to keeep running, though I was not slack in reporting our dilemma! People like the Jansmas, Danny Haszard, and many others saved us from doom. I am so grateful.
The reason I bring this up is because I am sure Ray was hit financially as well. Knowing what it is like to give your life over to ministry and near poverty is not easy. I imagine he just ran out of funds. I don't know.
That's why I seriously object to giving away free copies of his book in digital form. Aside from a lawsuit, you are cheating an old man's widow from income. PLEASE don't do it! Keep an eye on Amazon.
Amazon will print your book for you, sell it, and ship it with almost no intervention from you. I imagine that is what will happen when they run out of books. Cynthia still has lots from what I gather. So probably soon it will be back on Amazon for $29 or something, I don't know. $8 is not that much to pay for a book in digital form. You can find a reader free online... Adobe Reader should work.
Don't cheat a widow who has given her life for a cause of good. Please.
I couldn't give a DAMN who likes me or my beliefs or not. I was even willing to lose a couple of decades-old contributors for having atheists among my bloggers. And I did. But others took up the slack.
My 30-year exit-counseling campaign of large numbers of people had entered it's final stage - my peers accepted me once again. It appears to add a little grace to their lives. I am happy to launch the final stage now. Which is to encourage people to love others not like themselves. That is my life story.
And it's working.
love you guys,
Randy
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Mickey mouse
That's why I seriously object to giving away free copies of his book in digital form. Aside from a lawsuit, you are cheating an old man's widow from income. PLEASE don't do it! Keep an eye on Amazon.
Amazon will print your book for you, sell it, and ship it with almost no intervention from you. I imagine that is what will happen when they run out of books. Cynthia still has lots from what I gather. So probably soon it will be back on Amazon for $29 or something, I don't know. $8 is not that much to pay for a book in digital form. You can find a reader free online... Adobe Reader should work.
Thanks for giving some of that background Randy. I wholeheartedly agree with the above; I personally bought both PDFs and hard copies of Ray's books, there are adantages to both. I am glad that although you and Ray may not have seen eye to eye on religious beliefs, you recognise the importance of Ray's book being available. I don't want to see Cynthia to be done out of income.
I guess my OP was a little provocative; it wasn't intended to be a criticism of Simon or whoever is managing Ray's affairs. I am glad it has provoked some discussion though.
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slimboyfat
Jonsson's book The Gentile Times Reconsidered was also published by Ray and has now become scarce. Maybe Jonsson should consider publishing the book himself. Is anyone in contact with him?
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Blind_Of_Lies
I would gladly pay $30 for a hard copy of the book, but paying $900 as some of the sellers are asking is quite ridiculous. Especially being that Mrs. Franz already earned her cut of the original sale of that copy of the book. Amazon sellers are effectively like a yard sale, the person who owns the publishing rights won’t get a dime from the sale. If she were to release it on Kindle people could even download the free kindle apps for Ipod/Ipad/Iphone or Mac/PC for FREE then buy and download the books and read it on them.
As far as downloading PDF’s for free being stealing from a poor widow…. Frankly the fact that there is not a steady supply of these books for sale at a reasonable price pretty much forces people to steal them. I tried to buy a copy of this book through amazon about a year ago and ran into the exact problem, only available through sellers and for a stupidly inflated price . I ended up borrowing it from a friend of a friend and then passed around to several more friends before it was returned, as far as putting money in Mrs. Franz’s pocket is concerned I could have downloaded a free PDF and she would have benefited from it just the same.
Also, Hassan's books are availible through amazon and from amazon. Combating Cult Mind Control is currently $11.41 from amazon.
