What is the Rough Cuts Service?
Rough Cuts is a service from Safari Books Online that gives you early access to content on cutting-edge technologies—before it's published. It lets you literally read the book as it is being written.
When you buy a book on the Rough Cuts service, you get access to an evolving manuscript. You can read it online, download as a PDF, or print. Once you've purchased a Rough Cuts title, you have a chance to shape the final product—you can send suggestions, bug fixes, and comments directly to the author and editors.
Rough Cuts content usually becomes available anywhere from two to six months prior to a book's publication. It's updated as the author and technical reviewers progress, so you'll have access to new versions as they're created. Chapters won't necessarily be written and posted in the order in which they'll appear in the published version.
Rough Cuts titles live up to their name—they haven't been fully edited, subjected to final technical review, or formatted for print. In other words, they'll be very current, but they won't be pretty.
What exactly do I get when I buy a Rough Cuts title?
You have three choices:
Purchase the Rough Cuts online pre-publication version only
This gives you access to the evolving manuscript through Safari Books Online. You can read the manuscript online or download it in PDF format. Once you've purchased a Rough Cuts title, you'll be able to check to see if any new material has been added by looking at the top of the Rough Cuts page. The Rough Cuts title will be available for reading, downloading, and commenting until 45 days after the print copy of the book is published. When you buy a Rough Cuts title, your credit card is charged immediately. (Note: once the manuscript is considered "final," you will only be able to make one complete content download.)Buy both a Rough Cuts title and the finished print book
This gives you immediate access to the online Rough Cuts pre-publication title, plus the print book as soon as it's published. Your credit card is charged for the Rough Cuts title immediately, and then charged for the print book when it ships.Purchase just the final published book
If you're interested in the book but don't need the early access that the Rough Cuts service offers, you can place an advance order for the published print title only. Your credit card will not be charged until the book ships.
How do I place my order for books in the Rough Cuts service?
That depends. If you're already a Safari subscriber, go to the title's page on informit.com or on Safari. Once there, all you need to do is click on the purchase link. If your credit card and account information is valid, the Rough Cuts title will show up on your bookshelf. Your Rough Cuts book will not count against the title limit on your Safari bookshelf subscription.
If you're not a Safari Subscriber, go to the book's page on informit.com and click on the purchase link. You'll need to create a user logon and password, answer a few demographic questions, and then provide billing information. When you purchase a Rough Cuts title, you're not subscribing to the full Safari Books Online service, but you'll access the Rough Cuts title through the Safari system.
What sort of feedback are you looking for on a Rough Cuts title?
On the book, we'd like any feedback you'd like to share about the content—does it cover the most important and interesting topics, is it understandable, does it have any technical mistakes, etc. (We're not concerned with typos, grammar, or anything else that our excellent proofreaders will catch further along in the process.) Send your feedback directly to the author and editors by using the Comments feature. As you will see from the Rough Cuts terms of service, when you submit comments on the content, you give us, and the author, permission to make use of them.
On the service itself, we'd like you to let us know how it's working, if anything is confusing or awkward, what titles you'd like to see added—in general, anything you think will make it a better service. Please send feedback on the user experience, and suggestions for additional Rough Cuts titles, to rcfeedback@safaribooksonline.com.
Who do I contact for Customer Service or Technical Support?
Send your Customer Service and Technical Support questions to Safari Customer Support at customer-service@safaribooksonline.com.
You may also call Customer Service at the following numbers.
In North America: 800-775-7330
Outside North America: 707-829-2819