Comments on: E-free/p-paid, Long Tail, print on demand, among E-related topics in BookExpo article in NYT http://www.teleread.com/copy-right/long-tail-print-on-demand-e-freep-paid-among-e-related-topics-at-bookexpo/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:02:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.com/copy-right/long-tail-print-on-demand-e-freep-paid-among-e-related-topics-at-bookexpo/comment-page-1/#comment-396149 David Rothman Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:24:46 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6648#comment-396149 Hi, Rob. As noted, I think this is a book-by-book decision---I'm hardly accusing Tina B of idiocy. As E becomes more common, yes, that could change the game. Along with others here, including you, I believe, I've made that point earlier. Meanwhile, for certain kinds of books, the giveaways in my opinion may make sense. People in some cases would buy some POD books based on e-versions. I'm thinking of books whose readers may be sophisticated enough to go online but not feel entirely comfortable with existing e-book technology. Plus, they may want something to put on a bookshelf and show off to friends. Thanks. David Hi, Rob. As noted, I think this is a book-by-book decision—I’m hardly accusing Tina B of idiocy. As E becomes more common, yes, that could change the game. Along with others here, including you, I believe, I’ve made that point earlier. Meanwhile, for certain kinds of books, the giveaways in my opinion may make sense. People in some cases would buy some POD books based on e-versions. I’m thinking of books whose readers may be sophisticated enough to go online but not feel entirely comfortable with existing e-book technology. Plus, they may want something to put on a bookshelf and show off to friends. Thanks. David

]]> By: Rob Preece http://www.teleread.com/copy-right/long-tail-print-on-demand-e-freep-paid-among-e-related-topics-at-bookexpo/comment-page-1/#comment-396142 Rob Preece Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:11:13 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6648#comment-396142 I think it's too easy to dismiss this position. I certainly defend the right of authors and publishers to offer their books for free if they wish, and can't argue that doing so has helped some early adopters. Whether following their lead is wise is another issue. I was reminded of this as I was reading an article about the decline (not particularly lamented by me) of the pornography business. Giving away free pornography online has not helped the business of the DVD porn moviemakers. Instead, this business declined something like 25% last year alone. Here's the article: http://news.com.com/For+pornographers%2C+Internets+virtues+turn+to+vice/2100-1026_3-6188341.html?tag=cd.top What does this mean for authors and publishers? Let me suggest that as readers become more familiar with eReading, eBooks shift from a complement to a substitute for pBooks and those giving away current content suffer. There may still be a case for giving away the backlist to help sell current p-Content, but as eBooks grow, the backlist becomes a huge source of revenue and giving that away becomes increasingly dangerous. Tina Brown is a smart lady--I suggest not dismissing her thoughts without careful consideration. Rob Preece Publisher, www.BooksForABuck.com I think it’s too easy to dismiss this position. I certainly defend the right of authors and publishers to offer their books for free if they wish, and can’t argue that doing so has helped some early adopters. Whether following their lead is wise is another issue.

I was reminded of this as I was reading an article about the decline (not particularly lamented by me) of the pornography business. Giving away free pornography online has not helped the business of the DVD porn moviemakers. Instead, this business declined something like 25% last year alone. Here’s the article:

http://news.com.com/For+pornographers%2C+Internets+virtues+turn+to+vice/2100-1026_3-6188341.html?tag=cd.top

What does this mean for authors and publishers? Let me suggest that as readers become more familiar with eReading, eBooks shift from a complement to a substitute for pBooks and those giving away current content suffer. There may still be a case for giving away the backlist to help sell current p-Content, but as eBooks grow, the backlist becomes a huge source of revenue and giving that away becomes increasingly dangerous.

Tina Brown is a smart lady–I suggest not dismissing her thoughts without careful consideration.

Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com

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