Comments on: Alphabet Soup: The Basics of E and P Book Publishing – Part 2 http://www.teleread.com/uncategorized/alphabet-soup-the-basics-of-e-and-p-book-publishing-part-2/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:05:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jeff http://www.teleread.com/uncategorized/alphabet-soup-the-basics-of-e-and-p-book-publishing-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-944973 Jeff Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:04:02 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=12337#comment-944973 As a book designer, I was pleased to see someone finally mention art direction and design as some of the elements that e-books need before e-books are taken seriously by the masses. Most e-book advocates at this stage simply dismiss it without realizing the level of importance that good typography and layout plays in books (and even Web sites). There are some serious challenges in designing books for small portable reading devices that shouldn't be ignored. I think we will see e-books become even more popular in the next decade as e-ink takes on the ability to produce color and as displays get larger. There will always be a variety of reading devices, some people will always just stick with the smallest, most portable. But once the world has a thin, A4-sized device using e-ink in full color then will boom like crazy since that will allow almost any printed book to be replicated on a portable reading device with the same "high fidelity" of print. Only then will the analogy with mp3 players become true. As a book designer, I was pleased to see someone finally mention art direction and design as some of the elements that e-books need before e-books are taken seriously by the masses. Most e-book advocates at this stage simply dismiss it without realizing the level of importance that good typography and layout plays in books (and even Web sites). There are some serious challenges in designing books for small portable reading devices that shouldn’t be ignored.

I think we will see e-books become even more popular in the next decade as e-ink takes on the ability to produce color and as displays get larger. There will always be a variety of reading devices, some people will always just stick with the smallest, most portable.

But once the world has a thin, A4-sized device using e-ink in full color then will boom like crazy since that will allow almost any printed book to be replicated on a portable reading device with the same “high fidelity” of print. Only then will the analogy with mp3 players become true.

]]> By: Garson O'Toole http://www.teleread.com/uncategorized/alphabet-soup-the-basics-of-e-and-p-book-publishing-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-928125 Garson O'Toole Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:49:01 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=12337#comment-928125 Sadi Ranson-Polizzotti says "Yes, some publishers will do an e-book as well as a p-book, but rarely will they release them at the same time." I think this has been changing. Amazon says the following about Kindle edition e-books: <blockquote>More than 180,000 books available, including more than 107 of 112 current New York Times Best Sellers.</blockquote>Many of these e-books are released about the same time as p-books, e.g., many of the best sellers. Also the price is “$9.99, unless marked otherwise”. This means publishers are reconciled to the possibility of cannibalization of sales. The Cory Doctorow book mentioned in the comments of the previous part of this article was released simultaneously in e-book and p-book formats. The e-book costs less than $9.99. It is free. The book, “Little Brother”, was reviewed in the New York Times Sunday Book Review and the p-book is selling. Sadi Ranson-Polizzotti says “Yes, some publishers will do an e-book as well as a p-book, but rarely will they release them at the same time.”

I think this has been changing. Amazon says the following about Kindle edition e-books:

More than 180,000 books available, including more than 107 of 112 current New York Times Best Sellers.

Many of these e-books are released about the same time as p-books, e.g., many of the best sellers. Also the price is “$9.99, unless marked otherwise”. This means publishers are reconciled to the possibility of cannibalization of sales.

The Cory Doctorow book mentioned in the comments of the previous part of this article was released simultaneously in e-book and p-book formats. The e-book costs less than $9.99. It is free. The book, “Little Brother”, was reviewed in the New York Times Sunday Book Review and the p-book is selling.

]]> By: Tracy Falbe http://www.teleread.com/uncategorized/alphabet-soup-the-basics-of-e-and-p-book-publishing-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-927086 Tracy Falbe Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:40:40 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=12337#comment-927086 I suppose some publishers hear the rumble of the avalanche and are afraid, which is why some elements of the industry poo poo on ebooks. I found puzzling Ms. Ranson-Polizzotti's sympathy for bookstores not wanting more affordable ebooks out there because of the competition element. Bookstores already demand the right to return unsold books (which is just horrible business for the publishers) and publishers have to pay for premium display space in bookstores. You'd think the publishing industry would love to kill that model of distribution. I think publishers would love to reduce manufacturer costs by printing less paper books, which would be for the library market and the soon-to-be diminishing reader market for paper books, and then they could make bank with ebooks, which have a steadily growing market and many advantages for readers as consumers. I also found her statement about libraries becoming obsolete strange. Has anyone ever visited a library that was empty? My local library is ALWAYS busy and is supported by many active volunteers, fundraising organizations, and even the county government gives a good effort to fund the system in difficult times. The importance of libraries is elemental to civilization. I almost always stand in line to check out books. I suppose some publishers hear the rumble of the avalanche and are afraid, which is why some elements of the industry poo poo on ebooks.

I found puzzling Ms. Ranson-Polizzotti’s sympathy for bookstores not wanting more affordable ebooks out there because of the competition element. Bookstores already demand the right to return unsold books (which is just horrible business for the publishers) and publishers have to pay for premium display space in bookstores. You’d think the publishing industry would love to kill that model of distribution. I think publishers would love to reduce manufacturer costs by printing less paper books, which would be for the library market and the soon-to-be diminishing reader market for paper books, and then they could make bank with ebooks, which have a steadily growing market and many advantages for readers as consumers.

I also found her statement about libraries becoming obsolete strange. Has anyone ever visited a library that was empty? My local library is ALWAYS busy and is supported by many active volunteers, fundraising organizations, and even the county government gives a good effort to fund the system in difficult times. The importance of libraries is elemental to civilization. I almost always stand in line to check out books.

]]> By: Richard Herley http://www.teleread.com/uncategorized/alphabet-soup-the-basics-of-e-and-p-book-publishing-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-924927 Richard Herley Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:20:18 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=12337#comment-924927 @Bill Music industry + mp3 players = huge change Book-publishing + e-book displays = huge change The huge change in music has resulted in the mass closure of record stores and the tanking of record companies' profits. Will book-publishers learn anything from that? Can't they hear the rumble of the avalanche coming down the mountain towards them? @Bill

Music industry + mp3 players = huge change

Book-publishing + e-book displays = huge change

The huge change in music has resulted in the mass closure of record stores and the tanking of record companies’ profits. Will book-publishers learn anything from that? Can’t they hear the rumble of the avalanche coming down the mountain towards them?

]]> By: TheRealBillC http://www.teleread.com/uncategorized/alphabet-soup-the-basics-of-e-and-p-book-publishing-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-924877 TheRealBillC Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:26:07 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=12337#comment-924877 First off, Sadi with the hyphenated last name needs to get out of New York once in a while. All libraries do not look like the New York Public Library on 5th Ave. (which is the one she describes)and please get over reviews in the New York Times. Second, unlike a well heeled editor that can afford a whole house lined with books, most of us working in NY live in tiny apartments or condos where space is a premium comodity, so e-books fill a need for the space challenged commuter. Third, she first says publishing is a business, where more and more decisions are made by sales and marketing rather than editors (so maybe editors are becoming less relevant? good maybe we can hear from the marketing and sales folks who really matter and can understand what they are doing wrong in losing e-book sales with DRM and uncompetative pricing) but she concludes that book publishing is an art. Well, which is it? I think a book is only as important as the content of its pages, not the binding or the cover art - which often has little to do with the actual book. I appreciate the walk down memory lane and a look at how things used to be in publishing, but I think it's time somebody got a reality check. Get out of your elitist neighborhood now and then and try to understand your market, the 15% or so of the population that actually reads books and understands a technological watershed innovation and a need for publishing to get it - even if you don't. Oh, and I'm not mad, just frustraited by the publishing industry, who is as out of touch with their constituency as the Music Industry was/still is. First off, Sadi with the hyphenated last name needs to get out of New York once in a while. All libraries do not look like the New York Public Library on 5th Ave. (which is the one she describes)and please get over reviews in the New York Times. Second, unlike a well heeled editor that can afford a whole house lined with books, most of us working in NY live in tiny apartments or condos where space is a premium comodity, so e-books fill a need for the space challenged commuter. Third, she first says publishing is a business, where more and more decisions are made by sales and marketing rather than editors (so maybe editors are becoming less relevant? good maybe we can hear from the marketing and sales folks who really matter and can understand what they are doing wrong in losing e-book sales with DRM and uncompetative pricing) but she concludes that book publishing is an art. Well, which is it? I think a book is only as important as the content of its pages, not the binding or the cover art – which often has little to do with the actual book. I appreciate the walk down memory lane and a look at how things used to be in publishing, but I think it’s time somebody got a reality check. Get out of your elitist neighborhood now and then and try to understand your market, the 15% or so of the population that actually reads books and understands a technological watershed innovation and a need for publishing to get it – even if you don’t. Oh, and I’m not mad, just frustraited by the publishing industry, who is as out of touch with their constituency as the Music Industry was/still is.

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