Comments on: E-books promote publishers’ financial security http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-promote-publishers-financial-security/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:35:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Tracy Falbe http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-promote-publishers-financial-security/comment-page-1/#comment-950191 Tracy Falbe Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:12:14 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=13156#comment-950191 Circuit City recently announced that it is closing over 150 stores, so that might explain why Sony stopped shipping to them. Sony is just protecting its product from going someplace that it will only get lost, damaged, or returned. Circuit City recently announced that it is closing over 150 stores, so that might explain why Sony stopped shipping to them. Sony is just protecting its product from going someplace that it will only get lost, damaged, or returned.

]]> By: Mike Cane http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-promote-publishers-financial-security/comment-page-1/#comment-950108 Mike Cane Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:40:09 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=13156#comment-950108 As usual, the Sony Reader is forgotten. Sony recently stopped supplying Circuit City stores with new goods (trucks *in transit* were recalled!). If Sony ever does that with Borders and the Reader, *then* you'll know things are capital-b Bad. As usual, the Sony Reader is forgotten.

Sony recently stopped supplying Circuit City stores with new goods (trucks *in transit* were recalled!). If Sony ever does that with Borders and the Reader, *then* you’ll know things are capital-b Bad.

]]> By: Rob Preece http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-promote-publishers-financial-security/comment-page-1/#comment-949998 Rob Preece Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:42:26 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=13156#comment-949998 I agree with Rich that our industry is best served by vibrant competition at all levels--from authors, to publishers, to distributors, to retailers. If one entity gains monopoly power in any of these areas, the rest of the industry, and definitely the reader, suffer. (I don't see only Amazon as the danger). I'd hate to see Borders fail, just as I've hated to see so many dozens of independent bookstores close over the past few years. Rob Preece Publisher, www.BooksForABuck.com I agree with Rich that our industry is best served by vibrant competition at all levels–from authors, to publishers, to distributors, to retailers. If one entity gains monopoly power in any of these areas, the rest of the industry, and definitely the reader, suffer. (I don’t see only Amazon as the danger).

I’d hate to see Borders fail, just as I’ve hated to see so many dozens of independent bookstores close over the past few years.

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

]]> By: Rich Adin http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-promote-publishers-financial-security/comment-page-1/#comment-949978 Rich Adin Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:53:14 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=13156#comment-949978 Although Borders' problems are pbook related, its problems bode poorly for the publishing industry as a whole. Should Borders succumb to bankruptcy, it will leave only Barnes & Noble (speaking about in the US) as a competitor to Amazon. Should B&N stumble, publishing will be dominated by the demands -- no matter how outrageous or bankrupting -- of Amazon. There is a delicate balance that needs to be maintained, at least for the near-future, between p and ebooks. Should Amazon gain such power that it can dictate pbook terms, that will readily translate to ebook terms and will reduce competition in both arenas. With Amazon trying to vertically integrate the industry, this becomes a more pressing problem. It is because of this problem that I avoid buying books from Amazon and would not recommend a Kindle to anyone. What I would like to see is B&N offer the instore capability to purchase an ebook in a number of formats, including the Kindle format, so that Amazon's market power is at least somewhat checked. Although Borders’ problems are pbook related, its problems bode poorly for the publishing industry as a whole. Should Borders succumb to bankruptcy, it will leave only Barnes & Noble (speaking about in the US) as a competitor to Amazon. Should B&N stumble, publishing will be dominated by the demands — no matter how outrageous or bankrupting — of Amazon.

There is a delicate balance that needs to be maintained, at least for the near-future, between p and ebooks. Should Amazon gain such power that it can dictate pbook terms, that will readily translate to ebook terms and will reduce competition in both arenas. With Amazon trying to vertically integrate the industry, this becomes a more pressing problem.

It is because of this problem that I avoid buying books from Amazon and would not recommend a Kindle to anyone. What I would like to see is B&N offer the instore capability to purchase an ebook in a number of formats, including the Kindle format, so that Amazon’s market power is at least somewhat checked.

]]> By: Sherman Dorn http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-promote-publishers-financial-security/comment-page-1/#comment-949783 Sherman Dorn Sat, 08 Nov 2008 04:55:37 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=13156#comment-949783 Small presses that use POD may be somewhat insulated, as well. I was wondering if Borders would go under (I had pegged it as 35% likelihood within a year). This is <em>definitely</em> going to change bookselling for the long term. Small presses that use POD may be somewhat insulated, as well. I was wondering if Borders would go under (I had pegged it as 35% likelihood within a year). This is definitely going to change bookselling for the long term.

]]> By: Tracy Falbe http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-promote-publishers-financial-security/comment-page-1/#comment-949641 Tracy Falbe Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:09:23 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=13156#comment-949641 As someone who markets her own work both in print and ebook, the benefits of the ebook business model have always been totally obvious to me. Selling print books through wholesalers to retail outlets is a grind with vanishing profit margins for the smalltime content producers whereas selling ebooks is easy. I get paid and the customer gets his or her ebook. No muss, no fuss, everybody happy. As someone who markets her own work both in print and ebook, the benefits of the ebook business model have always been totally obvious to me.

Selling print books through wholesalers to retail outlets is a grind with vanishing profit margins for the smalltime content producers whereas selling ebooks is easy. I get paid and the customer gets his or her ebook. No muss, no fuss, everybody happy.

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