Comments on: E-book piracy keeping pace with e-book popularity http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/ 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: Chris Meadows http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/comment-page-1/#comment-1133619 Chris Meadows Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:02:17 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/05/12/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/#comment-1133619 Amazon seems to have been, historically, rather lax about that sort of thing. Note that <a href="http://www.terrania.us/journal/2006/04/now-at-amazoncom-bad-fanfic-and-books.html" rel="nofollow">a bad Star Wars fanfic novel</a>, POD-published by someone who really should have known better, went unnoticed on Amazon for several <i>months</i>. Amazon seems to have been, historically, rather lax about that sort of thing. Note that a bad Star Wars fanfic novel, POD-published by someone who really should have known better, went unnoticed on Amazon for several months.

]]> By: Kate (this Kate) http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/comment-page-1/#comment-1133561 Kate (this Kate) Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:28:11 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/05/12/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/#comment-1133561 You know, it all seemed kinda weird to me too...possibly the Fictionwise/B&N folks read this blog, and my random rant got them investigating? They discovered the copyright violation, and then their lawyers prompted Amazon's takedown..? That's just Orwellian paranoia, of course...nobody's watching me....are they? I did feel somewhat guilty, tho, and lay low, reading all the fuss. (And I was really surprised...was Amazon not checking copyright on stuff that came in via DTP? That's probably a pretty big pile of titles.) You know, it all seemed kinda weird to me too…possibly the Fictionwise/B&N folks read this blog, and my random rant got them investigating? They discovered the copyright violation, and then their lawyers prompted Amazon’s takedown..?

That’s just Orwellian paranoia, of course…nobody’s watching me….are they?

I did feel somewhat guilty, tho, and lay low, reading all the fuss. (And I was really surprised…was Amazon not checking copyright on stuff that came in via DTP? That’s probably a pretty big pile of titles.)

]]> By: Chris Meadows http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/comment-page-1/#comment-1129024 Chris Meadows Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:03:36 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/05/12/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/#comment-1129024 I was just looking back over some older articles, and Kate's comment here caught my eye. It's just amusing to me in light of the big flap Amazon caused a few months later when they yanked that 99 cent copy of <i>1984</i> because it wasn't legitimate. I was just looking back over some older articles, and Kate’s comment here caught my eye. It’s just amusing to me in light of the big flap Amazon caused a few months later when they yanked that 99 cent copy of 1984 because it wasn’t legitimate.

]]> By: dejah http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/comment-page-1/#comment-1056388 dejah Wed, 13 May 2009 03:37:27 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/05/12/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/#comment-1056388 The first professional article I ever wrote in 1999 was on the greatly feared Napsterization of ebooks. Then, as now, obscurity was a far worse enemy to the average author. But you can't convince the authors/publishers of that. My bet: nothing to see here, folks, a decade later, STILL nothing to see. But also as I've been saying for the last several years: the ebook's killer app was the ipod (iPod video/iPhone). Once the iPhone got reader capabilities, the ebook market took off. The fact that the Kindle sucks less also helped. The first professional article I ever wrote in 1999 was on the greatly feared Napsterization of ebooks. Then, as now, obscurity was a far worse enemy to the average author. But you can’t convince the authors/publishers of that. My bet: nothing to see here, folks, a decade later, STILL nothing to see.

But also as I’ve been saying for the last several years: the ebook’s killer app was the ipod (iPod video/iPhone). Once the iPhone got reader capabilities, the ebook market took off. The fact that the Kindle sucks less also helped.

]]> By: Kate http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/comment-page-1/#comment-1056318 Kate Tue, 12 May 2009 22:23:40 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/05/12/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/#comment-1056318 > A quick check with Fictionwise’s advanced search > finds that at least 5,400 of the 9,413 items offered > by Random House—well over half the books they > sell—have a suggested retail price of > $12.95 or higher. Using an iPhone.... If you look up Orwell on Fictionwise (via Stanza), 1984 is $19.00. Seems a little high, doesn't it? So let's keep looking. Next, look up Orwell on Kindle...1984 is $0.99. Ninety-nine CENTS. What is up with this? Extremely random/variable pricing like this is one reason customers don't pay reasonable rates for ebooks. They can see there is no one in charge--there's clearly no rational system overseeing the world of ebooks, and they come to expect that somewhere, someplace, if they keep poking around, they may find the ebook they want for free, or for next to nothing. Neither of the two prices this book is selling for make sense. I'd probably have accepted $6 - $8 for 1984 as an ebook, and paid up, easy. But now that I know it's 99 cents....well, I probably won't be satisfied paying $6 for Animal Farm when I start coveting that in ebook form. In fact, since Animal Farm is a shorter book than 1984...maybe it'll be 75 cents......! Please, ebooksellers, set reasonable expectations. Your market is confused. > A quick check with Fictionwise’s advanced search
> finds that at least 5,400 of the 9,413 items offered
> by Random House—well over half the books they
> sell—have a suggested retail price of
> $12.95 or higher.

Using an iPhone….

If you look up Orwell on Fictionwise (via Stanza), 1984 is $19.00. Seems a little high, doesn’t it? So let’s keep looking.

Next, look up Orwell on Kindle…1984 is $0.99. Ninety-nine CENTS.

What is up with this?

Extremely random/variable pricing like this is one reason customers don’t pay reasonable rates for ebooks.

They can see there is no one in charge–there’s clearly no rational system overseeing the world of ebooks, and they come to expect that somewhere, someplace, if they keep poking around, they may find the ebook they want for free, or for next to nothing.

Neither of the two prices this book is selling for make sense. I’d probably have accepted $6 – $8 for 1984 as an ebook, and paid up, easy.

But now that I know it’s 99 cents….well, I probably won’t be satisfied paying $6 for Animal Farm when I start coveting that in ebook form.

In fact, since Animal Farm is a shorter book than 1984…maybe it’ll be 75 cents……!

Please, ebooksellers, set reasonable expectations. Your market is confused.

]]> By: thetechdiva http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/comment-page-1/#comment-1056268 thetechdiva Tue, 12 May 2009 19:07:25 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/05/12/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/#comment-1056268 I really liked how you broke down the issues. The truth is that e-book piracy has been around as long as napster has. There are always going to be two types of consumers, the ones that will pay for whatever is offered, and the ones that will look for low prices or pirated versions of things that are overpriced. In addition to this DRM has played a role in diminishing the sales of digital media. If you buy a book, you should be able to read it on multiple devices registered to you, the consumer, not rights registered to the device, or the content. Until companies hammer out how to give the customer rights to their media, people will pirate or just break DRM in order to use the content they paid for. I really liked how you broke down the issues. The truth is that e-book piracy has been around as long as napster has. There are always going to be two types of consumers, the ones that will pay for whatever is offered, and the ones that will look for low prices or pirated versions of things that are overpriced.

In addition to this DRM has played a role in diminishing the sales of digital media. If you buy a book, you should be able to read it on multiple devices registered to you, the consumer, not rights registered to the device, or the content. Until companies hammer out how to give the customer rights to their media, people will pirate or just break DRM in order to use the content they paid for.

]]> By: Jay http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/comment-page-1/#comment-1056207 Jay Tue, 12 May 2009 15:57:21 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/05/12/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/#comment-1056207 I have never seen a breakdown of how the cost of a book at a typical bookstore gets spread out. With getting rid of shipping, storage and labor needed to sell a book, I find it hard to justify paying the current cost of an ebook. Even at say $5.00 an ebook, there still may be greater profit involved for all. I want writers to get paid. I want them to continue to write. I will not pay those prices especially for copies of paper books I already own. I have never seen a breakdown of how the cost of a book at a typical bookstore gets spread out. With getting rid of shipping, storage and labor needed to sell a book, I find it hard to justify paying the current cost of an ebook. Even at say $5.00 an ebook, there still may be greater profit involved for all.

I want writers to get paid. I want them to continue to write. I will not pay those prices especially for copies of paper books I already own.

]]> By: Bill Davidson http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/comment-page-1/#comment-1056203 Bill Davidson Tue, 12 May 2009 15:36:40 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/05/12/e-book-piracy-keeping-pace-with-e-book-popularity/#comment-1056203 Excellent. Simply excellent. This article focuses on the heart of the issue. cheers, bill Excellent. Simply excellent. This article focuses on the heart of the issue.

cheers,
bill

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