Comments on: E-books and P: How will publishers adjust to smaller markets for print books? http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-and-p-how-will-publishers-adjust-to-smaller-markets-for-print-books/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:56:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Noel Griese http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-and-p-how-will-publishers-adjust-to-smaller-markets-for-print-books/comment-page-1/#comment-1148832 Noel Griese Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:24:30 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/11/09/e-books-and-p-how-will-publishers-adjust-to-smaller-markets-for-print-books/#comment-1148832 Author J.A. Konrath, noted for his extensive book tours, suggests that all e-books in the future will be free, and like magazines and newspapers, will carry advertising to subsidize their cost. The major stumbling block to that will be typical publisher contracts which currently prohibit inclusion of advertising in books, going back to the 1970s, when tobacco companies began tipping ads into books. Author J.A. Konrath, noted for his extensive book tours, suggests that all e-books in the future will be free, and like magazines and newspapers, will carry advertising to subsidize their cost. The major stumbling block to that will be typical publisher contracts which currently prohibit inclusion of advertising in books, going back to the 1970s, when tobacco companies began tipping ads into books.

]]> By: Rob Preece, Publisher http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-and-p-how-will-publishers-adjust-to-smaller-markets-for-print-books/comment-page-1/#comment-1148769 Rob Preece, Publisher Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:35:44 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/11/09/e-books-and-p-how-will-publishers-adjust-to-smaller-markets-for-print-books/#comment-1148769 I use POD. Let's face it, though. POD does have significant costs. If you're printing thousands of books, you can do so for pennies. POD is not going to be as cheap. One reason there are practically no POD books published in mass market format is that our pricing would look silly compared to that on the books you find on supermarket shelves. Rob Preece Publisher I use POD. Let’s face it, though. POD does have significant costs. If you’re printing thousands of books, you can do so for pennies. POD is not going to be as cheap. One reason there are practically no POD books published in mass market format is that our pricing would look silly compared to that on the books you find on supermarket shelves.

Rob Preece
Publisher

]]> By: Gary Frost http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-and-p-how-will-publishers-adjust-to-smaller-markets-for-print-books/comment-page-1/#comment-1148749 Gary Frost Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:12:46 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/11/09/e-books-and-p-how-will-publishers-adjust-to-smaller-markets-for-print-books/#comment-1148749 I hope this follows: that POD really has a larger future....it is now about half of scholarly publication. To wit: It is sometime remarked that the paper book provides both storage and delivery display in a single format while screen books require different formats for storage and display. With this duality in mind other possibilities emerge including paper storage and screen display for any given book. But what are the actual attributes of each of these states, storage and display? In all variations the display function correlates with the volitions and incitements to reading; we only use display when we read. Likewise we only use storage when we do not. Reading device advocates may contend that the most efficient book would be one that displays during reading but requires no inert storage. Reading is the purpose of books, is it not? But perhaps there are other functions lurking in the storage phase. In the legacy of paper books it was the storage phase that gave rise to libraries and to classification of knowledge by librarians. Automated indexing of electronic text appears to dispense with this. But another hidden function of storage is authentication. The stored master certifies the text of the screen surrogate. This appears to be a somewhat more significant role in context of responsible delivery. Another surprising attribute of paper storage in direct interdependence with screen delivery is that the paper master can confirm that a given screen delivery is not there! The public or a researcher can discover what is deleted or only selectively displayed. Such a role, exposing censorship or corporate agenda, begins to add luster to the storage function. I hope this follows: that POD really has a larger future….it is now about half of scholarly publication. To wit:

It is sometime remarked that the paper book provides both storage and delivery display in a single format while screen books require different formats for storage and display. With this duality in mind other possibilities emerge including paper storage and screen display for any given book.

But what are the actual attributes of each of these states, storage and display? In all variations the display function correlates with the volitions and incitements to reading; we only use display when we read. Likewise we only use storage when we do not.

Reading device advocates may contend that the most efficient book would be one that displays during reading but requires no inert storage. Reading is the purpose of books, is it not?

But perhaps there are other functions lurking in the storage phase. In the legacy of paper books it was the storage phase that gave rise to libraries and to classification of knowledge by librarians. Automated indexing of electronic text appears to dispense with this. But another hidden function of storage is authentication. The stored master certifies the text of the screen surrogate. This appears to be a somewhat more significant role in context of responsible delivery.

Another surprising attribute of paper storage in direct interdependence with screen delivery is that the paper master can confirm that a given screen delivery is not there! The public or a researcher can discover what is deleted or only selectively displayed. Such a role, exposing censorship or corporate agenda, begins to add luster to the storage function.

]]> By: Steve Jordan http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/e-books-and-p-how-will-publishers-adjust-to-smaller-markets-for-print-books/comment-page-1/#comment-1148727 Steve Jordan Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:42:45 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/11/09/e-books-and-p-how-will-publishers-adjust-to-smaller-markets-for-print-books/#comment-1148727 <blockquote>Downward shifts in scale are not only inevitable, they will probably happen in more dramatic lurches than we’ve known in the past.</blockquote> Truer words have never been said. And yes, we will see more interest in POD as a result... but I expect that to be a temporary aberration, because POD isn't cost-efficient at the corporate or individual level. Long-term, I don't expect consumers to want to bother with POD except for boutique and gift uses, which will mean tiny margins and pricey products. Just as audiophiles have gotten used to keeping collection of music on an MP3 player or computer, books will end up electronically stored and read on the device of personal choice.

Downward shifts in scale are not only inevitable, they will probably happen in more dramatic lurches than we’ve known in the past.

Truer words have never been said.

And yes, we will see more interest in POD as a result… but I expect that to be a temporary aberration, because POD isn’t cost-efficient at the corporate or individual level. Long-term, I don’t expect consumers to want to bother with POD except for boutique and gift uses, which will mean tiny margins and pricey products.

Just as audiophiles have gotten used to keeping collection of music on an MP3 player or computer, books will end up electronically stored and read on the device of personal choice.

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