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Should Random House and other big publishers send their people home?
September 1, 2009 | 8:19 am
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By David Rothman
John C. Dvorak, in a column discussed on the eBook Community list, says newspapers should rid themselves of their pricey offices and get their people telecommuting.
In the case of New York publishers, should the same idea apply—especially as books themselves turn virtual?
Less money for real estate, more for writers, editors and designers? Might books be better off with fewer face-to-face meetings—and maybe fewer meetings, period? And could mass telecommuting be one way for publishers to stop fixating on the idea of p-book prices for e-books?
Images: Left is of the Manhattan skyline; right, of Bertelsmann headquarters.
And speaking of e-book prices: The ePrice is not right, by Martyn Daniels.
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Comments:
This can, in fact, be said for most of the occupants of office buildings in every major city (I have on many occasions).
But will publishers listen? Pubs are still attached to too many of the trappings of office, including the fancy and/or prestigious digs… they just don’t want to come down from their castle towers. So, will they see reason? Probably not until they are forced out by circumstances (for instance, bankruptcy).
Telecommuting goes beyond the publishing industry. I’ve worked from my Seattle home for five years to an office in Washington, DC. I’m a database developer and just don’t need to sit in a cube with the rest of the IT staff to get my job done.
I’m sure commercial real estate owners and developers will fight to keep big buildings going with big clients, but many jobs, like those in publishing, can be done from home, satellite offices, or telecommuting centers.
Back in the 80′s I automated a magazine publisher so that editors could do things at a terminal and the autocomposition and layouts would be done/produced/printed in NJ because of the lower costs there. Nothing new.
“Less money for real estate, more for writers, editors and designers? ”
I seriously doubt it. If there are “cost” savings, any additional money will go to the media conglomerates that own the publishers.