atlanticmonthly The Atlantic Monthly is opening its Web site and archives to nonsubscribers tomorrow, says the New York Times. If this trend keeps up, could restrained ads in e-books gain new acceptance? We’re talking Deep Dignity Here. The Atlantic, after all, is at the pinnacle of American magazines—it was founded by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and James Russell Lowell, among others.

First-hand I can appreciate the power of the Atlantic. by the way. The TeleBlog enjoyed several thousand visitors when Andrew Sullivan—one of the main bloggers, along with James Fallows—linked to a piece on POD tech. Believe it was this or this.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. My only concern is what will it mean for my long-term paid subscription (it goes until 2016). Granted I’m not about to read The Atlantic online, just like I don’t read the NY Times, BusinessWeek, or Economist online (and I do have long-term subscriptions to these as well), but it makes me wonder what will happen in the near future to the print version and what effect it will have on my paid subscription.

    As for its effect on ebooks, my guess is none. Does The Atlantic Press currently offer ebook versions of what it publishes? Are they available DRM free? Are they available at a significant discount from the pbook by The Atlantic Press? Will The Atlantic Press follow suit and offer its publications as free ebooks?

    Questions, questions, and more questions.

  2. Richard: I’m not talking about immediate direct effects but rather long-term changes. The ad-and-reader-paid model is gradually becoming more of an ad-one than before and could spill over even into a reader-supported medium like books. People are growing up accustomed to free content. Is this all a good thing? Not necessarily in all cases. Like you, I have mixed feelings (what about advertisers’ influence on book content, for exammple?). But it is happening.

    As a matter of fact, I do know of at least one executive at the Atlantic’s parent company who at the personal level seemed rather than intrigued by a Wowio-style approach to books. That’s just one guy. But it shows the possibilities.

    Thanks,
    David

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