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Originally Posted by stonetools
Audible has a subscription model that works NOW.
Analog/Isaac Asimov's has an electronic subscription model that works NOW.
Baen has has a subscription model that works NOW
There are a bunch of magazines that offer electronic subscriptions through Itunes and elsewhere.
Just looking at those existing models and ignoring the Netflix movies-video model, its pretty clear that ebook subscription models have a future. The only question is which model will be most attractive to the public.
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Yes. There are subscription models at the moment. That wasn't what I was responding to. You said:
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I think it likely that you'll see a BUNCH of different subscription models thrown at you over the next few years, from an all-you-can read model featuring only books on the deep back list to a premium model that would include bestsellers.
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I like Baen, I do. Not going to say word one against them. But YOU are talking about a subscription model that offers the current bestsellers. And I (and others) are pointing out that It's More Complicated Than That.
You seem to take it as guaranteed that every new book from here on out is (a) going to have an eBook version, (b) going to be available to be offered via a subscription service if only someone will start one, and (c) can be offered via subscription service at a lower/competitive price that makes the service worthwhile.
I don't think you can bet on ANY of those things. People are providing examples to you of authors/publishers who won't publish in electronic format, of publishers who won't even cooperate with libraries let alone subscription services, and of price fixing that will effectively shut down competitive pricing via a service.
And you...trot out Baen and Isaac Asimov. And use that to keep insisting that the next big bestseller is automatically gonna be available at some discount price via a subscription service. Just as soon as someone starts one. And we're saying that if that bestseller is written by, say, Rowling.... it's
not going to be available, period.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stonetools
Just looking at those existing models and ignoring the Netflix movies-video model, its pretty clear that ebook subscription models have a future. The only question is which model will be most attractive to the public.
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The issue here is not JUST the public. You keep ignoring the supplier side of the equation. A subscription service will not be viable until price fixing stops. If Amazon can't offer a book at a loss to keep their $9.99 Kindle price point, then EBOOKSCRIPTION.COM or whatever isn't going to be able to offer 24 ebook credits (that includes the latest bestsellers) at $120 bulk price.