Doctorow on the e-book rip-off for libraries

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Sregener

You gave me two sentences to work with. ....

Two sentence that were perfectly understandable in context.

I further provided a link to a detailed documentary as evidence.

End of this off-topic discussion.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

If I understand correctly, some here are proposing that the publishers decrease their revenues by charging libraries substantially less than what their business people have determined are optimum prices.

Questions:

-- Who should the publisher take this money away from?

Authors?

Editors?

Stockholders? (good answer only if they pay dividends)

Executives? (easy answer, but these are publishing executives, not computer executives, so I doubt there is enough money for the purpose in that well).

-- Is it any different if the publisher is non-profit? A lot are. Should Harvard reduce financial aid to pay for this?

-- Does it matter if the government you are giving this financial gift to is in one of the world's richest countries?

-- Does it matter what kind of book it is?

My personal view is that charging suboptimal prices is only justifiable as part of the corporation's charitable giving. If on the board of directors, I would favor reduced prices to libraries in a few of the world's poorest nations. And I might favor reduced prices for medical journals, because of the social value of those publications. I certainly favor low prices for medical journals shipped to low income countries. But I'd be against charging western governments a suboptimal price for ordinary popular books.

I don't know. I don't disagree, but hardly think publishers should be expected to give foreign Aid except on a personal or as you said charitable giving basis. They make their money, and if stockholders agree and finances allow, a donation of books seems more proper than overall reduced prices.

It is up to us as individuals or collectively as a country to supply aid, not some blanket you should sell for less because the people are poor. Nothing wrong with the publisher doing that if it is their choice, but we don't have lower price checkout lines for the less wealthy in my part of town.

Helen

[speakingtohe]

I read a story once where a guy was given two particular copying machines. His first act IIRC was to copy the machine and sell the copies.

People were copying money, gold, food etc. Everyone was rich and chaos ensued. The aliens inherited the earth

Helen