05-30-2011, 12:48 PM | #16 | |
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Actually, I find I browse more now then I did before as I can do it at home when I want. I don't have to wait until I am out and at a bookstore. I don't go and buy a bundle of books like I used to. I used to have a discount card from Waldenbooks that allowed me 15% off if I bought so much money worth of books. So when I went in there, I bought that much and got my 15% off. That was good back then. So yes, I did end up going away with a bundle of books. But now, with the agency model and the fact that we don't get that many discounts, I don't always buy a bunch of books at one time. And as for browsing, I browse a lot at the libraries I have access to and at Overdrive. |
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05-30-2011, 12:55 PM | #17 | |
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05-30-2011, 01:15 PM | #18 | |
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Arpanet was used for universities and government back then, sure. But internet for the public? Fidonet wasn't even around 32 years ago, much less public internet. The first dial-up connection for consumers came on the scene in 1989, about 22 years ago. |
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05-30-2011, 01:20 PM | #19 | |
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Untyll i thnk bout wud typeeee ov wridin i seee on Facebook. But then I think about ex-students who are engaged in interactive writing projects on goodreads, and I remember that there's still hope. |
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05-30-2011, 01:25 PM | #20 | |
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You're correct about the internet, of course. But early public availability bares no resemblance to the modern entertainment entity that is today's internet. Some guys posting monochrome arguments about Star Trek on BBS isn't really comparable to whats developed over the past decade. |
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05-30-2011, 01:33 PM | #21 |
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That observation is more intelligent than anything raised in that guy's article. But keep in mind that's primarily about ebooks. Discounts are heavier and more widely available for books as a whole than they've ever been, as is access to used books online. Paying full cover price for paper books, still the majority of sales, is pretty much dead.
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05-30-2011, 06:16 PM | #22 |
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Prior to getting my ereaders, I had not purchased a novel in more than 10 years. My public library had a great selection of current novels, and I picked up most of my reading from the new arrivals shelf. If I wanted a book they didn't have, I had them get it for me via interlibrary loan, and they were able to get absolutely any book for me, often from several states away. I didn't want to buy books, not so much for the price, but for the clutter.
Since getting my ereaders, I am rather appalled to say that I have purchased hundreds of novels. A large number of those come from the "other customers who bought this also bought these," where I start by looking up one book and finding 6 more that interest me. It's not traditional browsing, but it is browsing nevertheless. I doubt I am the only one who gets caught up by the ease of shopping on Amazon. |
05-30-2011, 08:33 PM | #23 | |
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Brittney Spears might write alot of tweets that alot of people read, but... |
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05-30-2011, 09:52 PM | #24 |
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The publishing industry is going through a change as great as the shift to the printing press . Not surprisingly, they are getting some things wrong , getting some things right, and even the things that they are getting right, they are getting right slowly.
"Publishers" aren't one monolithic lump either. Baen's is a niche publisher much admired for getting things right. BeWrite publishers is another. Its likely that as things evolve, some publishers may vanish altogether and firms that aren't even in the publishing business now may grow to dominate the industry. Its going to be a bumpy ride. Last edited by stonetools; 06-01-2011 at 05:28 PM. |
05-31-2011, 03:19 AM | #25 |
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I'd like to say that reading is in the decline, due to the easy portability of movies and video games now. The rise of cellphones and tablets have made it easier for people to watch movies and TV on the go.
I certainly choose reading over watching movies and TV on the go. I love video games but I use my Nook or read a book a lot more than I play my DS or my PSP. I'd rather watch a movie on the plasma at home on the HT than on a dinky little screen. I suspect those people that choose to watch movies or TV on their smartphone instead of reading really didn't read much to begin with. But I'd like to blame the tech anyway |
05-31-2011, 08:16 AM | #26 | ||
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05-31-2011, 08:42 AM | #27 |
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I agree with everything that has been said before and would like to add one thing, an axiom that I learned in a busineess class:
When technology shifts everyone goes back to zero and past sucesses guaranty nothing. Past examples of this technology shift are: a shift from the pocket watch to a wrist watch (many makers were left behind and went out of business becuasee they simply could not keep up), shift from local stores to catalog ordering on a phone (several stores were out of business). This is just one more example of the same thing and many publishers have failed to grasp what is occuring as their services are no longer required and the companies can only survive if they can keep on top of the technology. |
05-31-2011, 08:57 AM | #28 |
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I was tending to read less because of physical infirmity and the consequent difficulty of holding a heavy book. Since getting my Kindle I feel liberated. It's so much easier to read from than most dt books. And I have bought ecopies of lots of books I already owned as well as being encouraged to buy new ones. I've always bought lots of books, but now my buying has soared.
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05-31-2011, 09:07 AM | #29 | |||||
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There's so much wrong with this article...
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Author does briefly touch on the idea that "in the Internet era, you can’t make money putting books on trucks and hoping someone buys them". If he could have expanded this into out-dated business practices, I think he'd be right. As it is, this article is a failure. |
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05-31-2011, 11:41 AM | #30 | |
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It's the niche publishers that feed the voracious readers. |
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