Tor, a MacMillan imprint going DRM free - Page 12

Fbone · 04-29-2013, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Tor have said that they've seen "no discernible increase in piracy" a year after they decided to go DRM-free

How would they know?

Graham · 04-29-2013, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

How would they know?

Because it's not discernible.

Graham

murraypaul · 04-29-2013, 01:51 PM

All their books were available on torrents before, all their books are available on torrents now, so there is no discernible difference.

More seriously, the sort of 'piracy' that DRM is actually reasonable at preventing is small scale pass-it-around-your-friends stuff that they have no way of monitoring anyway.

Ankh · 04-29-2013, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

How would they know?

By monitoring the sales figures, I guess.

Fbone · 04-29-2013, 03:18 PM

So, it's a fancy way of saying "we don't know".

The current Tor book I'm reading is so terrible no one would want to pirate it.

DiapDealer · 04-29-2013, 04:38 PM

We've seen no discernible increase in the indiscernible doohickey.

ApK · 04-29-2013, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

the indiscernible doohickey.

Wasn't that an Agatha Christie novel?

DiapDealer · 04-29-2013, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

Wasn't that an Agatha Christie novel?

Sounds more Columbo-ish.

pdurrant · 04-29-2013, 05:28 PM

I think that what they mean is [paraphrase]We haven't noticed any difference in the growth of our Tor ebook sales compared to other parts of our parent publishing company who are still using DRM[/paraphrase]

I do admit that they haven't explicitly said that. However, I can't see any other reasonable interpretation of what they have said.

DiapDealer · 04-29-2013, 05:38 PM

Clearly it's meant to be taken as sign that they don't think their bottom-line was negatively affected by their decision to loosen up on the reins a bit. A positive sign if you ask me--regardless of my fun-poking.

BeccaPrice · 04-29-2013, 06:58 PM

Actually, the bottom line is impacted - that's what, $0.25 per book file, or something like that, that they don't have to pay to Adobe.

AnemicOak · 04-29-2013, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

Actually, the bottom line is impacted - that's what, $0.25 per book file, or something like that, that they don't have to pay to Adobe.

Are you sure the publishers are paying the $0.22? It wouldn't surprise me if they make the retailers pay it as part of their contracts.

BeccaPrice · 04-29-2013, 08:56 PM

No, I'm not sure who's paying it -that's a good point. but *somebody* was paying it, and 0.22 per book can improve whoever's bottom line nicely.

If retailers are paying it, I can see more retailers pushing for more publishers to drop drm.

pdurrant · 04-30-2013, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

No, I'm not sure who's paying it -that's a good point. but *somebody* was paying it, and 0.22 per book can improve whoever's bottom line nicely.

If retailers are paying it, I can see more retailers pushing for more publishers to drop drm.

As far as I know, retailers are paying the $0.22 Adobe DRM charge. (And the capital costs of the servers.) Amazon, of course, have their own DRM system, and so only have the costs of their development team.

pdurrant · 05-29-2014, 04:41 AM

Tom Doherty, two years after going DRM-free

“...the lack of DRM in Tor ebooks has not increased the amount of Tor books available online illegally, nor has it visibly hurt sales.”

If stonetools were still around, I think I'd want to hear him now advocate for DRM-free ebooks.

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04-29-2013, 01:51 PM	#168
murraypaul Interested Bystander Posts: 3,725 Karma: 19728152 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Note 4, Kobo One	All their books were available on torrents before, all their books are available on torrents now, so there is no discernible difference. More seriously, the sort of 'piracy' that DRM is actually reasonable at preventing is small scale pass-it-around-your-friends stuff that they have no way of monitoring anyway.

04-29-2013, 03:18 PM	#170
Fbone Is that a sandwich? Posts: 8,189 Karma: 100500000 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook Glowlight Plus	So, it's a fancy way of saying "we don't know". The current Tor book I'm reading is so terrible no one would want to pirate it.

04-29-2013, 04:38 PM	#171
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,547 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	We've seen no discernible increase in the indiscernible doohickey.

04-29-2013, 05:28 PM	#174
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 71,496 Karma: 306214458 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	I think that what they mean is [paraphrase]We haven't noticed any difference in the growth of our Tor ebook sales compared to other parts of our parent publishing company who are still using DRM[/paraphrase] I do admit that they haven't explicitly said that. However, I can't see any other reasonable interpretation of what they have said.

04-29-2013, 05:38 PM	#175
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,547 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	Clearly it's meant to be taken as sign that they don't think their bottom-line was negatively affected by their decision to loosen up on the reins a bit. A positive sign if you ask me--regardless of my fun-poking.

04-29-2013, 06:58 PM	#176
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,145 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	Actually, the bottom line is impacted - that's what, $0.25 per book file, or something like that, that they don't have to pay to Adobe.

04-29-2013, 08:56 PM	#178
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,145 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	No, I'm not sure who's paying it -that's a good point. but somebody was paying it, and 0.22 per book can improve whoever's bottom line nicely. If retailers are paying it, I can see more retailers pushing for more publishers to drop drm.

05-29-2014, 04:41 AM	#180
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 71,496 Karma: 306214458 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	Tom Doherty, two years after going DRM-free “...the lack of DRM in Tor ebooks has not increased the amount of Tor books available online illegally, nor has it visibly hurt sales.” If stonetools were still around, I think I'd want to hear him now advocate for DRM-free ebooks.