Simon & Schuster is delaying ebooks by four months

[tmgplc]

Another brilliant corporate idea . . . just keep giving me reasons to just find a pirated copy. It sucks enough to pay for the ebook and then make sure it will actually work on your preferred device, but to delay the release will just drive people to piracy. Of course you have a choice whether to steal a book or not, but Under The Dome is on the net in a pirated version. How many of those people would have just paid for the ebook if it was available?

I find it hard to have any sympathy for the publishers when they continue to create their own worst nightmare (music, movies, and now books). My only reason for not just jumping on the piracy bandwagon is that I believe the author should be compensated for their work.

[abookreader]

Well on a practical level I really don't care that much and I keep telling myself that. There are very few books published these days that I feel hit the "line up at midnight 'cause I can't wait to read this!!!" level of public interest.

On an emotional level, I'm starting to weary of being treated by the Publishing Industry that I'm unworthy of purchasing their product because I wish to read digitally instead of on paper surrounded by cardboard held together by glue.

It's like I'm like the little orphan girl shuffling up to the front of the room and squeaking out "Please sir, may I have a book?" in a scared and trembly little voice.

In today's business climate, can any business treat their customers in such a manner and hope to survive ... much less flourish?

[jasonkchapman]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I know, I know, free market and what the traffic will bear and all that rot, which is true and I don't disagree, but when you are offering essentially the same product in different form the price generally reflects the cost of doing business and the profit desired. When they are so out of line and at least perceptually different then it is clear to the consumer that the price is out of line. Sort of like have Coke in a can cost $5.00 and Coke in your own cup cost $5.00 shouldn't the raw Coke cost less?

It seems like it should, yes, but is that just because we want it to? I have a hard time being objective on it. We do pay more for that raw Coke when there's some other factor involved, such as a restricted market (concession stands) or convenience (convenience stores). We grumble about it, but we generally pay it. Of course, some folks just sneak their own snacks into movie theaters!

[cklammer]

Is the beginning of the end for the paperback - at least in the developed nations with the US leading the way? And are they planning to take paperback prices for the e-books without incurring the costs of printing?

Is (uuuuhhh) maybe a conspriacy afoot? Or is this going to be a normal development?

Should we hang on to our paperback libraries because in five years we are going get more money when selling our used paperbacks?

Another item:

Originally Posted by radamo

Really funny that with the massive changes in technology and the world economy that the publishing industry thinks that IT should remain exactly the same. If the major publishers of today don't "adjust" to the new realities they will go the way of the dodo bird... Just ask your local newspaper for some insight into how the world is changing...
RA

The only difference between the publishing industry on one side and the movie and music recording industries is that publishers (a) never as blatantly overcharged as the latter and (b) their lobbyists suck in comparison to the MPAA and RIAA thugs.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by abookreader

Well on a practical level I really don't care that much and I keep telling myself that. There are very few books published these days that I feel hit the "line up at midnight 'cause I can't wait to read this!!!" level of public interest.

On an emotional level, I'm starting to weary of being treated by the Publishing Industry that I'm unworthy of purchasing their product because I wish to read digitally instead of on paper surrounded by cardboard held together by glue.

It's like I'm like the little orphan girl shuffling up to the front of the room and squeaking out "Please sir, may I have a book?" in a scared and trembly little voice.

In today's business climate, can any business treat their customers in such a manner and hope to survive ... much less flourish?

Short answer: no.

Long answer: they obviously think they can. But, as with the irrelevant music and movie industries, every single day they delay practical, non-offensive selling policies, is another day where people make connections on the networks and share for free. Every day they keep DRM, is another day where DRM is stripped. Every day they charge three and four times the real worth of a book, is another day when the digital price reaches zero on the sharing networks.

In a battle between commerce and knowledge, knowledge always wins.

[DawnFalcon]

Originally Posted by Xenophon

I won't even mention the cleverness of monthly bundles, and the free library, and snippetting and... oops.

You missed the really, really ironic bit. Baen print runs gang on the Simon & Schuster presses.

I'll also stick my hand up as someone who had bought eARCs.

[charleski]

Originally Posted by kennyc

But that is just silly. The price should be based on the cost of doing business which has got to be less for digital than for hardback or paperback.

But that is the cost of doing business. A hardback book costs what, a dollar to print and bind in quantity? The costs of physical distribution, stock management and retail largely come out of the 50%+ that goes to the distribution chain, and sure, retailers should feel free to discount that as much as they can to win business. Publishers need to make around $12.50 on a new book to recoup the costs they put into production (including the author's advance) as quickly as possible.

Originally Posted by Xenophon

Alternatively, these publishers could look at a successful existing solution over at Webscriptions and Baen.

I absolutely agree that Baen is a shining star in the world of publishing and Jim Baen was both bold and visionary. I'm certain that other genre publishers would do well to learn from his approach to ebooks. OTOH, he understood his market very well and took advantage of the particular nature of the of the genre fiction niche, but I'm just not sure how well it would function for general works. For example, political memoirs don't really work the same as science-fiction: you can't serialise them into an endless succession and the sort of person who snapped up An Inconvenient Truth is unlikely to want to buy Going Rouge, whereas Webscriptions works because if you like one book from them it's a reasonable bet that you'll like the others.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by DawnFalcon

You missed the really, really ironic bit. Baen print runs gang on the Simon & Schuster presses.

I'll also stick my hand up as someone who had bought eARCs.

OTOH Baen also recently shut down Baen's Universe (magazine) in part because they could not get their distributor (Is it S&S? I Thought it was another of the big names...but I digress). They could not get their distributor to agree to decent terms. I think the distributor was demanding the same terms for the electronic mag as that made for Baen books.

Eric Flint did an article on it...if I remember correctly, BU wanted to expand distribution so they could reach more markets, but the distributor they had an agreement with said, "No, NO, NO." BU was always ebook or cd only--no print. Flint didn't say what Baen wanted to try only that with the current terms, it wouldn't work. So the magazine is shutting down early next year. The article mentioned they'd like to bring it back someday--with a different distribution plan and other things changed. (Pls note that the distribution issue was only ONE part of the reason they shut down and was not the whole article!)

[TallMomof2]

Baen is the best and I would love it if the rest of the publishing industry were like them.

[Xerxes]

I love how big business always thinks anti-consumer practices is the way to go.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

Baen is the best and I would love it if the rest of the publishing industry were like them.

I don't even like what they put out (too military for me, least it seems that way) but it's no surprise why everyone likes Baen. They treat their customers with some respect. No DRM. Good prices. Bundles. Freebies. What's not to like? What we need next is for writers to band together, cut out the mainstream publishers, agents and take the same approach, or partner with webscriptions themselves. I'm sure there are plenty of mystery writers who could gather themselves together and form their own Baen-like company. Or horror writers. Or any of the genre niches.

[Wetdogeared]

Originally Posted by DawnFalcon

Well, it won't happen in the UK, even if only the majors did it. The memory of the Net Book Agreement is too fresh, and it'd definitely get called as a cartel.

Three publishers now on board, how many does it take to call it a cartel?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by charleski

But that is the cost of doing business. A hardback book costs what, a dollar to print and bind in quantity? The costs of physical distribution, stock management and retail largely come out of the 50%+ that goes to the distribution chain, and sure, retailers should feel free to discount that as much as they can to win business. Publishers need to make around $12.50 on a new book to recoup the costs they put into production (including the author's advance) as quickly as possible.

..

No, no. Separate them The cost of the Ebook and the cost of the pbook. Not lumped together.

[wallflower75]

You know, I was all set to buy Stephen King's newest. Initial buzz was that it was like the old, great King novels. And then the ebook release was delayed, and I started hearing about how it wasn't so great. So I decided not to get it. Lost sale.

How many books is this going to happen to before publishers get that a sale is still a sale, whether it's hardback, ebook or paperback?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

Three publishers now on board, how many does it take to call it a cartel?

I'll call it now!