would you pay for bonus features?

[sic]

hi

a wild idea.
what if ebooks had bonus features much like DVDs do?
What would be good candidates for such features and would this encoraurage people to buy the books -- as opposed to downloading them from an illegal source?

[igorsk]

Sony is sort of already doing it:
http://ebooks.connect.com/product/40...000036736.html
(though in this case the bonus is free).
Baen also puts audiobooks on their CDs. Other things which could make interesting additions could be: hi-res artwork, movie scripts (for books used for adaptations), various text interviews, author notes, unreleased chapters, early drafts, alternative endings...

[sic]

thanks Igorsk!
interestingly though these are usually offered free -- as the author's or publisher's advertisement.

The more I think about it the more I want to turn this model upside down.

I mean: if publishers start selling digital content (be that ebooks or music) without DRM then how do they motivate customers to buy when it'll be so easy to just download from "somewhere else"?
I think the lind of extra stuff that you listed would motivate people... but then they shouldn't be offered free to the public. They should be offered only to those who purchased the content.
This would work like people buying DVDs because they like the box-set, the extra features etc.

What do you think?

[rlauzon]

Originally Posted by sic

what if ebooks had bonus features much like DVDs do?

Keep in mind that most DVD bonus features are worthless.

Originally Posted by sic

What would be good candidates for such features and would this encoraurage people to buy the books -- as opposed to downloading them from an illegal source?

Nothing. No bonus features would encourage people to rent DRM-encumbered eBooks at paper prices.

Bonus features sounds like nice idea, though For example, $4 gets you a non-DRM text-only with highlights (bold, italics). Maybe $6 gets you the same but with graphics.

Turning this around, I'd pay a little extra (maybe $5) to buy the paper version of a book and get an eBook version (non-DRM, of course) with it (sort of like the computer books that come with a CD).

[sic]

Originally Posted by rlauzon

Keep in mind that most DVD bonus features are worthless.

hmmm I have to agree with that

Originally Posted by rlauzon

Nothing. No bonus features would encourage people to rent DRM-encumbered eBooks at paper prices.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was thinking about DRM free ebooks presumably at lower than paper prices.
Without the DRM we need a way to encourage people to still buy the ebook. I'm looking for the motivation.

Originally Posted by rlauzon

Bonus features sounds like nice idea, though For example, $4 gets you a non-DRM text-only with highlights (bold, italics). Maybe $6 gets you the same but with graphics.

Interesting idea...
However you might have a problem with the formatting as you switch devices, what do you do then?

(See where I'm getting?)

Would be nice to just download the ebook from the bookstore again in another format -- free of charge -- since you already bought it.