SURVEY: best and worst moves of the e/publishers

clemens14 · 11-23-2011, 02:31 PM

Hello,

I was wondering what the readers of this great forum think are the good and the bad choices publishers did or are doing with regards to ebooks and why.
I would like to include the big players and also the small ones, the national and the international ones, the English related and the non English related ones, those that work only online and those that also have stores and so on.
Choices can be related to anything, from the technical things (drm, closed formats, making ereaders, interoperability etc. ), and to marketing/business (easiness of purchase, distribution, royalties taken form authors, pricing, discounts, merges, cooperations etc.).
After the post gets enough answers, I will write a post with the results well organised, in the hope that it will be of use to anyone interested in the subject. A sort of picture of the actual situation, of the previous trends and the future ones.
Thank you,

Clemens

theducks · 11-23-2011, 03:20 PM

Baen = Outstanding

Price = tame, in line with the MM print version

Schedule = You can get the Retail edition (ebook) at the same release date as the Hardcover (ARC is available for some titles at a premium cost)

Selection = All Baen new releases also in ebook except where the Author Prohibits . A sizable portion of their back list is available.

NO DRM

Most popular formats

Free sample books (from back list, OP list) and Sample chapters that can be read on your reader.

Scott Nicholson · 11-23-2011, 03:22 PM

Some of the things that are "bad" are also "good." High prices by traditional publishers opened up an entire world of choice and opportunity for indie writers and readers. Since I am an author, that probably colors my judgment, although I am also an avid Kindle reader.

Amazon has done almost everything right, from my view (admittedly biased, because I have a publishing deal with them and they've sold a lot of my books). They virtually created the ebook market, they fought to push prices down to a fair level, and they spawned a lot of competition. Now they are opening up their Prime library. We don't know the long term but they are the ones pushing evolution while many of the other players are digging in their heels and trying to shove the horse back in the barn.

BN has been plagued by its continued devotion to the dying brick and mortar stores. Every special is designed to get people into the stores instead of buying more ebooks. Fail. Although I give them good marks on creating a direct upload for authors, they have not been very proactive in cashing in on those new opportunities, instead trundling out the latest James Patterson. I think this has hurt them because they didn't get the grassroots push that Kindle did. Never underestimate the power of half a million authors shooting out their Amazon links day after day.

Which is why Kobo should jump ahead, because it ditched the brick and mortar. Now run by an e-commerce company, it has no considerations about "hurting paper" or "protecting bookstores." It can spread out and take risks. I expect Kobo to be #2 in a year, two years at the most.

Sony. Not sure even Pottermore will save it for another year.

iBookstore. It doesn't exist. Even if you know what you are looking for, good luck finding it. Browsing is impossible. I don't see Apple catching up until everyone Steve Jobs ever hired is gone. If they even care.

Scott Nicholson · 11-23-2011, 03:56 PM

Also, I won't buy any ebook over $5. Perhaps if there was a technical manual I really needed. But for a novel? No way.

mr ploppy · 11-23-2011, 06:31 PM

Worst move by far is putting out ebooks that haven't been proofread. People here tend to be a bit jaded by it by now, but it's a big shock to newcomers who are more used to real books.

Best, probably all the new writers who are able to reach an audience that we would have otherwise never had, writing about subjects the traditional publishers aren't interested in. Though that could also be a bad thing as well when they rush into it

clemens14 · 11-24-2011, 02:02 PM

Thank you all for the replies, I put some of my thoughts just to keep the thread going.
Good:
1. collaboration between publishers to have a bigger catalog of available titles and a better distribution.
2. make their own devices and sell them at reasonable prices as part of the ebook experience (Amazon).
3. offer free books if the authors agree to do so and perhaps add a chapter of other books of the same author.

Bad:
1. bad search engines for the catalogs and too simple subdivision of the subjects.
2. lack of interoperability and/or agreed standard.
3. tedious drm systems, that often force the buyer to remove them "illegally".

Pinecone · 11-25-2011, 09:27 AM

BAD - Agency pricing model.

J. Strnad · 11-25-2011, 01:26 PM

If you haven't gotten the message from other threads, Penguin seems to be the most muddleheaded to me. Their ebook prices are too high as they strive desperately to protect their print publishing. They're restricting lending under the smokescreen of "protecting authors" from piracy. They just seem to be the most clueless overall.

The best: the independents. They're pricing aggressively, promoting through social media, building their fan bases...doing the smart things, all with few or no resources other than time and dedication.

Apache · 11-25-2011, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

If you haven't gotten the message from other threads, Penguin seems to be the most muddleheaded to me. Their ebook prices are too high as they strive desperately to protect their print publishing. They're restricting lending under the smokescreen of "protecting authors" from piracy. They just seem to be the most clueless overall.

The best: the independents. They're pricing aggressively, promoting through social media, building their fan bases...doing the smart things, all with few or no resources other than time and dedication.

So true. Businesses that fail to change with the times will become as extinct as the Dinosaurs.
Apache

clemens14 · 11-26-2011, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pinecone

BAD - Agency pricing model.

What do you mean exactly? Prices too high?

howyoudoin · 11-26-2011, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clemens14

What do you mean exactly? Prices too high?

I think he means prices fixed by the publisher, without any leeway for the retailer to discount them like they would for physical books. It is also essentially a euphemism for a price cartel.

RainingLemur · 11-26-2011, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pinecone

BAD - Agency pricing model.

Ugh. This can really be a pain in the tookus.

tubemonkey · 11-26-2011, 03:05 PM

Don't care what publishers do. I only read free stuff.

11-23-2011, 02:31 PM	#1
clemens14 Enthusiast Posts: 26 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: none	SURVEY: best and worst moves of the e/publishers Hello, I was wondering what the readers of this great forum think are the good and the bad choices publishers did or are doing with regards to ebooks and why. I would like to include the big players and also the small ones, the national and the international ones, the English related and the non English related ones, those that work only online and those that also have stores and so on. Choices can be related to anything, from the technical things (drm, closed formats, making ereaders, interoperability etc. ), and to marketing/business (easiness of purchase, distribution, royalties taken form authors, pricing, discounts, merges, cooperations etc.). After the post gets enough answers, I will write a post with the results well organised, in the hope that it will be of use to anyone interested in the subject. A sort of picture of the actual situation, of the previous trends and the future ones. Thank you, Clemens

11-24-2011, 02:02 PM	#6
clemens14 Enthusiast Posts: 26 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: none	Thank you all for the replies, I put some of my thoughts just to keep the thread going. Good: 1. collaboration between publishers to have a bigger catalog of available titles and a better distribution. 2. make their own devices and sell them at reasonable prices as part of the ebook experience (Amazon). 3. offer free books if the authors agree to do so and perhaps add a chapter of other books of the same author. Bad: 1. bad search engines for the catalogs and too simple subdivision of the subjects. 2. lack of interoperability and/or agreed standard. 3. tedious drm systems, that often force the buyer to remove them "illegally". Last edited by clemens14; 11-25-2011 at 07:14 AM.

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11-23-2011, 03:20 PM	#2
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,800 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	Baen = Outstanding Price = tame, in line with the MM print version Schedule = You can get the Retail edition (ebook) at the same release date as the Hardcover (ARC is available for some titles at a premium cost) Selection = All Baen new releases also in ebook except where the Author Prohibits . A sizable portion of their back list is available. NO DRM Most popular formats Free sample books (from back list, OP list) and Sample chapters that can be read on your reader.

11-23-2011, 03:22 PM	#3
Scott Nicholson Scott Nicholson, author Posts: 363 Karma: 2029337 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Boone NC Device: Kindle	Some of the things that are "bad" are also "good." High prices by traditional publishers opened up an entire world of choice and opportunity for indie writers and readers. Since I am an author, that probably colors my judgment, although I am also an avid Kindle reader. Amazon has done almost everything right, from my view (admittedly biased, because I have a publishing deal with them and they've sold a lot of my books). They virtually created the ebook market, they fought to push prices down to a fair level, and they spawned a lot of competition. Now they are opening up their Prime library. We don't know the long term but they are the ones pushing evolution while many of the other players are digging in their heels and trying to shove the horse back in the barn. BN has been plagued by its continued devotion to the dying brick and mortar stores. Every special is designed to get people into the stores instead of buying more ebooks. Fail. Although I give them good marks on creating a direct upload for authors, they have not been very proactive in cashing in on those new opportunities, instead trundling out the latest James Patterson. I think this has hurt them because they didn't get the grassroots push that Kindle did. Never underestimate the power of half a million authors shooting out their Amazon links day after day. Which is why Kobo should jump ahead, because it ditched the brick and mortar. Now run by an e-commerce company, it has no considerations about "hurting paper" or "protecting bookstores." It can spread out and take risks. I expect Kobo to be #2 in a year, two years at the most. Sony. Not sure even Pottermore will save it for another year. iBookstore. It doesn't exist. Even if you know what you are looking for, good luck finding it. Browsing is impossible. I don't see Apple catching up until everyone Steve Jobs ever hired is gone. If they even care.

11-23-2011, 03:56 PM	#4
Scott Nicholson Scott Nicholson, author Posts: 363 Karma: 2029337 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Boone NC Device: Kindle	Also, I won't buy any ebook over $5. Perhaps if there was a technical manual I really needed. But for a novel? No way.

11-23-2011, 06:31 PM	#5
mr ploppy Feral Underclass Posts: 3,622 Karma: 26821535 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Yorkshire, tha noz Device: 2nd hand paperback	Worst move by far is putting out ebooks that haven't been proofread. People here tend to be a bit jaded by it by now, but it's a big shock to newcomers who are more used to real books. Best, probably all the new writers who are able to reach an audience that we would have otherwise never had, writing about subjects the traditional publishers aren't interested in. Though that could also be a bad thing as well when they rush into it

11-25-2011, 09:27 AM	#7
Pinecone Guru Posts: 902 Karma: 1660722 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Maryland Device: PRS-650, PRS-600, PRS-350	BAD - Agency pricing model.

11-25-2011, 01:26 PM	#8
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	If you haven't gotten the message from other threads, Penguin seems to be the most muddleheaded to me. Their ebook prices are too high as they strive desperately to protect their print publishing. They're restricting lending under the smokescreen of "protecting authors" from piracy. They just seem to be the most clueless overall. The best: the independents. They're pricing aggressively, promoting through social media, building their fan bases...doing the smart things, all with few or no resources other than time and dedication.

11-26-2011, 03:05 PM	#13
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,477 Karma: 158151390 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	Don't care what publishers do. I only read free stuff.