Quote:
Originally Posted by brecklundin
Valid points...but dude...the industry has had 25+ years to prepare for this...
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Well, 25 years may be a stretch. After all, PDFs can arguably be called the first e-books (in potential, at least), and they didn't start to become prevalent until the mid-nineties. But yes, the publishing industry panicked and collectively stuck their heads in the sand, when they could have jumped into the driver's seat and showed everyone how to do it.
The rest of the print industry (as HappyMartin pointed out, and as a fellow alumnus of the print industry, I concur) has fallen into 2 factions: Those who followed the wave, and became digital printers and web producers; and those who have steadfastly remained in the traditional press business, and who have seen their numbers dwindle to a bare fraction of what they were pre-1970.
The publishing industry faced the same challenges, but instead of some of the publishers taking it on, it seems almost all of them passed, leaving the challenges to be tackled by new players. Therefore, any of the problems they suffer as a result of technology steamrolling over them is certainly their own fault.
That said, it doesn't help us get over the issue, which is a chaotic and uneven market, too many formats, and multiple DRM-damaged sales models. And we will continue to have these issues, as long as the traditional publishing industry fights the progression of e-books through their hold on an old and unresponsive system.
Instead of spending too much time berating the publishing industry, and getting nowhere, it would help if we could find some way to finally get them on-board with us, and work together to a common goal. If we can't do that, we will be faced with many more years of a screwed-up book market, until the publishers finally roll over or die off, leaving the rest of us to pick the gems out of the ashes.