Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
Since ebooks customers are not really much like top-40 singles, it is not inevitable that ebooks will follow music into an age of routine piracy. It is not inevitable but neither is it unlikely. On the contrary, with each passing day that the current irritants stay in place it becomes more and more likely.
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This is an excellent point which doesn't bubble to the surface very often.
Readers are not solely Top-40 hits consumers, and the appeal of selling 99¢ chapters from an "album of chapters" does not apply. MP3s are consumed in 3 minutes; a book is consumed over a period of days. While folks might download lots of pirated ebooks, these are in many cases "sales" that would never have happened. Some posters here brag about libraries of 10,000 e-books -- a fraction of those will get read and no doubt those posters will continue to expand their libraries with PD or pirated material.
The true failure of publishers is lacking vision to monetize what they already have, and assist their distribution channels -- old and new -- as they attempt to find a soft landing or morph into a new model. People continue to read; people continue to be willing to pay for "premium" content. Publishers have to ensure they can reach consumers in a timely way to capitalise on new content, backlist content and impulse content.
So far, publishers are still in the slow lane (and some sit in the spectator stand) watching their bricks and mortar allies wilt on the vine. There are glimmers of hope and it's not too late. But each passing day will make the transitions harder.