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Horemheb · 10-21-2010, 07:46 AM

I have read a lot about the issues of e-book business, about the legal difficulties around e-publishing as well as about the technical difficulties around e-book readers and DRM. I have not read however much about the interests of the readers - the people who actually are and will be reading the products of e-book business. As of now we are talking about millions of people. Yet the conversation about e-book business is still like they did not matter too much.

Why does it seem so? In spite of e-books are just about to go mainstream still there are several critical issues which make the life of e-book reading people miserable. Here are the 3 most important problems in order of importance:

1. It is not possible to have one single e-book reader and read all e-books on it regardless of which publisher has published it and from which retail site it has been purchased from. Really thinking with the head of the customers this is just ridiculous. It is like we had to buy different TVs in order to watch different channels. As ridiculous as it may sound it is in fact not much more ridiculous than the situation with e-books.

2. There are territorial restrictions. People from EU cannot buy books for US and sometimes vice versa. There are restrictions for all directions between almost all imaginable geographical location. In the 3rd millennia it is not less ridiculous than the previous problem. In the age of global economy and the age of Internet which makes it possible to buy anything from anywhere by one click the region based restrictions are just as anachronistic as a horseshoe smith in a highway gas station.

3. There are lot of books which are still not available in e-book format. Although the penetration among newly published books is not so bad (however there are outrageous examples of new popular books not published in e-book form) older books are increasingly less likely to have been published in e-book format with the age of the writing - except of course the highly wanted classics.

While I am well aware of all the technical, legal and other difficulties behind these problems I have to say that as a customer I do not care. Why should any of the e-book reading people care about big players' of book industry technical and legal difficulties? Especially knowing that, all those difficulties are caused by their own ignorance and greed. I know very well that no real obstacles exist in the way of achieving the solutions for the above problems. But then again as a customer I do not even have to know it and do not even have to care about it.

What I really miss from this whole story is the representation of the people reading e-books. I think it would be absolutely necessary to confront the players of e-publishing and to firmly represent the interests of the readers towards them. Without this I am afraid that the e-book world will be much more like big players want it for their own interests than like the customers want it to be.

Does anyone know about any organizations, civil movements or other kinds of assembly aiming this goal?

10-21-2010, 07:46 AM	#1
Horemheb Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 1256 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle, PC	Voice of the Readers I have read a lot about the issues of e-book business, about the legal difficulties around e-publishing as well as about the technical difficulties around e-book readers and DRM. I have not read however much about the interests of the readers - the people who actually are and will be reading the products of e-book business. As of now we are talking about millions of people. Yet the conversation about e-book business is still like they did not matter too much. Why does it seem so? In spite of e-books are just about to go mainstream still there are several critical issues which make the life of e-book reading people miserable. Here are the 3 most important problems in order of importance: 1. It is not possible to have one single e-book reader and read all e-books on it regardless of which publisher has published it and from which retail site it has been purchased from. Really thinking with the head of the customers this is just ridiculous. It is like we had to buy different TVs in order to watch different channels. As ridiculous as it may sound it is in fact not much more ridiculous than the situation with e-books. 2. There are territorial restrictions. People from EU cannot buy books for US and sometimes vice versa. There are restrictions for all directions between almost all imaginable geographical location. In the 3rd millennia it is not less ridiculous than the previous problem. In the age of global economy and the age of Internet which makes it possible to buy anything from anywhere by one click the region based restrictions are just as anachronistic as a horseshoe smith in a highway gas station. 3. There are lot of books which are still not available in e-book format. Although the penetration among newly published books is not so bad (however there are outrageous examples of new popular books not published in e-book form) older books are increasingly less likely to have been published in e-book format with the age of the writing - except of course the highly wanted classics. While I am well aware of all the technical, legal and other difficulties behind these problems I have to say that as a customer I do not care. Why should any of the e-book reading people care about big players' of book industry technical and legal difficulties? Especially knowing that, all those difficulties are caused by their own ignorance and greed. I know very well that no real obstacles exist in the way of achieving the solutions for the above problems. But then again as a customer I do not even have to know it and do not even have to care about it. What I really miss from this whole story is the representation of the people reading e-books. I think it would be absolutely necessary to confront the players of e-publishing and to firmly represent the interests of the readers towards them. Without this I am afraid that the e-book world will be much more like big players want it for their own interests than like the customers want it to be. Does anyone know about any organizations, civil movements or other kinds of assembly aiming this goal?