[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Barcey

Speaking as someone who has stopped purchasing from the major publishers I can tell you it's not a problem. You find an author you like and then you read the rest of their books. Meanwhile you keep your eyes open for other books you might like. Publishers are just one filter for finding good books to read, they aren't irreplaceable for anything they're doing. Someone else can fill the role.

And if the writer I like is still producing books issued by a major publisher? I read their stuff up to the point at which I switch and drop them thereafter because I don't buy from major publishers?

Er, no. I read what I like, and for the most part, I'm willing to pay for it.

It's about getting paid for the value and services that you add and not about maintaining what you were previously paid. If you are adding value (like the author) you have nothing to fear.

If you are an author, you have an enormous amount to fear, because the publisher is how you are reaching your audience and getting paid for what you do. If the publisher goes away, what do you do? (And since I suspect I know what some of the answers will be, the next question is "How do you keep a roof over your head and food on your table while you're trying to make the switch?")

If you are taking a larger percentage then the value you're adding then you have something to fear. That's all this is about. It's about the publishers no longer being in the driver seat cutting up the pie and telling everyone else how little they deserve.

And the argument is about the value being added.

The perception of "publishers being in the driver seat cutting up the pie and telling everyone else how little they deserve" is an unfortunately naive view of the process. That's not really how it works.

Amazon and Apple didn't get in a price war with music and drive it down to the point that nobody could make music or that I can't find music to listen to. They wouldn't do this with ebooks either. It's just fear mongering.

No, they didn't, and I don't recall anyone suggesting they did. Apple did fundamentally change the music industry, but books and music can't be directly compared.

For the record I don't believe that Amazon deserves 30% for the value they're adding either. Removing the requirement from them to compete in the marketplace for that percentage is one of the worst things about the publisher price fixing.

What do you feel Amazon does deserve?

But it didn't remove the requirement to compete in the market, as price is not the only element on which purchase decisions are made.
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Dennis