Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
eBooks are perhaps 10% - 12% of the current US book market. What percentage of ebook readers do you think are aware of torrent sites and pirate editions? (Especially people coming to ebooks via things like the Kindle and Amazon, where the Kindle is seen as an appropriate, easy to use device for Grandma who hasn't gotten this whole computer thing down yet.) If you think it's a majority of current ebook readers, I'll be doubtful.
Now extend it to the roughly 90% of the market that hasn't yet adopted electronic literature and tell me how many of them you think have that awareness? If you specify any large amount, expect me to laugh at your foolishness.
Don't assume you are representative of the market, or that what you know is known by others. By definition, people who hang out in places like MR are early adopters, with more knowledge than the rest of the market. We wanted to learn more, which is how we wound up here to begin with.
Dennis
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You're wrong, here, to some extent. I know people on Xbox live, and in person, that don't know how to use a router beyond plugging the network cable in. They don't know how to access the web interface, turn on the firewall, the password is on the default unless a CD program walks them through changing it.
But they know how to download music, movies and such from the internet with a torrent or such, just fine, and feel little compunction not to do it. It's not really very hard.
Like books, also, it's easier for people to download a torrent of a movie than deal with ripping a DVD and converting to h.264 or whatever.
I try to stick to books I already own the hardcover or paperback of. But lots of people will think nothing of downloading whatever they want.
I think that they should try the DVD model. Price should drop over the years. This whole "set a high retail price and stick to it" is part of the reason for a decline in music sales, I think. It's hard to turn down a DVD for the price of gas to drive into town. It'd be just as hard to turn down a book for $1 or $2. Heck, I hate DRM with a passion, but I'd probably still bite at low enough prices.