Quote:
Originally Posted by Liviu_5
I have no doubt that the number of books released as e will increase over time, what I doubt is that the sales of said e-books will increase dramatically.
If we talk about free e-books (of whatever kind), then the picture may indeed look a bit different, since if there is a point where e competes well with print is when e is free.
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Liviu_5 one of the biggest publishing countries in the world is India - and one of the biggest parts of that industry is reprinting out-of-print works that cater to specialized interests (in terms of money earned).
Ebooks have a definite advantage in that arena. Plus the capital costs of setting up make even low-cost Indian printers look expensive. Then of course there are the many authors (from poor to overlooked geniuses) that can go directly into publishing.
One argument worth considering is the huge drop in the cost of the means of production and the general effect this has socially on the reproduction of texts. More ebooks can be produced and stored for reproduction, covering a wider and deeper publishing potential than paper products ever possessed.
Lower costs mean lower prices - significantly lower for anyone who has knowledge of printing industry and the risks involved. The capital risks being smaller the profit margins do not have to take this much into account (unlike p-book publishers), the profit ratio can more be tuned to expected turnover alone.
This favours production, more old works and more new ones, more neglected works that should have been printed, and of course more rotten works which still make it into print. This does not translate into buyers of course.
Customers need devices which are relatively cheap, robust and paper-like, that have extra functionality built in. These are the early days, the devices are expensive, fragile and lack the things which will in a few years all change dramatically for the better in every respect, if the rest of technology is any guide.
The missing element, a means of payment, so that p-book to e-book scanners, editors, writers, graphic artists and all the rest can begin to make a living from their work, this is in Beta stage - Micro-cash seems well on its way, so hold onto your hats folks:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=342430011
PS
After over 10 years advocating micro-cash/payment as essential to eCommerce, Amazon.com is doing the right thing. Hopefully PayPal and Wildcard will soon join in, if phone cards and iTunes cards could be used for payments, then third world is in a good position to reap benefits as well as custom.
Hooray - I just got my Christmas present - mirco-cash/payment is just months away.