Quote:
Originally Posted by brecklundin
What will restrict ebook sales (specifically for a proprietary DRM format) is the cost of the reader device. Until the devices can be bought by everyone ebook sales will not be a viable revenue stream.
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Don't forget, e-books can still be read on other than dedicated devices, from full-fledged computers down to iPods. Many people have been reading them that way for years. E-books' success doesn't actually depend on dedicated readers, but if done correctly (so that people want to buy them), it can help.
No, e-books' success depends on
content: Having the books (and textbooks, and magazines, etc) that people want to read available, in a format and features they can enjoy using. If the content and format features they want are there, people will buy. And as the iPod/iTunes model has shown us, they'll even accept DRM to get it.
Personally, I haven't been sold on any of the dedicated readers, which is due to the lack of features I want in such a device (color, for instance, but there are others). When such a device does come out, I'll be first in line to buy one.
But even more importantly than that, if the content comes out that I want, and there is a particular device that will let me enjoy the features I desire, I'll buy that device, whether it's a dedicated reader, a new laptop, or a pocket calculator. The device is secondary to the content, and my enjoyment of it.
Perhaps the publishers (and ourselves) are not thinking enough about content being the driver here. Instead of figuring out how to DRM people out of the latest Tom Clancy book, they should be putting the popular books front and center, to get the attention of the masses. Perhaps they should be putting the books for young people front and center, to get the attention of the traditional early adopters. Perhaps they should be putting the glossy mags front and center, to capture the monthly (and weekly) periodical crowd.
If, as the saying goes, "Content is king," then only the availability of content will make e-books successful.