Quote:
Originally Posted by stonetools
It seems clear that there is no definitive answer to my question. Whats also clear is that the digerati wants the publishing industry to take a leap of faith into the dark, based on the digerati's earnest assurances that ending DRM would have no effect on revenue. Its not surprising that the publishing industry won't be taking that leap.
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(Am I a digerati now? Digeratus?)
It's not so much, "want the publishing industry to take a leap of faith into the dark," as "dammit, the publishing industry is wailing that they're going under and demanding fixes, and insisting that they must DO SOMETHING about all the PIRACY THAT IS DESTROYING THEM." And we came back with answers: Get rid of the reasons people don't buy stuff--
Make it so they can use what they buy the way they expect to. DRM doesn't bother anyone until they buy a second device--but if that device isn't compatible, it's off to the darknet to get a workable version of what they already paid for.
Check the quality before putting it on the shelf--make sure the digital version is as free of typos and as well-formatted as the print version. Which means more than "shove it through the auto-convert process."
Set the price at a level people are willing to pay. If publishers can't make money at that price? They're doomed anyway.
Price, quality, & reliability are not exotic business tricks. They're the basics. Insisting that they are too risky or costly, and customers need to settle for what's being provided ... well, okay, but that's the current status quo, and the publishers & authors are screaming about that.
The digerati are not lacking in books to read, whatever their chosen level of payment is. It's the publishers who are insisting they're not making enough sales--and they seem to think that punishing the wrongdoers will somehow make those sales happen.