Quote:
Originally Posted by bashfulbanshee
Authors/creators/etc. need to remember that they are competing with the world of literature at the reader's fingertips.
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Actually, the part that many publishers don't seem to be getting is that they're competing with
the entire world of entertainment. A hundred years ago, when the book I just read was published, if you wanted entertainment you read a book, attended a live event in your town (probably within walking distance), or created your own. Today, you can watch TV, listen to the radio, play a video game, listen to recorded music, go to a movie, hang out on MobileRead, attend a live event a hundred miles from home,
or read a book. Books have a lot more to compete with than they ever did.
People expect perfection in their TV shows (stilted dialog, for example, will make viewership plummet), in their video games (crashing is right out), in their movies (you really don't want to see the wires), and so on. They expect a similar level of quality in their books, both p- and e-: No obvious errors. Words that are used correctly. Pages that are all there (yes, I've bought pbooks that failed on that). A "great idea" will no more sell a crappy ebook than it will sell a crappy movie, and an error-filled ebook will be received about as well as an off-key song.
They're not just competing with other books. They're competing with
everything. Whether they're a bestselling HC pbook or an obscure self-published ebook, they need to be a viable competitor to all of those other forms of entertainment and information, because unlike 100 years ago, it's no longer (and hasn't been for decades) "read a book or stare at the walls." Authors and publishers who think it is are setting themselves up to crash and burn.