Quote:
Originally Posted by CazMar
...with so many people saying it was going to happen (and don't forget sites like Teleread have been around for years talking about the advent of ebooks etc etc), why do the book publishers now seem surprised by all of this?
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They aren't.
Using the term "cannibalization" does NOT indicate that they were caught off guard. It just means that they believe that ebooks are cutting into their paperback sales -- as opposed to, for example, taking away sales from movie rentals or video games.
Consider some other statements made by the CEO in question in the keynote:
"The signs are that consumers expect e-books to be priced considerably lower than physical books. There's no easier way to drive an e-book up the charts than by massive price reductions."
"For publishers to remain relevant, we need to influence the choices which authors, technology companies, and consumers will make. It’s therefore essential to understand what motivates them. It’s essential to engage with them. You only have to look at the music industry, to see the price of failing to engage with technology and the consumer, early enough."
Full text is here:
http://futurebook.net/content/it-end...-new-beginning
Now, I won't say that everyone here will wholly agree with Ms Barnsley. But it is screamingly obvious from the actual text of the keynote that she is not blindsided or surprised by the changes in the book business that are already underway.