MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - The subscription model for ebooks hasn’t emerged yet, but it will

stonetools · 05-16-2011, 03:14 PM

For those objecting to the "Netflix" model , you should understand that the Netflix model is more than the "streaming only, " ostensibly all you can eat model.
The original Netflix model was a tiered DVD rental plan. It was $8.99 per month to rent one DVD at a time, $13.99 for two DVDs at the time, and $16.99 for three or more DVDs at a time. Later on, Netflix offered streaming from a portion of its catalogue as a feature. That feature became so popular that last year, Netflix offered streaming only as a fourth tier.
If we consider the Netflix plan as a subscription plan tiered to usage, then the model can be viable, I think. You have one tier for the casual user, a higher tier for the moderate user and the highest tier for the heavy user.
We also have to consider not only usage, but also what pool the subscriber has access to . Consider Netflix again. The "streaming only" option subscriber only gets access to titles more than 1 year old . If you want to have access to more recent titles, you must subscribe to a higher priced tier.
In the same way you can tie the ebook subscription rates to the titles included in the pool. If you want all titles, including the NYT hardcover bestseller list included in the pool, you pay at the platinum level; if you want the NYT paperback bestseller list ( books that came out last year) you pay at the gold level; if you want the mid-list books you pay at the silver level; and so on all the way down to the lead level (Project Gutenberg only) . OK, that last was a joke

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Subscription as to pool could also apply to categories: you could subscribe to the SF/Fantasy pool, or to the mystery/thriller pool, or the history book pool. ( In that way it would be similar to the old line book clubs). You could subscribe to more than one pool as well.
As you can see, its complicated, so price would be tricky. However, I can see the following scenario: Amazon sets up a SF Book Club, in which for $20 per month, you get to pick 4 books each month from a pool that includes their mid-list SF catalogue. You don't get the latest and the greatest, but you get the stuff from a few years ago. If you prepay the $240, you get to pick 5 books per month and you get credits and freebies the longer you are a member. There is a newsletter and a discussion forum. The authors , who don't make much money off their older books, would be on board, along with their publishers.
Would this work for everyone? Nope- but the beauty of online is that you can have a subscription plan tailored to every taste.

05-16-2011, 03:14 PM	#33
stonetools Wizard Posts: 2,016 Karma: 2838487 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Washington, DC Device: Ipad, IPhone	For those objecting to the "Netflix" model , you should understand that the Netflix model is more than the "streaming only, " ostensibly all you can eat model. The original Netflix model was a tiered DVD rental plan. It was $8.99 per month to rent one DVD at a time, $13.99 for two DVDs at the time, and $16.99 for three or more DVDs at a time. Later on, Netflix offered streaming from a portion of its catalogue as a feature. That feature became so popular that last year, Netflix offered streaming only as a fourth tier. If we consider the Netflix plan as a subscription plan tiered to usage, then the model can be viable, I think. You have one tier for the casual user, a higher tier for the moderate user and the highest tier for the heavy user. We also have to consider not only usage, but also what pool the subscriber has access to . Consider Netflix again. The "streaming only" option subscriber only gets access to titles more than 1 year old . If you want to have access to more recent titles, you must subscribe to a higher priced tier. In the same way you can tie the ebook subscription rates to the titles included in the pool. If you want all titles, including the NYT hardcover bestseller list included in the pool, you pay at the platinum level; if you want the NYT paperback bestseller list ( books that came out last year) you pay at the gold level; if you want the mid-list books you pay at the silver level; and so on all the way down to the lead level (Project Gutenberg only) . OK, that last was a joke . Subscription as to pool could also apply to categories: you could subscribe to the SF/Fantasy pool, or to the mystery/thriller pool, or the history book pool. ( In that way it would be similar to the old line book clubs). You could subscribe to more than one pool as well. As you can see, its complicated, so price would be tricky. However, I can see the following scenario: Amazon sets up a SF Book Club, in which for $20 per month, you get to pick 4 books each month from a pool that includes their mid-list SF catalogue. You don't get the latest and the greatest, but you get the stuff from a few years ago. If you prepay the $240, you get to pick 5 books per month and you get credits and freebies the longer you are a member. There is a newsletter and a discussion forum. The authors , who don't make much money off their older books, would be on board, along with their publishers. Would this work for everyone? Nope- but the beauty of online is that you can have a subscription plan tailored to every taste.