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nsert ads: Do-able; bit of a hassle. Non-wireless books could have ads inserted at time of purchase; more cloud-based readers could have ads inserted at time of download, or feed new ads in at time of reading.
Insert *useful* ads: only possible if the ebook supplier controls hardware and software.
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So we have gone from its IMPOSSIBLE to insert ads into ebooks to its impossible to insert USEFUL ads into ebooks.( Useful defined according to your criteria). I saw those goalposts moving
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You've argued that those who want to put ads in ebooks must institute the perfect solution: universal , working across all platforms and every circumstance. If not, its a failure. We call that the perfect solution fallacy where I come from
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I'm not convinced by your marketing analysis, either. Can't see the vast difference you seem to think there is between ads in magazines and ads in books.
What I'm seeing is a kind of NIMBY attitude. Its OK for ad-supported models in virtually every other type of media, but it can't be in OUR preferred medium. OUR medium , and by extension, WE are special and shouldn't be sullied by these grubby ads.
Let's review the history of novels. Back in the 19th Century, novels were often sold as serials in magazines- magazines that included ads. That continued right into the 1960s . The Foundation novels by Asimov were originally serialized in magazines-magazines that yes, Virginia, had ads in them. There is nothing in the novel form that says that ads are verboten.
Elfwreck seems to focus on why big publishers might not want to do ads in books. That's as maybe, but the freemium model really isn't for the big guys. In the gaming and software industry, where the freemium model is prevalent, its the independent, small developers who primarily use this model. Its a way of offering their products free or at a discount, while enabling them to get a stream of income from the ads.
With the Ios games I am familiar with, the games are limited only to the Ios platform-hence, NOT universal-and cannot be shared, so its a sale to one customer. They are free with ads and $2.99-4.99 to upgrade to premium. Apparently, they make money for their guys despite being limited to one platform and one customer.
It seems to me this can work for independent writers too. People here are always telling aspiring writers here that they need to give away their work and praise writers for it. Well, all that praise and goodwill doesn't pay bills. People here seem to want their writers starving and working "only for their art".
Ad supported freemium would allow these writers to make some money AND offer the books to consumers for cheap or free. Elfwreck and other folk seem to be just freaking out over the possibility of ADS in their precious books,
without understanding could be a boon for the independent writer.