Quote:
Originally Posted by stonetools
The KESO will be offered at a discount. ... Let's say $5. For some KESOs, you would get the ebook free. Even if you pay a price, the value of the Special Offers is such that the ebook pays for itself over time or even makes you a profit.
Writers can opt whether they want to offer a KESO or not along side the KE. If they choose to offer a KESO of their work, they get a cut from the advertisers. I expect that independent writers will swarm over this opportunity, with bestselling authors joining later. Later on there are Nook Book Special Offers and Kobobooks Special Offers as the model spreads.
How's that for a vision of the future?
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Potentially reasonable in the abstract; it's when one tries to imagine the details that it falls apart.
Who are these advertisers? Not the exact list, but... name 10 advertisers who would probably pay $1 per sale to have a splash page at the front of an ebook.
To make it simpler, narrow it down. Assume the book is a Stephen King novel, a horror-esque thing about factories being haunted by the ghosts of people who died at work. Retail ebook is $14.99, no discounts; it's sold at all the major ebook stores.
Which advertisers are interested in paying for space on the KESO? Five of them at $1 each to bring the price down to $10, or 10 of them to bring the price down to $5? How will they react to comments left in the reviews section that say "download [drm-cracking software] to remove the ads?"
Will the KESO books be available on the kindle-for-PC-etc programs, or will you need the KESO-KINDLE only for them? How will the ads work on those other devices--will your computer need to be online to open the ebook?
"A cut" from advertisers? Why take less than the full price that the book is being reduced? They *know* that ads are a nuisance and will turn off some customers; if the book is $5 less, why would they accept less than $5 for it?
Many indie authors might go for less -- but we've seen *no* signs that mainstream publishers will accept any reduction of their profits. (We've seen no signs that they'll allow <$10 ebooks, even if they get full profit. They've specifically said they don't want the public to expect ebooks to cost $10 or less.)
As an abstract economic model it makes sense. When trying to apply it to the real world--the place where we actually buy ebooks--it doesn't; it doesn't fit the business world's methods. There's no indication that advertisers are willing to pay dollars per book to get their content included, and no indication that many publishers will be willing to accept the model at all.
"They'll see the little guys be successful at it and then they'll join" is false; they haven't done so with non-DRM'd ebooks.