Quote:
Originally Posted by stonetools
Now I don't know what the model for ads in ebooks could work. What I doknow is that such a model exists- it just hasn't been found yet. The wise businessman to concieves of such a model -and the wise author who partners with that businessman - will make big money by catering to the ad-tolerant person.
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For a hundred years, publishers & authors have been trying to figure out how to subsidize novels with ads--unsuccessfully. Readers will tolerate promotions of related materials, but not the kind of advertising that brings in outside dollars.
The ad-supported other media are flailing in the wake of free content available on the internet. *Nothing* indicates that ads will be more successful in books then they've been at the tops of webpages... where it takes thousands of viewers to be worth a few dollars. An ebook isn't read by thousands of viewers; it's usually read by one. Who won't be flipping back to the start to see the ad every time she opens the book. (Ad could appear before each opening? --sure, if you rewrote the firmware for every ereader the book's available for.)
Nobody's offered a list of advertisers lining up to pay $1-3 of the end price of a book for the right to place their ads inside, much less advertisers willing to pay the *entire* list price of an ebook for the ability to inflict ads on the readers.
Until the project has the support of
the people with the money, it's a useless plan. Yes, there are readers who will tolerate ads. Quite a lot of them. But that's not the same as "readers who will buy the products advertised"--and advertisers know that. They count on widespread access at low costs-per-ad, which doesn't happen with novels.
DRM'd ebooks are sold on a one purchase=1-6 readers plan... and all of those readers share an account. Advertisers won't pay $1-6 to reach "up to six people."