MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Charlie Stross: Publishers "Cutting their own throats"

Greg Anos · 12-01-2011, 06:58 AM

Also, nobody seems to want to split the cost of new book vesus existing book.

Some one is working on a new book required much more support (and expense) that an existing book. (Editing, layout, ect.)

An existing book requires a ocr, proofing and building the ebook layout(s) and some form of cover (of which there is at least one existing one - the original printing. The scanning and proofing takes me around 24 working hours per 300 page book. I know a e-book builder (for Epub) who does the building for around 100 euros a book (and has been doing it as a contractor for commerical interests over the last year or so.)

So, for existing books, where is the great expense? (If I charged my professional programmer's rate, the scanning and proofing rate would still be soemwhat less than $1000) At $20/HR (x 24 hrs) would be $480. Plus another $150 (100 Euros) and you're talking $630 + plus cover. (And you could use a dummy cover to save expenses). Folks, this isn't rocket science for an existing book. Of, course, if you have a really fancy layout, the e-book building will cost more.

There are no editor's cost, design layout costs, ect for an existing book. And that's where the frustration comes in. Whole publishers, et.al., keep screaming for longer and longer copyrights, and scream about the great losses from piracy, at the same time they won't ever invest $600 to $1000 a title, to be able to sell it for decades. And that's just completetly stupid.

12-01-2011, 06:58 AM	#49
Greg Anos Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,531 Karma: 37057604 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Pocketbook	Also, nobody seems to want to split the cost of new book vesus existing book. Some one is working on a new book required much more support (and expense) that an existing book. (Editing, layout, ect.) An existing book requires a ocr, proofing and building the ebook layout(s) and some form of cover (of which there is at least one existing one - the original printing. The scanning and proofing takes me around 24 working hours per 300 page book. I know a e-book builder (for Epub) who does the building for around 100 euros a book (and has been doing it as a contractor for commerical interests over the last year or so.) So, for existing books, where is the great expense? (If I charged my professional programmer's rate, the scanning and proofing rate would still be soemwhat less than $1000) At $20/HR (x 24 hrs) would be $480. Plus another $150 (100 Euros) and you're talking $630 + plus cover. (And you could use a dummy cover to save expenses). Folks, this isn't rocket science for an existing book. Of, course, if you have a really fancy layout, the e-book building will cost more. There are no editor's cost, design layout costs, ect for an existing book. And that's where the frustration comes in. Whole publishers, et.al., keep screaming for longer and longer copyrights, and scream about the great losses from piracy, at the same time they won't ever invest $600 to $1000 a title, to be able to sell it for decades. And that's just completetly stupid.