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Realistically, it is likely unprofitable to spend time and money publishing back catalogs. We won't have that problem in the future with ebooks that were released when a book first hits the market.
But for now, there are two problems. Either the expectation of low sales or high sales. Low sales is self explanatory....few copies times a small price simply isn't worth it.
Lots of sales at a low price takes money away from higher margin new books.
That's why the used book bin will never be the strike price for an ebook. If you want an ebook, the new paperback price is likely the lowest price we'll ever see. And then only as long as paper back books remain a significant market.
If I spend 15 hours reading a 20 year old novel, I'm just as entertained as reading a new novel for 15 hours. Why should I presume to pay less?
Lee
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