Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew H.
No, books are a clear example of the fact that we do live in a free market. The book market (in the US) is more free than most markets.
This is meaningless distinction. Publishers sell books and words.
People read reviews all the time. But people are also interested in best-seller lists because that is also a type of review. I.e., the fact that more people bought this book than that book is some evidence of that book's merit.
I don't think that there are many "social" readers at all. Almost everyone who reads reads for personal reasons.
As for scarcity, that's part and parcel of the free market.
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I respectfully disagree. We do not have a free market in books, nor has the US ever had one. Any book under copyright is not in a free market. Only the holders (and their assigns) of the copyright have a right to produce the book, under whatever terms and price they so choose. Not free at all.
Scarcity is not part and parcel of a free market, plenty is. Yes, there are periods of scarcity, but they are followed by much longer periods of plenty. Only when free market are constrained, are there prolonged periods of scarcity.
The publishing industry uses copyright as a method to impose scarcity and maintain higher prices. And to prevent futher competition, they keep extending it further and further...