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Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan
A major element of the entitlement people feel towards all things is the belief that something that is at once desirable is, at the same time, essentially worthless. Ebooks carry that exact impression with many web denizens, including many of those on this website: That, while they have artistic merit, they are practically/commercially worthless. If there is no worth, there is no reason it should not be given to me; so I'll just take it, since it has worth to me. A typically, egotistically circular logic that reveals itself as senseless and thoughtless.
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Makes sense. A lot of the perceived value of an item is in its potential resale price, even if you have no intention of ever selling it. With no legal way to resell digital items, the perceived value will be zero. People who buy them are basically buying disposable entertainment, like a film rental. That's why so many people are suprised at the price of ebooks in relation to real books.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan
When I write, I am not practicing a "hobby." I am trying to build a second income, which will hopefully become a major source of income on such a day (if ever) that I retire. I don't expect people to shower me with money for nothing; I expect them to appreciate the work I put in to entertain them, and compensate me for that specific work. That's how the world transacts business, all businesses, and there is absolutely no reason why writing should be any different.
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Then you are writing the wrong type of books. When you write for money you don't have the luxury of writing what you want to write. You need to be writing books that will cash in on whatever the latest literary or social craze is, write them fast, and get them out there before the craze ends or it becomes so saturated that there's no money left in it.