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I thought the concept of friction was interesting. It isn't so much that the publishers are worried about piracy - they are worried that we will do what we do - fill up our holds list, and read something else while we wait. And that is all about friction, or lack thereof. But frankly, I don't think ebooks are any worse than reserving books. Last night I was driving home, and a train was coming. So I turned around, and parked in front of the library, and went in to pick up the book I had put on hold last week. When I came out, the train was just pulling through the intersection, and so I turned around and made it home, no more than 30 seconds later than I would have. And the book is brand new. (Heft by Liz Moore)
Unfortuntely, as people read less and less, the purchasers that publishers lose to libraries mean more and more. And the ease with which we can now use libraries, whether it is by ebooks or reserving books, means a group of dedicated readers has dropped out of the book buying market. I used to buy amost $1000 of books a year, in groups of $50. Now, I get all the paperback books from the library (or the Harlequin 5 cent sale), and reserve the bestseller hard covers I can't wait for. And frankly, the actions of the publishers over the last year or so has left a really, really bad taste in my mouth. I used to think they were part of the holy grail that delivered books to me. But now, reading a large number of self-published books that are darn good and finding library ebooks and reserved books, I think it will be a long, long time before I ever go into a book store again. I have the New York Times Bestseller List in front of me, and go on line and reserve what I want.
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