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Originally Posted by ProfCrash
The Publishers are going to have to adjust to the idea that as computers and tablets grow in usage and popularity, fewer people are going to want paper books....
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They already
have started to adjust. That's why they pushed for agency pricing.
The wholesale model treats ebooks like they are paper books, a concept that doesn't make sense. The self-publishing outlets all use an agency model -- author/self-publisher sets the retail price and the retailer gets a percentage.
By the publisher setting the price, they can also reflect the normal course of economic affairs with demand-based pricing. The more demand for a book (e.g. when it first comes out), the higher the price. As demand falls, you lower the price. Normally this is done with the hardcover/paperback release schedule (hint: hardcovers
don't cost an extra $5-10 to make per copy).
In addition, they are dealing with the legal issues of backlist titles; they stopped windowing titles; they're cutting loose underperforming midlist authors; they're not wasting time with the hordes of unsolicited manuscripts; they're offering deals to self-published authors who make good.
The desire to counter Amazon doesn't come from a decision to "hold onto old business models." It clearly comes from an interest in preventing Amazon from establishing a monopoly in ebooks, which is undoubtedly where things were headed before the iPad -- and where they are now headed again. Nor was there any indication whatsoever that in the publishers' private discussions of "we need to nip this ebook thing in the bud" or "to heck with digital, we are sticking with paper."
I mean, really, what year do you think it is? 2009?
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Originally Posted by ProfCrash
Trying to jack up e-book prices, legally or illegally, to protect the hardback and trade paperback is not going to work. If they keep that up, piracy will thrive...
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They aren't protecting hardcover prices, they're protecting the value of the product they sell, and adjusting prices in accordance with demand.
And somehow, despite higher prices, ebook sales have gone through the roof over the last 2 years, and piracy doesn't seem to be slowing those sales. hmmmm
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Originally Posted by ProfCrash
And I am sorry, but Amazon would have lost position with or without the Agency model. The Nook, Kobo and other new devices were on their way in.
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Those devices already existed. The only new entrant was the iPad, and since that was introduced the Sony devices have gotten sidelined.
It's also pretty clear that Apple would not have taken as much market share as they have if they didn't match Amazon on price, since it's almost as easy to use the Kindle app as to use the iBooks app.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ProfCrash
Publishers have to change how they handle their business. Cut back on the advances, increase the royalties to make up for the loss of advances, and start prepping for the new format.
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Authors don't usually recover their advances. E.g. an author gets a $50k advance, the book sells enough for the author to get $25k in royalties. Cutting advances and increasing royalties means a smaller payment for the authors.
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Originally Posted by ProfCrash
Publishers are already keeping and eye on the Independent authors who are doing well and offering them contracts. Those authors are probably not getting the same type of advances that a newer author would have gotten 10 years ago.
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Yup. Those advances are significantly
larger than 10 years ago.
Hocking got a $2 million advance. How big of an advance would she have gotten if she sent unsolicited manuscripts to a publisher?