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Originally Posted by Liviu_5
I agree completely with you here - I was just confused since I hear many times the mantra "as an author, publisher, studio... I have the right to do anything I want with my work" and that is used to justify for example refusal to do ebooks, using drm including rootkits - luckily not for ebooks so far, and so on.
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Well, while I retain the rights, I
do have the right to decide whether I want my work to be released in any particular format... or not at all, which would mean no one would see it until it reached public domain.
Obviously, it seems silly to not release your work, but for example, I'd consider it perfectly reasonable to specify that I did not want my books to be printed in a hardback format, due to environmental concerns. Or printed in 1-point type on a T-shirt. It is my choice, however stupid or ill-considered that choice may be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Liviu_5
Now I am mixed on the "right to refuse to release a book as an ebook" since I am not sure that ebooks are and should be treated differently than another format say like mmpb vs hc, and I have not heard of authors refusing to release their works only in hc, but it may also be argued that ebooks are essentially different - this is a debate we should have more btw - and of course I disagree completely with any form of drm that ensure vendor/system lock in.
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Agreed: We need more discussion regarding exactly what an e-book is to be considered. I see an e-book, as compared to a printed book, as analogous to a television program, as compared to a DVD of that program... the DVD and print versions are solid commodity... and the electronic versions, which carry the same information in a different medium, may have to be considered as a "free to receive" broadcast version, or a paid commodity when received in a particular format (like cable TV).
This is why I suspect that an advertiser/patron model may be the best way to profit from e-books, just as television is thus supported. And if e-books are immediately released to the public someday, then print books may be the equivalent of DVDs, making additional money for the work at some point after the initial "free to receive" release.