Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Thanks for the correction!
Yes, readers of English-language books are fortunate in having access to many sources of eBooks which are outside the clutches of the EU "tax man". It must be much harder for readers of other languages like French, German, etc.
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yes, it is, and the general impression here is that publishers are deliberately trying to shoot themselves in the foot and make sure that ebooks don't gain popularity. not only is the ebook offer pathetically anemic, but the Sony / Fnac partnership which should have allowed ebooks to really take off is absolutely scandalous : not only is the offer quite limited, but as i mentioned the prices are outrageous : only around 5% reduction (if that) compared to hardcover prices,
even for books already available in paperback editions. also, the Dastardly Duo is quite shamelessly trying to suggest (during the training sessions for sellers at the Fnac) that you can ONLY read books bought at the Fnac on the Sony, among other patent lies.
It's all the more ironic that 1. Hachette Books has branches in the US which already sell ebooks so they really should know how it works ; i can't for the life of me imagine why they think that the french will put up with such blatant double standards, and 2. as someone mentioned in the french discussion on the subject, ok, it's taken the US 10 years to get to the point they are currently at with regard to ebooks (offer, pricing, etc.) but there is no reason for France to take 10
more years : why do the industries seem so stubbornly determined to avoid learning from each others' previous experiences ??? Hachette France should look at Hachette US, and the publishers should look at the film and music industries who have already been down this road, instead of blindly making exactly the same mistakes AGAIN. it seems to me like willful stupidity.