Quote:
Originally Posted by TCSimpson
Kind of hard to quantify piracy by saying IF only 1 in 10 bought the book that pirated it, you would make a million more bucks. That's like saying if one in every 10000 that passed by a bookstore stopped to buy a book, then print books would be selling x amount. There's no data that can be provided to prove that any person who pirated would have bought the book. You could just as well offer the argument that because a book was pirated that now that author might have a chance of garnering new readers thus earning him revenue he wouldn't have had before: another thing that there is no data to support.
We can all agree that DRM does not prevent piracy. What it does is frustrate a paying reader who wants to read his book across his multiple devices, although apps help to resolve this issue. Imagine buying your favorite BluRay only to find that you need to buy a new copy for each player in your home. That's what DRM feels like to me.
As for the OP, just like there was a gradual take over in music, so shall it be in books. The physical book will not completely go away, but by and large the digital version will dominate due to ease of access as technology grows. How soon? No one truly knows, all they can do is try to predict.
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I do think DRM does prevent unintentional piracy. The person who gives a copy to a friend or two who then passes it along to a friend or two so soon their are many people who have a copy whether they want it or not. I agree it does not thwart the intentional pirate, who would probably not have bought the book anyway.
Pretty sure there won't be a gradual takeover in ebooks as with music, and it actually seemed pretty sudden to me with music, unless publishers are prepared to sell their books for a buck apiece and where would that eave the royalties paid to authors? Still I could be wrong and they will all go crazy tomorrow and sell ebooks for a nickel a pop. Then you can say I told you so
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But why? as fjtorres pointed out different demographics with ebooks than music. The majority of book buyers reads one or two a month and are adults able to and comfortable with paying the same prices for paper books. In fact many are happy to pay extra for the convenience. And some people take extra pride in reading a book that they don't find in listening to a song. And music as such has a long tradition of being free simply by turning on the radio. Many of us spent our allowances on records, tapes, CDs and DVDs but we also listened to long hours of broadcast music. Books you had to buy or borrow. I don't even know of an audiobook broadcasting station, do you?
And perhaps you think that books are written as fast as a pop music song? Perhaps they are but I don't think so. Not that I know of course, but doesn't seem likely.
I have no liking for DRM but I see the publishers reason for using it, and I definitely support their right to use it just as I support my right to try and keep my property safe.
These are business people with all kinds of ways to determine if DRM or lack of it would make them more money, and it is their right to want to make more money, just as it is mine.
Pretty sure they have spent time and money on studies to determine whether the music model of selling would be to their advantage.
Although they are capable of stupidity or miscalculated risks I don't think they are the stupid simple souls you take them for.
Helen