Quote:
Originally Posted by MGlitch
Aside from pricing and DRM what other factors are within the publishers ability to control which would affect ebook sales.
I'd also point out piracy of ebooks, with or without DRM, is likely a factor in the declining sales.
The costs of ebook versus pbook have been debated before and while ultimately pbooks are more expensive the difference is less than what many tend to think. Up until printing and shipping the costs are, essentially identical. Thanks to bulk rates printing costs are kept lower than what the general public would spend. And shipping costs are often offloaded to whatever seller is procuring the books for sale.
So how would publishers better adapt to ebooks?
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Ebook sales overall are still growing.
Not shrinking.
The independent pie is advancing, and it is partially at the expense of the publishing house pie.
I am not sure that the publishing houses have much to offer.
They could offer a better royalty split, and cease leaving people's back lists out of print. That ccould help.
They might quit shooting themselves in the stomach by treating editors and interns better. As it is, they are training some of the freelance editors who indie authors hire. Not the brightest move. At some point treating employees as disposable turns disastrous. All non competitive employment clauses which are not tightly defined are unenforceable. They might want to plug that wound before they bleed out. Not that I will miss them.