Quote:
Originally Posted by nabsltd
Although ebooks do go out of print just like physical books, I assume the point the authors were making is that they get new buzz every time the book goes back in print.
But, my guess is that like the new release ebook vs. hardback, it will turn out that there won't be any negative affect on overall author revenue even if the ebook is permanently in print. Yes, an ebook is supposedly forever (although we have seen that DRM screws that up), but then so are my physical books. OK, they have some wear, but only the 40+ year old ones. Also, if all I care about is reading the book, I can get a physical copy of some printing for less than $10, and it's probably not going to be a first sale that gives money to the author.
On the other hand, if the ebook is always available, then people who want the book might buy it, which would give money to the author. Meanwhile, with that same book out of print in paper form, the author would have to wait until their publisher decided a re-release was worth the money.
About the only good thing for the author in the current reprint world is that hopefully the new printing will have some sort of proofreading/editing/etc., that will allow fixing old mistakes. With ebooks, the one thing that does seem to be "forever" is that you have to live with the crappy release that most catalog titles seem to get.
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The interesting point that the authors make (though they are talking about DVD verses streaming rather than ebooks) is that when people move to streaming, they broaden their selections rather than focus on the best sellers, thus the note that in walk in stores, 85% of the rentals is for a small group of best sellers, but in the streaming world, the ratio is reversed. I find that a very, very interesting finding and one with interesting ramifications.