Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
Yeah, they're fungible. Not in the aggregate; indies are not a substitute for trad pub, but individual titles are mostly fungible. I.e., one can always find a book to read and most are willing and able to practice some self-restraint when necessary in terms of accessing a particular title.
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Not really. Sure, one can always find something to read, but the industry is driven by best sellers and name recognition. A portion of the reader community reads generic books, i.e. doesn't care much about the author or title. But the money is in the best sellers and big name authors. The average title is not a substitution for picking up the latest best seller for most readers. That's why there are best sellers. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the massive difference in sales figures for titles.
Most are not willing to practice self-restraint. That's why so many hard back best sellers are sold at a price that far exceeds what the reader would pay if they were willing to wait even a few months.