Quote:
Originally Posted by Mims
I think a lot of us agree that the ebook future we envisioned 20 years ago didn’t happen.
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The future that happened is very different, primarily in tbe fact that traditional publishers are not the only game in town. The digital world doesn't appear as big as many expected because the primary metric is still readers sales, in dollars. But it doesn't factor in rentals and the significantly lowered APub and Indie prices.
One of the consequences of the pandemic is that a lot of marginal bookstores are looking at a month or two, maybe more, with zero revenues, but not zero rent or utilities. Not all will survive to reopen.
Publishers themselves also face a big disruption from their slot-based pipelines. All the recent releases not being bought will either be returned for pulping to make room for the next wave of releases or the entire pipeline gets delayed by however long it takes to get back to something resembling normal.
At a minimum it is a revenue-free hiatus, at worst a total reshuffling of the entire print industry. Even ebook resisters will have to go digital.
Not the way the ebook evolution was supposed to go but then nobody expected a publisher conspiracy ten years ago.
Stuff happens.
All we can do is wait for the dust to settle.