Quote:
Originally Posted by haertig
In order to successfully sell something that can otherwise be easily had for free, you need to add value.
I hate to say it, but selling something by subscription only, that you cannot download (meaning you have to be online to read it?), that requires a custom app supported by only one person (and only available on a subset of devices), to read a custom book format that you designed and nobody else uses - is not "adding value". It is subtracting from it.
I have no doubt you are a talented programmer. However, I would recommend targeting some different area that is not already well established like ebooks are. A new eBook format is not needed, and would only have a chance of succeeding if it was pushed by an industry giant - like Apple or Microsoft or Google or Amazon. The chance of a single individual developing a new format that anybody but the most naive would actually use, is zilch. Even when the big guys are pushing a new format, the consumers don't want it. Rather, it is being forced on them for some other reason - like to enable some harder to defeat DRM most likely. Even the big guys face strong headwinds when trying to force that down consumers throats.
Sorry, I don't mean to stomp on your dream. But your efforts would be better directed at a totally different area than you appear to be going after here.
|
Thank you so much for your candid feedback!
As for the format question, I am still not sure (and knowledgeable enough) if sharing is of so much value to a reader. How many people are likely to share an eBook with friends that they bought with money?
Of course people on MR are an enthusiastic community but how much of the world does it represent? Is everyone who is a classic enthusiast also a PD enthusiast? Are they more likely to be on MR than they are not?
By all means here I want to avoid a confirmation bias and nothing else...