Quote:
Originally Posted by cfrizz
Read this article.
https://platformthing.com/2012/05/17/fungible-ebooks/
I won't buy any of my favorite writers books at the prices they charge. I'll try to get it at the library, otherwise I will buy 2-3 other books instead with that money. If I happen to come across a sale of said book at 2.99 or less, THEN I will buy it. Otherwise, I will keep reading the tons of other books that I have. |
Unfortunately, that article doesn't have valid links to either side of the argument they are discussing.
The arguments they do bring up to support the idea that books are fungible are:
1. Books are fungible at a macro level.
2. If I have a pile of books and I don't know what's in them, then they are fungible.
Both of those are laughable arguments in terms of individuals buying books, which was the point of the discussion. They are really trying to explain why books wouldn't all cost the same, if books
were fungible. Which is putting the cart before the horse.
Fungibility is about interchangeability. You can't swap out steak for oatmeal, because it makes a difference to the buyer which one they get. You can usually swap oats grown in California for those grown in Iowa, and you can usually swap a 2016 Series dollar bill for a 2000 Series. Because different types of food are not fungible, but different types of oats are.
The fact that I will buy a different book if the one I want to read is unavailable or too expensive isn't evidence of fungibility.