Thread: A serious topic
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Old 03-28-2009, 09:26 AM   #60
Steven Lyle Jordan
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I mentioned selling paradigms before, and I've singled out literature, television (programs), and end-cap products. Here's another product that might have similarity implications to e-book selling: Candy.

Think about how candy is sold: Often a last-minute thought, a treat at check-out, or (heh) something to shut up that unruly toddler. They can be sold singly or in bulk. They are cheap, bought with "mad money" as an incidental. You largely know from the label what you're getting. The cost is so low, that you won't even mind if it turns out to be a flavor you're not that fond of (you sure won't trek back to the store for a refund because you didn't like it!). Yes, they can be stolen... they're pocket-sized. But in fact, candy makes so much money through sales like this, that all other considerations are moot.

Here's another: The latest trend in end-cap products, the "gift card wall." Huge end-caps or kiosks filled with prepaid cards to spend at this restaurant or that B&N or online store. Buying these cards for others allows you to pass on an easy gift, which gives the recipient some choice in what they ultimately buy. It is pre-paid by the gifter, so the ricipient does not have to pay at time of purchase, making the item's cost less important at time of sale (this applies, even if you bought the card for yourself), and therefore reducing the inclination to steal from a vendor.

So think about how e-books could be packaged and sold based on those paradigms. Then think about all the other selling paradigms out there, and how many of them might apply to e-books. I believe this simple exercise has not been done by the majority of e-book sellers out there, including the Big Pubs. And until it is done, we won't know how many successful selling models there may be for e-books. That is what we should be concentrating on, in order to prove that DRM is the least effective model for e-book selling.

Last edited by Steven Lyle Jordan; 03-28-2009 at 09:33 AM. Reason: See earlier post. Then move on. (Thanks, Sparrow!)
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