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Old 06-25-2009, 08:05 PM   #77
Elfwreck
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It's definitely worth it financially; the key issue is whether the publisher has the ability to figure out the tech involved and how to enter the marketplace. That costs an indefinable amount in concentration and education.

It's not a case of "don't you want to make money?" but "are you willing to change your focus to include a new industry?" Ebook production is done differently; they'd need new workers, new software, new training methods. Ebooks are marketed differently; they'd need to either hire someone they trust to arrange deals with BoB or Fictionwise or whatever, or they'd need to figure out the market themselves.

All that means changing what they do, what "being a publisher" means. And while I very much want all publishers to get into ebooks, pronto ('cos I can't stand to read paper anymore), I understand it's not as simple as "just scan the books & hire an extra proofreader or two."

It's as big a switch as going from restaurants to fast food drive-throughs... and a lot of publishers think it involves the same loss in quality.
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