Quote:
Originally Posted by ahi
Forgive me, Hans, but this seems plainly wrong to me.
Consider how the creative professions traditionally supported themselves throughout most of history, and it is actually the last 100 or so years that suddenly look like an aberration, not the increasingly prevalent attitude that the costless reproduction of creative works ought not be a guarantee of livelihood to their authors, and much less to their publishers.
Not to mention that some amazing books even less than two hundred years ago were written on a subscription basis... that is to say, the author found enough people willing to pony up (or promise to pony up) money for his book in advance to it being written to make his efforts (including paying for printing, et al) worthwhile.
Author's getting 3% - 10% of the purchase price, and the fundamentally non-creative book industry (of publishers, printers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers) getting the other 90% - 97% is not the only viable model... nor is it even one that seems particularly defensible to me.
And I write all this as a publisher.
- Ahi
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Why is that any time someone is against the idea that digital media has zero value everyone simply starts spouting this trash about the traditional publishing ways not working in this new digital age. That is not the point!
No where in Hans' entire post did he/she advocate the traditional model. In other posts he/she clearly states the traditional models need to change.
So why claim the idea you quoted is wrong and use as your argument that the traditional ways do not work?
No matter how you put it the idea that digital media has zero value can only lead to people wanting to pay zero for it. If people want to pay zero for it then subscriptions, grants or any other new/old idea on how to pay for future creative digital works means nothing because people will see it as having no value and therefore will not give any money for it.
Now, yes there will always be some people who create simply for the joy of creating. And yes, not many have ever been able to fully support themselvs on the income from their writing. However, many have been able to work part time and devote much more time to their craft because they made some money from the writing. In many cases their craft has improved too, thus increasing the quantity and quality of the art we as consumers have to choose from.
In the brave new digital world where the prevailing mindset is "it's digital so it has no value and so it should be free", the vast majority who could create something of true worth will not because of the need to provide for themselves and their family. Further, the quantity and quality of art to choose from will substantially decrease.
And all that isn't even considering how absolutely selfish and childish the idea that "I want it for free so the author should just give it to me for free" really is! If you want to read an authors work, even in digital format, man up and pay a fair price for it.(whatever that is decided to be)
Cheers,
PKFFW