Quote:
Originally Posted by macminer
Probably no, because these days before you even print a book, you actually have it in a digital format. The additional cost of exporting it into an ebook is only borne once (as opposed to the cost of printing every single copy of pbook). So producing an ebook doesn't mean a significantly bigger overhead for the publisher. With paperback you still have to bear the cost of paper, printing, stocking, shipping, which wasn't included in any way within the cost of the hardback.
On the other hand, I can imagine that if I go to the bookshop and buy two copies of the same book (eg. a paperback for myself and a hardback for a gift) I might try to ask the bookshop for some discount, but I'd consider that a favor, not my right.
I also think that VHS vs. DVD is not an ideal analogy of pbook vs. ebook. Most movies sold in the era of VHS didn't start as digital, so if someone releases a DVD, they have to convert the original source to digital, then have to produce a DVD, ship it, stock it etc. A better analogy would be a DVD vs. a downloadable mpeg (but still not ideal, as the cost of digital video storage and bandwidth is significantly higher than with ebooks).
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Absolutely correct. To keep pushing any material-material pseudo-analogy instead of material-digital one is to intentionally ignore and disrespect the topic at hand. I understand it can be done once or twice, but since it has been answered in this thread several times -- as inadmissible -- any repetition is no longer appropriate, for the original thread purposes. Start your own, comrades.
MacMiner, as a fellow ex-Eastern Blocker, understands what I'm alluding to very well. After perusing this forum, I've come to realize that the kolkhoz mentality here is very strong -- the kulak being Amazon, and the kindle-less unwashed masses, especially European ebook-peasantry, trying to make it disgorge its ill-gotten American capitalist gains. Never mind Amazon in fact invented and built the majority of the ideas and infrastructure which makes Kindle the king, and maintains it very well.
The negative response to a very clear and unambiguous idea, distorted by many a lying kolkhoznik here -- I never said "give," always mentioning discounts instead -- shows the traits of those typical kolkhozniks very clearly:
-- not owning a Kindle but loving to disparage it
-- demanding radical changes from Amazon, instead of building your own store, device, and negotiating your own rights
-- distorting material vs. digital arguments by irrelevant, misleading, and downright dishonest comparison to material vs. material upgrades
-- distorting the discount issue into freebie scarecrow
-- avoiding the key fact that Amazon, B&N and small web publishers for the first time in history do have the way to prove physical purchases, upgrade to ebooks, and do it in an economical way
-- not understanding how the actual digital upgrade provided by Amazon already works
Those kolkhozniks who keep repeating themselves while fitting the above description hardly can have much left to contribute, I'm afraid. On the other hand, it's good to see some reasonable folks showing up. Not all is lost in this kolkhoz of a forum.
Just as a matter of courtesy to fellow readers, I'd appreciate if those who don't know how the actual digital upgarde works right now do not bother to argue here.