Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
Agreed. That's why we should be buying non-DRM'd e-books, and passing on the rest. (And yes, I know what I'm saying, but how else are publishers going to get the message?)
The best thing we can do for people who get new readers is to inform them of non-DRM sources of books to read.
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I'd really like to believe that such actions would be effective. However, I don't think there is sufficient reality and rational thinking going on in the heads of people demanding DRM. I'd really be interested to find out the true reasoning behind EMI supporting non-DRM music sales, which clearly led the charge to coerce the other major studios to go non-DRM, even for iTMS. That's a fascinating scenario because even before it happened Apple was already in the top 10 music sellers, B&M stores included. It's not like they needed to get rid of DRM to stay afloat or something. Maybe the effect of vendor lock-in was becoming too obvious for some of these music sellers?
Perhaps the only effective way to promote non-DRM sales is to popularize the idea about eBooks not being easily sharable or whatever because of DRM. I don't know a single avid reader who does not share their books and just one time ever and only under the special permission of the publisher is insane and ridiculous, it's insulting really. So maybe if it becomes the most obvious perceived divisive issue for people who are on the fence about eBooks then the sellers and publishers will take notice. I'd also accept watermarking if I could know it didn't change the content of a book. As an author I simply would not accept even a single word changed for this purpose, and it seems all the suggested efforts in this area are based around word substitution.
Of course, until eBook sales make a meaningful impact in the bottom line of major publishers, I don't think they'll move on any coercion tactics, whether it be dollar-voting or FUD.
As for promoting non-DRM sources, I completely agree. I just wish I could find more material that interested me. I currently only know of a handful authors who distribute without DRM that have interested me enough to even download their books, let alone pay. Two of those authors give their eBooks out for free (Peter Watts, Cory Doctorow) and one of those I've paid for is you! heh
Finally, my biggest fear about DRM in eBooks lasting a lot longer than it should is based around this stupid trend of "teaming up" with a distributor for your eBooks. Consumers new to the idea are basically seeing two options, Kindle and nook. Sony may be older but they don't exist at all in the realm of your walk-in reader. Borders? They are going out of business. Target? Target sells like 10 books at a time and the way they set up their store displays, they hide the Sony reader display amongst $250 bose headphones. No wonder they don't sell them. It's a little better in Best Buy but you're going to get the iRex reader muddying up the waters soon there too. And who knows what the sales clerks will say? They make up the most ridiculous lies to sell things to people. I am always overhearing them selling something I know intimate details about and they are so off-base... oy.
So avid readers know B&N, they know Amazon. How do they learn about any alternatives? I think it's a problem because newcomers are being indoctrinated into this idea that you have to essentially join a big club, pick your team, and then stick with it. It's all or nothing, buy a nook and you have to buy all your books from B&N, buy a Kindle and then it's Amazon, even though in both cases that's not true, the idea of it is definitely promoted and perceived.
When I get into a discussion about this with a newbie, and they ask where I get books if not from Amazon I don't have a good short answer: "All over the web, many for free" seems to incite confusion or maybe a sense of being overwhelmed. That's got to be a challenge, to make independent or small distributors better known to the mass consumer audience. How do you convince a person it might be worth their time to look around for media instead of just signing up for the Amazon or B&N kool-aid stream?
I dunno, maybe I'm seeing a blacker sky than is really there but it seems like a huge challenge to get most people to do any leg work at all if they don't have to. The all-in-one-store offering does appear rather convenient at first glance. Of course, if you go with B&N you can just get used to being ripped off on nearly every book you buy... maybe that will motivate people to find alternate sources and learn about DRM
Soooo anyway my whole point there is that I fear the general consumer market for eBooks will end up polarized around a couple huge providers, will never actually learn about alternatives, and thus will not care about the DRM issue except possibly for the difficulties in sharing books with friends. That would make it much harder to get consumer interests to work for pressuring publishers to drop DRM.
It seems like ultimately there's two points to jam into every new eBook fan's head before they get too involved:
1. If you ever want to switch from a nook to a kindle or vice versa, you won't get to take any of your "protected" books with you
2. If you ever wanted to share a book, you're at the mercy of those existing systems and definitely can't share with your friend/mother/father/husband who has a Kindle instead of a nook or vice versa. Of course, copying is not necessarily legal without DRM involve, but at least it leaves the decision up to the consumer about whether they are going to follow fair practices for lending or violate the law.
I think those two points are generally understandable by many people. Unfortunately I think they'll be most effective in just turning people off to eBook reading entirely.