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Originally Posted by charleski
I agree that heavy, bulky hardbacks are actually undesirable in many cases and though I've bought many of them, I'd have preferred the option of a Trade paperback. The question is, 'How does this translate into the world of ebooks?' Is there a way to distinguish a 'premium' ebook from a mass-market version in any way other than release date?
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Sure, and we'll see if anyone tries it.
The ePub format seems to be becoming the standard, though there is still some way to go. ePub is a container, and the container can hold more than just the text of a book.
Consider a premium ePub edition with the book itself, plus a video interview with the author, an audio copy of the book, a portfolio of art inspired by the book... It might need to be issued on a DVD, but it's entirely possible, and I've already seen something like it.
"Director's Cut", anyone?
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Some may say that publishers should just drop stratification completely and move to a flat-pricing model. They're ignoring the fact that this will mean higher prices for books at the low-end, as the mass-market would no longer be subsidised by those willing to pay more to get the premium version.
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I'm not sure the mass market is subsidized by the higher priced spread. There are still any number of books that don't get hardcover or trade PB editions. What subsidizes them? MMPB editions need to be profitable in themselves. Not all will be - some books just don't sell very well, and the author soon finds herself without a contract - but books that do sell well enough make money.
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Dennis