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Originally Posted by rlauzon
No longer needed. Peer networks do a much better job.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rlauzon
Unnecessary today. The internet and word of mouth does a much better job.
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No they don't. Every peer network devolves in short order into factionalized fan clubs that yield very little useful information. What valuable information is there ends up requiring way too much effort from the user to glean. The longer any community exists, the more it comes to resemble Slashdot. They become populated with personalities that treat their own preferences as "The One True Way" and spit on any other opinion with religious zeal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlauzon
Posting the first chapter of the book for free, for example, does a much better job of promotion - and costs almost nothing.
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Also not true. Some obscure Web site in a remote corner of the digiverse is not going to get noticed. Getting it noticed requires one heck of a lot of time and effort. You either hire astroturfers, or you spend more time promoting than writing. Since that costs either time or money, it will show up in the bottom line of the ebook.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlauzon
Value to the author only. Not an excuse to make eBooks cost more.
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You keep making that distinction, but it's meaningless. If something is of value to the "manufacturer," said "manufacturer" is going to pass it on to the consumer. Safety goggles in an auto factory are only of value to the employees. So are salaries. So are health care benefits. Those things still show up in the bottom line.