[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by Direct Ebooks

I agree that this does happen, but its not a legitimate excuse to pirate.

I'm not trying to say that it is, only that it happens. And because it happens, it's something that publishers need to manage.

You have a whole continuum, from people who would never dream of reading an illicit copy of an ebook to people who wouldn't buy a legitimate one at any price. The former are already yours, and the latter never will be. The contested territory is in the middle, where you have people teetering between the "good" and "bad" sides. The harder it is to buy a book legitimately, the higher the price:value ratio as seen by the buyer, and the more negatively they feel about the seller, the more likely that person is to tip over to the "bad" side, and probably stay there.

Basically, publishers' own actions are pushing people who with a little effort could be long-term customers into becoming long-term pirates instead. That's not good for anyone. And the "more laws! harsher sentences! D-R-M! D-R-M!" approach will make things worse instead of better.

Most people, given the chance, prefer to act in ways that let them see themselves as good. And when they do something wrong, or even questionable, they justify it to themselves in some way. "They treat their customers like dirt" is one of those ways, and "They make it way too hard/expensive/cumbersome to buy/use it legitimately" is another. Treating the customers worse and making it harder for them to buy or use a product does not, despite the publishing (and music) industry's thinking, build goodwill and encourage sales over piracy.

Many publishers are experimenting with ways to make their products worth their customers money. (enhanced editions, better formatting, vooks etc)

I've got a better idea: how about if they keep the same content, and charge less money?

I don't want to read a book that plays videos at me, links to Web content, or, honestly, does anything else except lie there quietly on the page. I want the electronic equivalent of a mass market paperback, and sold at a price proportional to its cost to the publisher -- i.e., lower than the price of a paperback that must be printed, etc. If they want me to read new ebooks instead of Project Gutenberg, they need to sell them at a price proportional to what I'm actually getting. Which is, frankly, not a lot.

Is there a role for publishers in a digital-only or digital majority future?

That depends on what the publishers want their role to be. Gatekeepers to publication? Probably not. Anyone with a manuscript can sell their very own literary disaster now. But adding value through editing, development, and the not-inconsequential advantage of a known and trusted name? That, they could do. I'll take a chance on a book from Baen, say, when I wouldn't bother with a self-published or vanity press book, whether paper or electronic. If the publishers went mad for quality control and proofreading so you knew you were buying the very best, if they chose and worked with the best authors and made them better, then yes, they could not only keep the status quo, but position themselves as premium brands, at a premium price. But when they pump out badly-OCR'd crap and try to charge premium prices for it, when they treat their customers like dirt, when they pull stuff like the agency pricing BS, then they're destroying their own goodwill, and with it their market.

Thats certainly part of the issue - having said that almost half of eBook readers read on a computer or laptop.

Will that continue, though? As ebook readers become more affordable, which seems to be starting, I think more will end up in the hands of people who don't own computers or don't want to read on them. I bought my PRS so I could read Project Gutenberg in bed!

Thats an interesting way of looking at it. I think we will see more and more multi-use devices (ipad etc) that will negate that particular argument.

It's possible, or it's possible that it might go the other way, with more dedicated devices.

Many early adopters are voracious readers - we have many customers who read 8-12 titles a week (wish I had the time!)...

Don't we all?

...so the initial outlay is not a huge factor with them I'm guessing.

That's true for early adopters in general. They'll pay scads of money to get the newest and coolest toys. I'm in the next generation, I'll pay more than I can afford to get reasonably new and cool toys. But the following generation is going to be people who read a book or two a month and want to be able to do so more conveniently. That's when the amortized price of the device adding to the book price becomes important.