Quote:
Originally Posted by rupescissa
My argument here is 1.) that the analogy that compares the e-book market to early tv is not a good one; 2.) that advertising and book-reading don't go together; 3.) that it is wishful thinking to believe that advertisers could ever somehow force book publishers--who do not now rely on advertising revenue--to come to terms on the confused mess that is e-book publishing. To imply that my arguments are invalid because I do not make alternative proposals is not a refutation.
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It's a thoughtful response, and deserves an equally thoughtful acknowledgment.
1) You may be right that the analogy to early TV is not a good one. I don't lean heavily on this analogy myself. I prefer to look at early print publishing (e.g. serial publications) and contemporary web publishing.
2) I disagree, because historically they have sometimes gone together, e.g. serials, and for that matter, ads in the back of existing books. There might be many readers who would find it jarring to have an advertisement placed within the text of a book, e.g. at the end of a chapter, but without some kind of study or at least a poll, I don't think either of us can say what proportion of readers would accept this, especially in free books, vs. those who would not. (Of course, if you have such a study to reference, I'd be happy to hear about it.)
3) Existing book publishers may not want to consider this kind of revenue source. However, there is no reason to believe that they will be the major publishers in the future. Technology changes often cause a shake-up in publishing markets. As portable electronic devices become common, the way in which people read-- and what they read, is likely to change. It may be that if books don't adapt to these kinds of devices, book reading will become even less common than it is already.
Again, without some kind of study on which to base a conclusion, we're all just shooting in the dark here. But anecdotally, I can tell you that my kids are much more likely to read on the screen than I am, and my 13-year-old daughter, when I loaned her my eBookwise 1150, primarily wanted to know how to download fanfiction so she could carry it around. She reads these documents on a screen now, with ads. That's most of what she reads, and she spends hours every day doing it.
You are correct that failing to provide alternative proposals is not a refutation of your points, of course, whether or not I agree with your points. However, I still believe there are problems approaching with the current publishing systems. You may not agree, and even if you agree, you may feel no obligation to propose alternative solutions to these upcoming problems. I personally feel that contributions to discussions which only criticize or find weaknesses in another's suggestions, as opposed to also making constructive suggestions, are a bit one-sided, but that's just my style, I guess.