Discussion: eBook Publishing Model proposals

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Okay, so you collect for reference (and just because you happen to like "Progress in Optics Volume VI"). That's not a "what the hey" reason, you have a legitimate reason to collect those texts.

Even a music downloader who collects gigabytes of music they may never listen to, generally limits their collection to the genre of music they prefer, as evidenced by the fact that the majority of music downloaded and/or pirated has been collected by young people, and the majority of the legit and illegit content out there is the popular music (mostly rock and R&B) favored by those same young people. And with books, where the news is filled with Harry Potter pirates, but noticeably absent of Mike Hammer pirates.

That's something to think about in terms of e-books, because if you can create a system that the young people (who tend to be the early-adopters) will accept, it will have to be with content they want (or need). You can thereby establish a model with them, and once it is successful, expand it to encompass other genres. (That could even be why pubs aren't rushing to bring old content to e-books, as they don't expect young early adopters to want it. Maybe.)

[nekokami]

Mmm... publishers have shown a notable lack of interest in what young readers are interested in so far, apparently on the grounds that young readers don't tend to own hardware suitable for reading on. (And I still think a reader for PSP would be a killer app if combined with books for young adults.)

As far as "collecting" or "hoarding" goes, yes, there seem to be quite a few people out there who collect (or hoard) entirely for the sake of accumulating titles, whether or not they are at all interested in the content. This has been suggested as one reason some of the content is so badly proofed and formatted.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Mmm... publishers have shown a notable lack of interest in what young readers are interested in so far, apparently on the grounds that young readers don't tend to own hardware suitable for reading on. (And I still think a reader for PSP would be a killer app if combined with books for young adults.)

Just shows how out-of-touch publishers are... because laptops, handhelds, portable game machines, etc, are perfectly good readers. In fact, where adults might balk at using them, kids get used to them readily (who do you think got the world started on Blackberry-sized keyboards?).

I don't know, I would tend to think it's because publishers assume that, on the whole, kids today don't want to read (the occasional Harry Potter book notwithstanding).

[brecklundin]

is "the risk of piracy" any more significant competition from 2nd hand book stores? Ebooks with DRM at a lower price would seem to ADD new customers that would otherwise wait for the previously read copies to hit the used book stores. I suspect that is Amazon's motivation on the $9.99 NYTBS deal. Amazon makes less on each individual sale but uses the economy of scale to predict they make more in the long term as there will not be saleable used copies. BTW, YES they are making a profit @ $9.99 for NYTBS...publicly traded corporations are REQUIRED to not sell anything at a loss. Do you really think you are getting a "free/discounted" phone from Verizon? Even the EVDO access is factored into the price for the Kindle...it's likely that could be the largest expense in producing the device. Sprint is not giving it to Amazon for free unless there is a way to generate revenue for Sprint or they are doing it under a beta-test agreement for their EVDO network.

What will restrict ebook sales (specifically for a proprietary DRM format) is the cost of the reader device. Until the devices can be bought by everyone ebook sales will not be a viable revenue stream. Baen works because of portability/device independence which allows for increase total volume of sales. Baen's nurturing of folks who are doing the Cybook Gen3 thing is another smart move that BigPubCo cannot do either...a device that supports almost anything you can throw at it. Supporting other DRM format's might present a conflict of interest issue because it is not the publisher's format but rather a a format controlled by a competitor.

Interestingly maybe Amazon's purchase of Mobipocket will allow it's eventual absorption into Amazon itself which would perhaps expand Amazon's ability to support other DRM format's. Also, as Mobipocket books with DRM are still the competition because Mobipocket is run as a separate company so Amazon might not be allowed to add support for the device. Not sure...

Portability and device cost are the keys in my opinion.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Oh man, there's nothing like curling up with Progress in Optics Volume VI on a cold winter night!

Derek

DUDE!!!...I think I dated her!! and she made cheese too...

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

What will restrict ebook sales (specifically for a proprietary DRM format) is the cost of the reader device. Until the devices can be bought by everyone ebook sales will not be a viable revenue stream.

Don't forget, e-books can still be read on other than dedicated devices, from full-fledged computers down to iPods. Many people have been reading them that way for years. E-books' success doesn't actually depend on dedicated readers, but if done correctly (so that people want to buy them), it can help.

No, e-books' success depends on content: Having the books (and textbooks, and magazines, etc) that people want to read available, in a format and features they can enjoy using. If the content and format features they want are there, people will buy. And as the iPod/iTunes model has shown us, they'll even accept DRM to get it.

Personally, I haven't been sold on any of the dedicated readers, which is due to the lack of features I want in such a device (color, for instance, but there are others). When such a device does come out, I'll be first in line to buy one.

But even more importantly than that, if the content comes out that I want, and there is a particular device that will let me enjoy the features I desire, I'll buy that device, whether it's a dedicated reader, a new laptop, or a pocket calculator. The device is secondary to the content, and my enjoyment of it.

Perhaps the publishers (and ourselves) are not thinking enough about content being the driver here. Instead of figuring out how to DRM people out of the latest Tom Clancy book, they should be putting the popular books front and center, to get the attention of the masses. Perhaps they should be putting the books for young people front and center, to get the attention of the traditional early adopters. Perhaps they should be putting the glossy mags front and center, to capture the monthly (and weekly) periodical crowd.

If, as the saying goes, "Content is king," then only the availability of content will make e-books successful.

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

If, as the saying goes, "Content is king," then only the availability of content will make e-books successful.

Agreed 100% with the whole post. Devices are secondary, and even now there are enough out there. The problem is that content is not there and until the magic wand that allows to digitize your own print books easily for free (or very, very cheap), the content is not going to be there overnight, the way it happened with mp3's.

Also it may or may not happen (to me the jury is still out there if e-books will succeed in displacing p-books, or even if commercial e-books will succeed in increasing their size of the pie at more than a small fraction - the print books are "very fit" from an ecological point of view in our culture)

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Liviu_5

Also it may or may not happen (to me the jury is still out there if e-books will succeed in displacing p-books, or even if commercial e-books will succeed in increasing their size of the pie at more than a small fraction - the print books are "very fit" from an ecological point of view in our culture)

Yes, most of the culture can't see a good reason to stop reading print books right now. However, I do expect this to change at some point, due to:

• the ever-increasing (and still very small) awareness of the ecological impact that book and magazine printing makes;
• the increasing cost of print-based book distributin, due to the increased costs of chemicals, power and transportation;
• the inherent advantages of electronic files, such as easier storage, always with you, library in your pocket, etc.

I think we can expect to see the attitudes towards printed books and magazines change, especially as the things I listed above become more and more extreme over time.

We're on a tipping point now with many other "accepted norms" of our lifestyles, such as commuting to work, driving gas-guzzling vehicles, burning lights, throwing away trash, etc. Print books can tip over to digital books in the same way.

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

We're on a tipping point now with many other "accepted norms" of our lifestyles, such as commuting to work, driving gas-guzzling vehicles, burning lights, throwing away trash, etc. Print books can tip over to digital books in the same way.

Possible but I think you are underestimating the large degree of inertia of society ("conservatism" without the political connotations).

Anyway, it's good to have many choices and the more e-books appear the better from my point of view; so I hope you're right that e-books will have a faster adoption curve than I believe it will be the case

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Liviu_5

Possible but I think you are underestimating the large degree of inertia of society ("conservatism" without the political connotations).

Anyway, it's good to have many choices and the more e-books appear the better from my point of view; so I hope you're right that e-books will have a faster adoption curve than I believe it will be the case

Well... I didn't exactly say it would be fast...

I do think it will happen. That's why I'm in the game now, hoping I can anticipate the moment, and be prepared to capitalize on it.

Of course, in 1980 I thought we'd all be driving fully electric cars in 2000...

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by Liviu_5

Also it may or may not happen (to me the jury is still out there if e-books will succeed in displacing p-books, or even if commercial e-books will succeed in increasing their size of the pie at more than a small fraction - the print books are "very fit" from an ecological point of view in our culture)

I got a Sony Reader for Xmas not because I want to displace my print collection or buying print books (I spend $200+ a month on p-books) but so that (a) I can inexpensively try new authors and (b) so I can easily carry books with me on trips and to offices where I have to wait (like doctor offices). I think e-books need to be looked at as adjuncts to p-books, not as replacements for p-books.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Don't forget, e-books can still be read on other than dedicated devices, from full-fledged computers down to iPods. Many people have been reading them that way for years. E-books' success doesn't actually depend on dedicated readers, but if done correctly (so that people want to buy them), it can help.

I can tell you that in my case it is the device that matters; content is available, even if not everything. I waited until the new Sony Reader came out before asking my family for a reader for Xmas. I have never read a book for pleasure on either my desktop or my laptop because it seems too much like being at work -- something I want to get away from when I read for pleasure. And I guess I'm one of the odd folks because I do not own an iPod-type device and if I did, I certainly wouldn't want to use it for reading (what are the screens 1 inch x 2 inches?).

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I probably wouldn't read on an iPod either... well, maybe an iPod Touch. But other devices, such as handhelds, have much larger screens that are well suited for reading. And I don't have troubles spending time at my PC or laptop and "feeling like I'm at work," so I can read e-books there, no problem.

For fiction, my handheld is my reader of choice right now. The thing is, everyone's different, and you need to figure out what kind of device works for you. But the device is still moot without the content.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

And I don't have troubles spending time at my PC or laptop and "feeling like I'm at work," so I can read e-books there, no problem.

My problem my be unique (or semi-unique) in this regard. I spend most of my days reading on my computers books that I am editing for publishers, so I need to get away from the computer. If I didn't, I think my wife would kill me. She already complains that I spend more time with my computers than with her . Besides, she is a painter and likes to paint on location but is afraid to go alone (I guess we have developed irrational fears in our doddering years ) and when I tried to use my laptop to read while with her, I found that it was awkward and an unpleasurable experience. My Sony is a cure for that.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by rhadin

My problem my be unique (or semi-unique) in this regard...

As far as home computer usage making you feel as if you're "at work," no, it isn't unusual at all. Many people on these threads have echoed the same feeling. It does seem to be a more common attitude among "older" people than "younger", but this isn't an absolute indicator (so, if you happen to be "older", like me, don't take it personally).

Anyway, it's fortunate that new and developing devices are coming along, to give us choices beyond computers and laptops. I'm eyeing the UMPCs as being possible entertainment- and communications-based replacements for the more business-oriented laptops, and they could turn out to be excellent e-book readers. They are/will be similar in size to readers like the Sony, but some have color, making them viable readers for color material in other formats.

If Amazon ever releases its Kindle format to be installed as on-board readers on other devices, especially those that can take advantage of wireless web access to buy Amazon books on-the-go, UMPCs could prove very popular for e-book reading (as well as other things). Even without Amazon, having access to other material (especially in color) in other formats could prove to be very popular.

So, yes, I'm not discounting the possibility that a "killer box" will greatly improve the prospects for e-books. We can still speculate on that, since we haven't gotten what anyone considers our "killer box" yet. Maybe now that Amazon is poised to become a mass-market e-book provider, we will be able to settle some of the content speculations, and concentrate more on what will constitute the "killer box."