Why Book Publishers Are Still Dragging Their Heels on Selling You E-Books

zigzagz · 06-06-2013, 02:31 PM

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/...-books-format/

frahse · 06-06-2013, 08:27 PM

They feel they are being dragged kicking and screaming over the precipice.

ProfCrash · 06-07-2013, 08:48 AM

They are idiots.

I love the comments. One person keeps commenting that one EMP and you are screwed. Maybe we should all build one of those metal boxes and store one external hardrive, a laptop, and an ereader (plus their chargers and the like). So if there is one emp we have a set of devices that still works.

I think I have been watching too much Doomsday Preppers

theducks · 06-07-2013, 11:06 AM

One EMP and we are probably screwed enough to not care about whether my Science Fiction collection survived

Most of our infrastructure now uses Solid State controllers somewhere.

Even the Beer Delivery truck, won't run without the required Diesel (at least in California) emissions/EFI controller functioning.

How many of you still have appliances with NO solid state controllers (just use the old mechanical timers with the Knob)?

Apache · 06-07-2013, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

One EMP and we are probably screwed enough to not care about whether my Science Fiction collection survived

Most of our infrastructure now uses Solid State controllers somewhere.

Even the Beer Delivery truck, won't run without the required Diesel (at least in California) emissions/EFI controller functioning.

How many of you still have appliances with NO solid state controllers (just use the old mechanical timers with the Knob)?

Apache

theducks · 06-07-2013, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apache

Apache

You have one of those hand cranked roller washers?

FWIW I keep my 25+Y O washer/dryer pair running. Just replaced a broken belt.
When we replaced the 18Y O Kitchenaid DW, the new one lasted 3Years before the touch controller/panel failed completely

(those parts were 1/2 the cost of the DW new...) Replaced with a non-Whirlpool owned brand.

Apache · 06-07-2013, 06:43 PM

My refrigerator is quite old and does not have Wi-Fi, touchscreens or a TV. It does make ice and keep food and drink cold and or frozen though.

I had another that was so old I could not even get parts for it any more. I ended up having to junk it.
Apache

SteveEisenberg · 06-07-2013, 09:57 PM

Quote:

The people drawn to publishing as a professional are, by and large, book lovers, and as such, often as attached to books’ physicality as to their text.

This might be a good explanation for a publisher typically releasing the eBook after the paperback. It makes no sense when publishers often release the eBook and the hardback simultaneously.

Xanthe · 06-07-2013, 11:40 PM

If publishers had any sense, they would start rolling out ebooks of OOP authors and the entire back catalogs of the still-publishing ones. And if they were really smart, they'd do all of the conversions in-house so that they could control the quality.

BeccaPrice · 06-08-2013, 10:10 AM

digitizing backlist books simply puts those books into competition with current books, which lowers the chance of getting lots of purchases of the new books. I think the BPHs are into selling us what's new this week/month, and not trying to make sure that all their collections are available in digital.

teh603 · 06-08-2013, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

I think the BPHs are into selling us what's new this week/month, and not trying to make sure that all their collections are available in digital.

No surprise. They're on the same business model as the mass market toy industry. The only difference is that the toy business no longer depends on the Toy of the Year, while the book industry looks like its trying to depend *only* on Toy of the Year- level stuff.

theinfamousj · 06-08-2013, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

How many of you still have appliances with NO solid state controllers (just use the old mechanical timers with the Knob)?

My kitchen timer (twist past 10 to set)! So should a nuke go off and I manage to survive after being hit with the EMP, I will still be able to time things up to an hour long. :what:

pwalker8 · 06-08-2013, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

digitizing backlist books simply puts those books into competition with current books, which lowers the chance of getting lots of purchases of the new books. I think the BPHs are into selling us what's new this week/month, and not trying to make sure that all their collections are available in digital.

The flip side of that is that it's pretty hard to sale volume 5 of a series when a new reader can't get volumes 1 - 4. There have been quite a few books over the years where I saw a new book in a series, wanted to get the first book but couldn't, so I passed on them all.

One issue is that publishers are still in the 2 month mind set. They are thinking of shelf space and the fact that most books will produce the vast majority of sales in the first couple of months after they are released. With ebooks, you aren't actually competing for shelf space, so having the back list available doesn't compete with new books all that much.

Ken Maltby · 06-08-2013, 03:54 PM

Personally I think the publishing houses should not have digital rights, they should
remain with the author. What books have commercial viability, as ebooks, should be
the author's call, not the corporate publishing house's accountant. An author who
sees the ebook sales of his "backlist", which he is able to offer from his own site,
dramatically increase when he has a new book out; might be motivated to produce
more books.

The article was written as if the retailers can dictate to the publishers the format of
the books they will sell, and require the publisher to make the ebooks contain the
retailer's proprietary format &/or DRM. Isn't it the retailers who are actually creating
the proprietary format &/or DRM laden ebook from a digital file the publisher is providing?
(Don't some of them even provide tools/services so that unpublished authors can
have their files made into the format the retailer wants/uses?)

Luck;
Ken

Catlady · 06-08-2013, 06:16 PM

While the notion that every pirated download equals a lost sale is silly, I think it's a lot less silly to think that an e-book sale in most cases means a lost paper copy sale.

Consumers seem to expect e-books to be priced comparable to paperbacks, but to be available when hardbacks are issued--which means the publishers are in a position of undercutting their own hardback sales of new books.

06-06-2013, 02:31 PM	#1
zigzagz Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 980244 Join Date: May 2012 Device: Kobo Touch	Why Book Publishers Are Still Dragging Their Heels on Selling You E-Books http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/...-books-format/

06-07-2013, 06:43 PM	#7
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,306 Karma: 90981752 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	My refrigerator is quite old and does not have Wi-Fi, touchscreens or a TV. It does make ice and keep food and drink cold and or frozen though. I had another that was so old I could not even get parts for it any more. I ended up having to junk it. Apache Last edited by Apache; 06-07-2013 at 10:19 PM.

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06-06-2013, 08:27 PM	#2
frahse occasional author Posts: 2,315 Karma: 2064403292 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Wandering God's glorious hills, valleys and plains. Device: A Franklin BI (before Internet) was the first. I still have it.	They feel they are being dragged kicking and screaming over the precipice.

06-07-2013, 08:48 AM	#3
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	They are idiots. I love the comments. One person keeps commenting that one EMP and you are screwed. Maybe we should all build one of those metal boxes and store one external hardrive, a laptop, and an ereader (plus their chargers and the like). So if there is one emp we have a set of devices that still works. I think I have been watching too much Doomsday Preppers

06-07-2013, 11:06 AM	#4
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,267 Karma: 61916422 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	One EMP and we are probably screwed enough to not care about whether my Science Fiction collection survived Most of our infrastructure now uses Solid State controllers somewhere. Even the Beer Delivery truck, won't run without the required Diesel (at least in California) emissions/EFI controller functioning. How many of you still have appliances with NO solid state controllers (just use the old mechanical timers with the Knob)?

06-07-2013, 11:40 PM	#9
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	If publishers had any sense, they would start rolling out ebooks of OOP authors and the entire back catalogs of the still-publishing ones. And if they were really smart, they'd do all of the conversions in-house so that they could control the quality.

06-08-2013, 10:10 AM	#10
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,146 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	digitizing backlist books simply puts those books into competition with current books, which lowers the chance of getting lots of purchases of the new books. I think the BPHs are into selling us what's new this week/month, and not trying to make sure that all their collections are available in digital.

06-08-2013, 03:54 PM	#14
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,466 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	Personally I think the publishing houses should not have digital rights, they should remain with the author. What books have commercial viability, as ebooks, should be the author's call, not the corporate publishing house's accountant. An author who sees the ebook sales of his "backlist", which he is able to offer from his own site, dramatically increase when he has a new book out; might be motivated to produce more books. The article was written as if the retailers can dictate to the publishers the format of the books they will sell, and require the publisher to make the ebooks contain the retailer's proprietary format &/or DRM. Isn't it the retailers who are actually creating the proprietary format &/or DRM laden ebook from a digital file the publisher is providing? (Don't some of them even provide tools/services so that unpublished authors can have their files made into the format the retailer wants/uses?) Luck; Ken

06-08-2013, 06:16 PM	#15
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,423 Karma: 52734361 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	While the notion that every pirated download equals a lost sale is silly, I think it's a lot less silly to think that an e-book sale in most cases means a lost paper copy sale. Consumers seem to expect e-books to be priced comparable to paperbacks, but to be available when hardbacks are issued--which means the publishers are in a position of undercutting their own hardback sales of new books.