Random House to digitize thousands of books - Page 2

Seabound · 11-25-2008, 02:27 AM

If the time scale is months, rather than years, this is reason to celebrate indeed! Woohoo!

Argel · 11-25-2008, 03:11 AM

This is great news.

Random House have been among the most forward-looking of the publishers when it comes to ebooks. I have many reasonably priced ebooks from their Modern Library collection.

Let's hope the pricing on this new material is equally realistic.

orwell2k · 11-25-2008, 05:30 AM

This is fantastic news! Perhaps it will precipitate other publishing houses to follow suit?

I do hope they stick with a mutli-format approach to provide maximum options for customers. The annoying thing at the moment (although it is improving) is that some titles seem to be only available in Kindle, some others in Adobe, some in Mobi, etc. To have a publishing house seem to be adopting the approach of planning to provide eBooks in a variety of the most common formats for readers is awesome! The proof will be in the pudding, of course, but I am ever hopeful.

It's a pity they didn't really take the revolutionary plunge and try an alternative to DRM - maybe e-tagging of the book with name and credit card, etc. But I guess they're locked into whatever the current formats employ, and maybe the laws of the land?

Interesting also, since there was a discussion on eBook pricing recently, that they seem to tie their pricing into the paper versions of books:

$17.95 for electronic editions of hardcover titles
$9.95 for electronic editions of trade paperback titles
$6.99 for electronic editions of mass market titles

Not sure what relevance the binding of an edition has for the electronic price, except to justify higher prices? Perhaps this is just old info in their help section, that will change when they begin this mass digitization process? Or perhaps it's harder to digitise hardback books, although that sounds like a stretch to me for almost double the price. I guess also hardcover content tends to be more often things like text books, etc, that are more expensive? Or is it because they are hardcover that they are more expensive?

Anyway, good news overall...

Taylor514ce · 11-25-2008, 03:46 PM

Publisher's Weekly reporting on the news.

ShortNCuddlyAm · 11-25-2008, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

Publisher's Weekly reporting on the news.

From that article: "Random will also, for the first time, make its entire catalog of both new and existing titles, available in the emerging standard format for the industry, e-Pub. "

Do people think that mean just Random House titles, or titles of Random House imprints, too?

I'm really, really, really seriously hoping it means the latter; as Vintage is a Random House imprint...

zelda_pinwheel · 11-25-2008, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

Publisher's Weekly reporting on the news.

thanks for that link. particularly interesting that they will be making their catalogue available in epub ; their customer service department doesn't know that yet... i've received a response to my query via their contact form :

Quote:

Good Afternoon,

Thank you for your interest in our publications. At this time we have no information available in our system in regards to offering our eBooks in the epub format or drm-free. This is the most up to date information available to the consumer services department.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. Thanks you for your continued interest in our publications.

Sincerely,

Random House, Inc

Consumer Services

86-3844

since they didn't know about epub, i'm just going to hope they also don't know that random house is dropping drm...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

From that article: "Random will also, for the first time, make its entire catalog of both new and existing titles, available in the emerging standard format for the industry, e-Pub. "

Do people think that mean just Random House titles, or titles of Random House imprints, too?

I'm really, really, really seriously hoping it means the latter; as Vintage is a Random House imprint...

that would really be brilliant, there are quite a lot of books published by Vintage i would LOVE to have as ebooks. more finger crossing in order, i suppose.

JSWolf · 11-25-2008, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orwell2k

Interesting also, since there was a discussion on eBook pricing recently, that they seem to tie their pricing into the paper versions of books:

$17.95 for electronic editions of hardcover titles
$9.95 for electronic editions of trade paperback titles
$6.99 for electronic editions of mass market titles

Not sure what relevance the binding of an edition has for the electronic price, except to justify higher prices? Perhaps this is just old info in their help section, that will change when they begin this mass digitization process? Or perhaps it's harder to digitise hardback books, although that sounds like a stretch to me for almost double the price. I guess also hardcover content tends to be more often things like text books, etc, that are more expensive? Or is it because they are hardcover that they are more expensive?

Anyway, good news overall...

I hate trade paperbacks with a passion. They are horrid things that need to go away forever. They are taller and thinner and feel awful to hold. They reasons given for them by the publishers is total BS. The real reason for them is to be able to charge more. They use more paper to print. The publishers feel they can charge more. Also, they don't fit in a lot of bookcases. And because of them, eBook prices remain higer then they should be. We need to write to publishers every time a trade paperback is released. This format is an abomination. It's almost as bad as the world's economy. I for one will not ever purchase one and I will never purchase an eBook that is priced based on one of these trade paperbacks.

ShortNCuddlyAm · 11-25-2008, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

that would really be brilliant, there are quite a lot of books published by Vintage i would LOVE to have as ebooks. more finger crossing in order, i suppose.

From my pov, the Thomas Pynchon back catalogue would be very nice

There are others, but that would do very nicely for starters.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 11-26-2008, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I hate trade paperbacks with a passion. They are horrid things that need to go away forever. They are taller and thinner and feel awful to hold. They reasons given for them by the publishers is total BS. The real reason for them is to be able to charge more. They use more paper to print. The publishers feel they can charge more. Also, they don't fit in a lot of bookcases. And because of them, eBook prices remain higer then they should be. We need to write to publishers every time a trade paperback is released. This format is an abomination. It's almost as bad as the world's economy. I for one will not ever purchase one and I will never purchase an eBook that is priced based on one of these trade paperbacks.

(Psst! I think Jon's serious.)

Taylor514ce · 11-26-2008, 09:13 AM

I prefer trade paperbacks. I don't buy hardback, but like the size and format of trade paperbacks. They fit fine in any bookshelf I've ever had. I like they way they fit in hand and I find the typography to be in general better than typical paperback. Before I switched to e-books, my purchases were almost exclusively trade back.

I will agree that it isn't rational to price e-books on print edition prices, but that's the model publisher's have adopted: the current edition of the book sells for X, regardless of format.

basschick · 11-26-2008, 11:15 AM

this is great news! although to be sure, i'd prefer it was weeks instead of months...

JSWolf · 12-01-2008, 04:59 PM

Trade paperbacks being of higher cost also keep the cost of eBooks higher.

Taylor514ce · 12-01-2008, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Trade paperbacks being of higher cost also keep the cost of eBooks higher.

You're confusing cause and effect, I think. Trade Paperbacks don't have any effect whatsoever on the cost of eBooks. The only thing that affects the cost of eBooks is the labor and infrastructure necessary to produce them. What you mean to say is that publishers PRICE eBooks based upon the current printed edition. And the blame for that is to be placed on publishers; it isn't an inherent negative in the trade paperback format.

Ak Mike · 12-02-2008, 03:00 AM

With respect, Taylor514ce, what affects the price of electronic books is supply and demand. The cost of infrastructure and labor has an indirect effect on supply, but so do a lot of other factors, in particular the opportunity costs of deploying capital on e-books rather than, for example, trade paperbacks.

If trade paperbacks sell for a lot, it makes little sense to spend on the necessary infrastructure and labor to produce e-books, unless you also can sell them for a lot. So I think Mr. Wolf is correct in saying that the higher cost of trade paperbacks pushes up the cost of electronic books.

Taylor514ce · 12-02-2008, 09:45 AM

I read your post several times. Perhaps my lack of education in economics is showing, but I have a hard time understanding phrases such as "the opportunity costs of deploying capital".

The cost to produce an eBook isn't based on the selling price of a trade paperback, which seems to be the argument, here. Are you saying if publishers wouldn't spend money producing trade paperbacks, eBooks would cost less because there would be more money overall in "the bucket"? I don't see that, either, because trade paperbacks make a profit.

In short, I don't see any direct link between production of trade paperbacks and the cost/price of eBooks, other than the artificial pricing structure of eBook selling price = current print edition price.

Hard covers also "sell for a lot", yet that hasn't stopped an investment in eBook infrastructure.

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11-25-2008, 02:27 AM	#16
Seabound Steerage Class Posts: 711 Karma: 505995 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest, USA Device: Won't fit here anymore, see sig for a list of liseuses.	If the time scale is months, rather than years, this is reason to celebrate indeed! Woohoo!

11-25-2008, 03:11 AM	#17
Argel Opinionated [but right] Posts: 281 Karma: 1412 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: UK Device: Cybook Gen3, PRS 505, Kindle Int, Oasis, Paperwhite, Scribe	This is great news. Random House have been among the most forward-looking of the publishers when it comes to ebooks. I have many reasonably priced ebooks from their Modern Library collection. Let's hope the pricing on this new material is equally realistic.

11-25-2008, 05:30 AM	#18
orwell2k Addict Posts: 357 Karma: 1112 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Euroland Device: PocketBook 360°, BeBook (Hanlin V3), iRex DR1000S, iPad	This is fantastic news! Perhaps it will precipitate other publishing houses to follow suit? I do hope they stick with a mutli-format approach to provide maximum options for customers. The annoying thing at the moment (although it is improving) is that some titles seem to be only available in Kindle, some others in Adobe, some in Mobi, etc. To have a publishing house seem to be adopting the approach of planning to provide eBooks in a variety of the most common formats for readers is awesome! The proof will be in the pudding, of course, but I am ever hopeful. It's a pity they didn't really take the revolutionary plunge and try an alternative to DRM - maybe e-tagging of the book with name and credit card, etc. But I guess they're locked into whatever the current formats employ, and maybe the laws of the land? Interesting also, since there was a discussion on eBook pricing recently, that they seem to tie their pricing into the paper versions of books: $17.95 for electronic editions of hardcover titles $9.95 for electronic editions of trade paperback titles $6.99 for electronic editions of mass market titles Not sure what relevance the binding of an edition has for the electronic price, except to justify higher prices? Perhaps this is just old info in their help section, that will change when they begin this mass digitization process? Or perhaps it's harder to digitise hardback books, although that sounds like a stretch to me for almost double the price. I guess also hardcover content tends to be more often things like text books, etc, that are more expensive? Or is it because they are hardcover that they are more expensive? Anyway, good news overall...

11-25-2008, 03:46 PM	#19
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	Publisher's Weekly reporting on the news.

11-26-2008, 09:13 AM	#25
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	I prefer trade paperbacks. I don't buy hardback, but like the size and format of trade paperbacks. They fit fine in any bookshelf I've ever had. I like they way they fit in hand and I find the typography to be in general better than typical paperback. Before I switched to e-books, my purchases were almost exclusively trade back. I will agree that it isn't rational to price e-books on print edition prices, but that's the model publisher's have adopted: the current edition of the book sells for X, regardless of format.

11-26-2008, 11:15 AM	#26
basschick Wizard Posts: 1,096 Karma: 4695691 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	this is great news! although to be sure, i'd prefer it was weeks instead of months...

12-01-2008, 04:59 PM	#27
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,792 Karma: 146391129 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Trade paperbacks being of higher cost also keep the cost of eBooks higher.

12-02-2008, 03:00 AM	#29
Ak Mike Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 105 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Alaska Device: Kindle DX; Motorola Xoom	With respect, Taylor514ce, what affects the price of electronic books is supply and demand. The cost of infrastructure and labor has an indirect effect on supply, but so do a lot of other factors, in particular the opportunity costs of deploying capital on e-books rather than, for example, trade paperbacks. If trade paperbacks sell for a lot, it makes little sense to spend on the necessary infrastructure and labor to produce e-books, unless you also can sell them for a lot. So I think Mr. Wolf is correct in saying that the higher cost of trade paperbacks pushes up the cost of electronic books.

12-02-2008, 09:45 AM	#30
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	I read your post several times. Perhaps my lack of education in economics is showing, but I have a hard time understanding phrases such as "the opportunity costs of deploying capital". The cost to produce an eBook isn't based on the selling price of a trade paperback, which seems to be the argument, here. Are you saying if publishers wouldn't spend money producing trade paperbacks, eBooks would cost less because there would be more money overall in "the bucket"? I don't see that, either, because trade paperbacks make a profit. In short, I don't see any direct link between production of trade paperbacks and the cost/price of eBooks, other than the artificial pricing structure of eBook selling price = current print edition price. Hard covers also "sell for a lot", yet that hasn't stopped an investment in eBook infrastructure.