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#46 | |
Nameless Being
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The problem is that a lot of content is not available in a lot of regions, or consumers are forced to seek out content from distributors in their own region. Finding local distributors is frequently non-trivial, and when it is available it is often at non-competitive pricing and has a host of anti-competitive restrictions. To give you an idea of what I mean, in the context of Canada, a lot of online distribution of television programming is tied to an ISP. In order to access it, you have to have a subscription with that ISP and a subscription to the digital delivery service. For someone such as myself, the answer is easy: I just don't bother with something unless they want to sell it to me. Clearly they don't, so I do without. Heck, I won't even bother with the free service that they provide because I don't care enough about the product to structure my life around the restrictions (e.g. the one-week window to access television programming.) On the other hand, whether we agree with it or not, a lot of people care about that content to a sufficient degree that the will resort to other means to obtain it. Often that includes piracy or using proxies in other regions, not just because of the cost but because of the relative ease to access it. In spite of the incentive to expand regional distribution and use distribution channels that are less restrictive, it seems as though industry is unwilling to address the issue on their own accord. They would much rather lobby for stronger legislation surrounding piracy and digital rights management than creating an environment where consumers are wiling and (most important) able to buy their product. |
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#47 | |
Wizard
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I very much doubt that it is authors who drive regional rights, though they no doubt make the most of this doomed distribution model while it exists. Quite frankly I don't know how common it is for a Publisher to buy the rights to an author's work for one region only, leaving the author free to themselves sell the rights in other regions, perhaps after the book becomes a bestseller. Certainly, what I know of how the Big 5 work leads me to doubt that this is a common practice. As usual, I blame the Publishers. |
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#48 | |
eBook Enthusiast
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Last edited by HarryT; 06-10-2015 at 12:30 PM. |
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#49 |
Bookaholic
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The problem is more complex than just if it's the author's/agent's fault or if it's the publisher's fault.
For some titles, especially back-list titles, it was common practice at the time for an agent to sell at a minimum UK/Commonwealth rights and North American rights separately. Sometimes Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, etc. rights were also done separately. This is still the case with some books/authors (eg. Kelley Armstrong's book "Omens" is licensed in English with Random House in Canada, Little, Brown - Sphere in the UK & Dutton in the US), but more publishers are trying to get world English language rights (allowing the author/agent to still license foreign language editions separately) or complete world rights. The problem is that some of these publishers that do buy world English rights don't exercise all of those rights and make the book available worldwide even though they have licensed those rights. |
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#50 | |
Is that a sandwich?
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#51 |
Grand Sorcerer
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I would be pretty surprised if many authors get multiple advances. From what I have read, US authors focus mostly on the US market, getting an advance from their primary publisher, then the agent negotiates any foreign rights. Perhaps it's different in England where the US is the bigger market. Few US authors have significant sales outside the English speaking world.
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#52 | |
Wizard
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A successful author might well have print editions in NA, Australia and UK and likely ebooks in all three. Rest of world may well see two or more ebook editions sold, mainly, I guess, because of sales not being big enough to bother to check contracts. Someone was complaining that Penguin has reduced the price of the ebook Military Dispatches (Penguin Classics) by The Duke of Wellington http://www.amazon.co.uk/Military-Dis...dp/B00HO11CQO/ in the UK (it's an Open University set book) but not in Spain where the poster was doing the distance learning or in the other EU stores. Should this be allowed ? |
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#53 | ||
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Last edited by AnemicOak; 06-10-2015 at 07:15 PM. |
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#54 |
Wizard
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I think the issue is availability. Geoblocking and other restrictions can affect availability but they aren't themselves the issue.
I won't get a pirate copy of anything I can buy. If I can't buy something I want I'll get it any way I can. And when I say "can't buy" I don't mean I can't afford it. If it's available and I can't afford it I'll wait till I can. I have accounts with Amazon, Kobo, B&N and 2 or 3 others so I can nearly always buy the books I want. And I do. On those rare occasions when a book I want to read simply isn't available legitimately I'll get it some other way. The same is true of movies. I have Netflix and Amazon Prime so I can get nearly anything but just every now and then I can't and what I want isn't on DVD so I find another way. Honesty isn't a digital thing. We're not either honest or thieves. Honesty is a goal, and a good one and one I strive for. I don't think downloading a pirate copy of a book I can't buy legally is enough to characterize me as a dishonest person. Am I without blemish? Nah! That's not even a goal. ![]() Barry |
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#55 | |
Wizard
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#56 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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https://www.insidehighered.com/news/...imported-works I wonder if this has actually increased prices in India. Maybe it has. As for eBooks, I haven't checked enough to see a clear pattern. The India edition isn't always the cheapest. But here a case where it is: The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, Kindle eBook amazon.com - US$9.99 amazon.co.uk - £5.98 (equivalent to US$9.27) amazon.in - 263.15 Indian Rupees (equivalent to US$4.12) Here's another: The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, Kindle eBook amazon.com - US$14.99 amazon.co.uk - £15.99 (equivalent to, gulp, US$24.78) amazon.in - 497.80 Indian Rupees (equivalent to US$7.80) |
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#57 |
Wizard
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The idea that allowing Big Publishing to gouge the citizens of wealthy countries is necessary to subsidise them bringing affordable books to the impoverished masses in less developed countries is nothing more than a myth. The gouging is happening, but the impoverished masses are getting their affordable books through Piracy, not Publishers.
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#58 | |
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#59 | |
eBook Enthusiast
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#60 |
Wizard
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@HarryT. These are the main factors leading to my belief that gouging is occurring:
1. Agency Pricing and the rising prices under Agency Pricing. 2. Related and overlapping with 1, is the now non-existent price competition for traditionally published ebooks at the retail level. Whilst the Big 5 claim they do compete, I understand it is common ground between them that they do not compete on price. 3. The apparent strategic aim of the Big Publishers to try to try to preserve their traditional print book businesses and legacy practices at the expense of ebooks. Harper Collins, in discussions with Apple's Eddy Cue, wanted to charge $18 to $20 for ebooks. Not exactly compatible with promoting ebook sales. 4. The Price Fixing Cartel with Apple and the war on Amazon. 5. The history of the Publishing Industry and many of its major players. The British and US publishers essentially divided the world between them and ruthlessly exploited the markets they controlled, aided in many cases by Parallel Import legislation and other similarly restrictive laws. Pre-Amazon there was essentially no competition. On the other side of the coin, contracts offered to authors made and still make working in an Amazon warehouse look wonderful to all but the very top tier of best selling authors. The history of Publishing is one of exploiting all concerned. Of course, things have now changed, but I see little indication that the Big 5 recognise this. |
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