5%, or 100,000 copies, of "The Lost Symbol" were sold as e-books - Page 2

Hellmark · 09-22-2009, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaan

Actually it does.
If you believe in the supply and demand theory, there is now a lower demand of paper. That means there are less need for trees to be cut down, that there would have been if the 100.000 ebooks had been sold as paper books.

I'm with Ahi on this, if they went in expecting it to be business as usual, then they had already cut down the trees, made the paper, printed and bound the extra books, and will just sit on them till they sell. It'll be a long time before reduced paper demand via a change in book sales actually effects paper output. Books aren't the only destination for paper anyway.

DaleDe · 09-22-2009, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

I'm with Ahi on this, if they went in expecting it to be business as usual, then they had already cut down the trees, made the paper, printed and bound the extra books, and will just sit on them till they sell. It'll be a long time before reduced paper demand via a change in book sales actually effects paper output. Books aren't the only destination for paper anyway.

Paper isn't destroying the rain forest anyway. Paper is not lumber. I know paper mills that are totally self sustaining with their own forest they harvest and replant every 20 years. You don't need big trees for paper.

Dale

Over · 09-22-2009, 05:49 PM

100000 ebooks sold? Nice number, specially if we consider how the ebook can be easily pirated.

dmaul1114 · 09-22-2009, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Paper isn't destroying the rain forest anyway. Paper is not lumber. I know paper mills that are totally self sustaining with their own forest they harvest and replant every 20 years. You don't need big trees for paper.

Dale

Yeah, I don't think paper is a huge issue on that front. Especially if people were more diligent in not wasting paper and recycling every thing they can.

Kali Yuga · 09-22-2009, 09:25 PM

Egads, you people are so picky....

Anyway, the Green Press Initiative and The Book Industry Study Group did a big environmental impact study. A precis is here: http://www.ecolibris.net/book_industry_footprint.asp

Salient points include that the sources of paper for books do include endangered forests and rainforests; recycled paper use for US books in '06 was somewhere around 5%; close to 1 billion books were unsold in 06, and not all of that was recycled; and the US book industry alone uses 1.5 million metric tons of paper per year. Don't kid yourself, the paper book industry has a huge environmental impact.

100k books is a small drop in the bucket, but every drop helps.

AnemicOak · 09-22-2009, 09:28 PM

So the 100,000 is US or maybe all of N. America right? Any numbers for elsewhere been seen yet?

CTH · 09-23-2009, 01:38 AM

I dont really see any big loss for the publlisher to sell ebook at the same time as hardcover, the cost for selling a ebook is minimal and a hardcover does cost some to produce. And the publisher could sell their ebook without any middle hand if they want and getting a higher profit.

It will also prob make alot of those who wait for the pocket version to buy the book now, and money now is allways better than money later.

andyafro · 09-23-2009, 05:13 AM

I'm sure the fact that Demonoid is down must of helped boost sales

HarryT · 09-23-2009, 05:18 AM

I finished the book last night. Enjoyed it very much. Not great literature, but a fun read, and I learned all sorts of interesting trivia from it.

kennyc · 09-23-2009, 06:01 AM

I checked it out digitally from the library. Didn't cost me a cent. Haven't read it yet, may not.

Spectrum · 09-23-2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyafro

I'm sure the fact that Demonoid is down must of helped boost sales

not true...just google and see the results...many many trees are saved
ha more green!

I prefer more green trees than Dan Brown crap.

google using this code :

"file_I_want" intext:rapidshare.com/files

markbot · 09-24-2009, 10:09 AM

I would think the publishers should be more gungho on ebooks since they effectively limit the secondary market, where they lose a lot of money. They are also much cheaper to distribute. At the end of the day, I think they might even make more money on the $9.99 ebook version. I'm not sure about the used book market..but I wouldn't be surprised if on average each book is read by more than 2 people by the end of its life, considering that each book can be resold or borrowed multiple times.

My feeling is that the real reason why the publishers are hesitant about ebooks is that they lose control of the medium. Fastward 10 years when ebooks are mainstream....does a Dan Brown need a publisher as much? He will but he'll be able to get a fatter slice of the profit.

Kali Yuga · 09-24-2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbot

I would think the publishers should be more gungho on ebooks since they effectively limit the secondary market....

IMO that's a minor concern. Sellers get peanuts for used books, so there isn't much incentive to sell, except maybe in higher ed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbot

At the end of the day, I think they might even make more money on the $9.99 ebook version.

Maybe, but not necessarily. They are charging the same wholesale prices for ebooks as the paper equivalent, but it is likely that won't last. It is unclear if consumers will keep their book expenditures constant -- e.g. you currently spend $20/month on paper books, and would also spend $20/month on ebooks -- or if they would just buy the same number of books, and spend their money elsewhere. Plus, it erodes the perceived value of their products.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbot

My feeling is that the real reason why the publishers are hesitant about ebooks is that they lose control of the medium. Fastward 10 years when ebooks are mainstream....does a Dan Brown need a publisher as much?

Probably. Writers do not necessarily excel at editing, accounting, business management, marketing, typography, graphic design, illustration, data management, cover design, legal oversight, fact checking, international rights management, negotiations with retailers etc. There are a lot of non-writing skills that go into a successful book.

Hellmark · 09-24-2009, 11:56 AM

The higher education area is one spot I am really surprised that they aren't pushing ebooks harder. I am in the library of my university now, and someone was asking me about my reader because he was wanting one for classes, but he hated how the price scheme and DRM was. The ones with timed expiration were a huge turn off for him. It just isn't worth it to buy ebooks right now in that area.

dmikov · 09-24-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahi

Which, of course, doesn't mean that they weren't cut down. It just means that the resulting paper hasn't been put to good use yet... if even that.

- Ahi

Are you in woodcutting business now or something? Where all this inside knowledge comes from?

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09-22-2009, 05:49 PM	#18
Over Wizard Posts: 1,462 Karma: 6061516 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cascais, Portugal Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2", OnePlus 6	100000 ebooks sold? Nice number, specially if we consider how the ebook can be easily pirated.

09-22-2009, 09:25 PM	#20
Kali Yuga Professional Contrarian Posts: 2,045 Karma: 3289631 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 4 No Touchie	Egads, you people are so picky.... Anyway, the Green Press Initiative and The Book Industry Study Group did a big environmental impact study. A precis is here: http://www.ecolibris.net/book_industry_footprint.asp Salient points include that the sources of paper for books do include endangered forests and rainforests; recycled paper use for US books in '06 was somewhere around 5%; close to 1 billion books were unsold in 06, and not all of that was recycled; and the US book industry alone uses 1.5 million metric tons of paper per year. Don't kid yourself, the paper book industry has a huge environmental impact. 100k books is a small drop in the bucket, but every drop helps.

09-22-2009, 09:28 PM	#21
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	So the 100,000 is US or maybe all of N. America right? Any numbers for elsewhere been seen yet?

09-23-2009, 01:38 AM	#22
CTH Zealot Posts: 129 Karma: 1000153 Join Date: Jan 2007	I dont really see any big loss for the publlisher to sell ebook at the same time as hardcover, the cost for selling a ebook is minimal and a hardcover does cost some to produce. And the publisher could sell their ebook without any middle hand if they want and getting a higher profit. It will also prob make alot of those who wait for the pocket version to buy the book now, and money now is allways better than money later.

09-23-2009, 05:13 AM	#23
andyafro Connoisseur Posts: 98 Karma: 140 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: sony reader prs-500	I'm sure the fact that Demonoid is down must of helped boost sales

09-23-2009, 05:18 AM	#24
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I finished the book last night. Enjoyed it very much. Not great literature, but a fun read, and I learned all sorts of interesting trivia from it.

09-23-2009, 06:01 AM	#25
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,872 Karma: 118716293 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	I checked it out digitally from the library. Didn't cost me a cent. Haven't read it yet, may not.

09-24-2009, 10:09 AM	#27
markbot Guru Posts: 612 Karma: 7511929 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New York, NY Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2	I would think the publishers should be more gungho on ebooks since they effectively limit the secondary market, where they lose a lot of money. They are also much cheaper to distribute. At the end of the day, I think they might even make more money on the $9.99 ebook version. I'm not sure about the used book market..but I wouldn't be surprised if on average each book is read by more than 2 people by the end of its life, considering that each book can be resold or borrowed multiple times. My feeling is that the real reason why the publishers are hesitant about ebooks is that they lose control of the medium. Fastward 10 years when ebooks are mainstream....does a Dan Brown need a publisher as much? He will but he'll be able to get a fatter slice of the profit.

09-24-2009, 11:56 AM	#29
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,549 Karma: 3799999 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: O'Fallon, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3	The higher education area is one spot I am really surprised that they aren't pushing ebooks harder. I am in the library of my university now, and someone was asking me about my reader because he was wanting one for classes, but he hated how the price scheme and DRM was. The ones with timed expiration were a huge turn off for him. It just isn't worth it to buy ebooks right now in that area.

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