09-04-2013, 11:41 AM | #46 |
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09-04-2013, 11:48 AM | #47 | |
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09-04-2013, 11:52 AM | #48 |
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In most western countries, libraries pay an author directly (not the publisher - the author) every time a paper book is borrowed from a library; this is called the "public lending right" (PLR). In the UK, for example, an author is paid about 6p (around US 10c) for each loan. But I don't know if this also applies to ebook loans.
The US is one of the few western nations not to have a PLR. I have no idea if a publisher gets paid for an ebook loan. Overdrive certainly charge a fee, but none of that goes to the publisher; it's simply a charge for using the Overdrive system. |
09-04-2013, 11:53 AM | #49 |
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09-04-2013, 12:03 PM | #50 |
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Although I detest the publishers pricing scheme, they do not have a monopoly and are not selling an essential product. If you do not like their prices, then do not buy their stuff. If you are an author and do not like their business practices, then do not do business with them.
The publishers are playing with fire. If libraries and universities stop buying their overpriced products, they could go out of business in the blink of an eye. There are more novels and textbooks published by alternative presses than ever before. Many of them are not the best books, but some of them are great. |
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09-04-2013, 12:08 PM | #51 |
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It's not that trivial if you're a reasonably popular author with good library loans. I used to have a close friend, an SF author called Bob Shaw (now dead) who made a respectable amount of money each year from the PLR.
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09-04-2013, 12:08 PM | #52 |
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Using the ebooks-are-licensed-like-software argument, shouldn't we also accept limits on how many documents we can create with a word processor? If a library is to be limited to 26 lends by the license, shouldn't authors be limited to, say, 1,000 documents by the license on their word processor? After all, you only need to buy the program once and you can use it forever, depriving the vendor of the income it's entitled to.
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09-04-2013, 12:10 PM | #53 |
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Wait... what? So if I choose to borrow an ePub instead of a Kindle version of a book, I'm costing my library an extra 8¢? I wish I'd known that earlier.
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09-04-2013, 12:13 PM | #54 | |
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If you think that you can start an ebook lending system in competition to Overdrive that has less "unfair" licensing terms, go for it. The market will decide whether or not you're right. |
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09-04-2013, 12:30 PM | #55 |
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It's factored into the administrative fees places like OverDrive charge (I believe it's a contacted annual rate), but yes Adobe gets a fee every time their DRM is applied. It's less that a 'permanent' license which last I knew was $.22 and if I'm recalling correctly it's $.08 per checkout. It's one of the reason long time OD using libraries saw big increases in their annual fees from OD, more people, by a large factor, got into ebooks and library checkouts. I have zero idea if Amazon gets any kind of fee for Kindle checkouts. I'm guessing no as they get other benefits, but that's just a guess.
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09-04-2013, 12:48 PM | #56 |
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09-04-2013, 12:53 PM | #57 |
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I'm not making it personal. I'm simply saying that it's a free market, and anyone - including you - can compete with Overdrive if they wish to do so. The market will decide what is, or is not, a commercially acceptable licensing model. If someone can come up with a business model that's better than Overdrive's, then they are free to have a go.
You say that you're unhappy with the Overdrive model. What do you think would be an improvement? |
09-04-2013, 01:49 PM | #58 |
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09-04-2013, 01:53 PM | #59 |
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My apologies; your "if ebooks are licensed like software" post mistakenly led me to the conclusion that you were dissatisfied with Overdrive's licensing model.
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09-04-2013, 02:17 PM | #60 | |
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