Re: "The Elusive E-book"

On May 9, 2008, at 5:20 PM, Kent S. Larsen II wrote:

> At 9:19 AM -0400 5/9/08, you wrote:
>>
>> The ebook segment is currently miniscule. A modest publishing house,
>> like FSG was before Holtzbrink bought it, will sell more than the
>> entire ebook industry. BUT it's growing, and it has features that
>> make it important to the future of small press publishing, as well as
>> potentially a replacement for all paperback publishing, IMO.
>>
>> Still, if that is to happen, only the sales of books will help.
>> Giving books away may get more people interested in reading ebooks,
>> but I think it increases the chance that ebooks never become
>> significant.
>>
>> Marion Gropen
>> Gropen Associates, Inc.
>
> Marion I assume you mean in terms of interest among the large  
> publishers.
>
> It seems to me that giving away free ebooks does have a role, if  
> people have devices to read them on. Won't free ebooks encourage  
> the public to get used to using these devices, and get them used to  
> the concept of ebooks?
>
> Or do you think that has already happened, and that the next step  
> (developing a pay-for market) needs to happen now?


No, I think ebook devices aren't quite "ready for their close-up"  
yet. But when they are, I hope the public isn't inculcated with the  
idea that e should be free. And I think most publishers are either  
ignoring ebooks as a format that just isn't worth the administrative  
and programming hassle (because we all have our books in some  
electronic form already, and conversion usually isn't all THAT big a  
deal), or because they're worried about piracy.

I think that the prevalence of free legit copies of ebooks makes  
piracy a little easier for the normal reader to rationalize, and  
makes publishers a little more leary. I don't think this is a big  
factor in the conscious calculations of most publishers. But it  
probably rattles around in the back of their minds disturbing the  
dust bunnies.


Marion Gropen
Gropen Associates, Inc.
www.GropenAssoc.com
Offering Financial Advice By-The-Question,
Downloadable Profit-Enhancing Tools,
and Classes to the Small Press Community.




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