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Comments on: Google Book Search–Yes! 650,000 Free Online Books As Promos–No! http://www.thepublishingcontrarian.com/2006/02/17/google-book-search-yes-free-online-books-as-promos-no/ Tendentious comments and cranky critiques by Lynne W. Scanlon P.E.A. (Publisher/Editor/Author) Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:29:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0 by: Strange Sleep » Blog Archive » Tor’s digital books http://www.thepublishingcontrarian.com/2006/02/17/google-book-search-yes-free-online-books-as-promos-no/#comment-34 Wed, 01 Mar 2006 04:14:15 +0000 http://www.thepublishingcontrarian.com/2006/02/17/google-book-search-yes-free-online-books-as-promos-no/#comment-34 There’s also the audience to consider. Just as there are some books for whom e-books are likely to flop, there are other audiences who would rather read books on their cellphones than carry around paperbacks. The conclusions from this may not be self-evident, though. As I wrote in a recent comment elsewhere: I don’t think that Cory Doctorow’s case can be taken as a reliable example of what will happen for the whole industry, even if you take just the subset of fiction publishing, because his audience and his market are not the same folks who are making Dan Brown, etc. multimillionaires. There’s also the audience to consider. Just as there are some books for whom e-books are likely to flop, there are other audiences who would rather read books on their cellphones than carry around paperbacks. The conclusions from this may not be self-evident, though. As I wrote in a recent comment elsewhere: I don’t think that Cory Doctorow’s case can be taken as a reliable example of what will happen for the whole industry, even if you take just the subset of fiction publishing, because his audience and his market are not the same folks who are making Dan Brown, etc. multimillionaires.

]]> by: CA McGee http://www.thepublishingcontrarian.com/2006/02/17/google-book-search-yes-free-online-books-as-promos-no/#comment-21 Mon, 20 Feb 2006 23:30:46 +0000 http://www.thepublishingcontrarian.com/2006/02/17/google-book-search-yes-free-online-books-as-promos-no/#comment-21 I don't think that Cory Doctorow's case can be taken as a reliable example of what will happen for the whole industry, even if you take just the subset of fiction publishing, because his audience and his market are not the same folks who are making Dan Brown, etc. multimillionaires. His appeal is to SF fans and computer geeks, but the argument could be made that those people are more likely to the be the sort who are gadget-oriented and just as happy to read a novel on screen, on a PDA, or on their phone. These are formats that are available for free (and only for free). From that perspective, if you have an audience that's N% more likely than the average book buyer to be satisfied with the electronic version and they're <em>still</em> buying the books, then that's significant. The same could be said for other authors who are going the same route, like Charles Stross, whose novel Accelerando is available for free. The book is published by Ace in the US and Orbit in the UK. I don't hate my eyes enough to read an entire novel on screen, but being able to read as much as I want, and not just a five-page excerpt, helps me as a consumer know whether I'm making a reliable purchase. The last thing a reader wants is to spend $24.95 on a hardcover and feel like it's a waste of money. Of course, that may all become immaterial once someone comes up with an e-book reader that's actually reader friendly, which will certainly happen in the next couple of years. (Sony's new one certainly isn't it.) I don’t think that Cory Doctorow’s case can be taken as a reliable example of what will happen for the whole industry, even if you take just the subset of fiction publishing, because his audience and his market are not the same folks who are making Dan Brown, etc. multimillionaires.

His appeal is to SF fans and computer geeks, but the argument could be made that those people are more likely to the be the sort who are gadget-oriented and just as happy to read a novel on screen, on a PDA, or on their phone. These are formats that are available for free (and only for free). From that perspective, if you have an audience that’s N% more likely than the average book buyer to be satisfied with the electronic version and they’re still buying the books, then that’s significant.

The same could be said for other authors who are going the same route, like Charles Stross, whose novel Accelerando is available for free. The book is published by Ace in the US and Orbit in the UK.

I don’t hate my eyes enough to read an entire novel on screen, but being able to read as much as I want, and not just a five-page excerpt, helps me as a consumer know whether I’m making a reliable purchase. The last thing a reader wants is to spend $24.95 on a hardcover and feel like it’s a waste of money.

Of course, that may all become immaterial once someone comes up with an e-book reader that’s actually reader friendly, which will certainly happen in the next couple of years. (Sony’s new one certainly isn’t it.)

]]> by: Bridget Biggane http://www.thepublishingcontrarian.com/2006/02/17/google-book-search-yes-free-online-books-as-promos-no/#comment-19 Sat, 18 Feb 2006 22:12:42 +0000 http://www.thepublishingcontrarian.com/2006/02/17/google-book-search-yes-free-online-books-as-promos-no/#comment-19 Wow.... where DO you get your energy and insight? Someone should be paying you A LOT OF MONEY for your wisdom, thoughtful observations (o.k. sometimes criticisms...) great ideas and solutions. What DID the publishing industry do before the Wicked Witch was keeping tabs on it? Wow…. where DO you get your energy and insight? Someone should be paying you A LOT OF MONEY for your wisdom, thoughtful observations (o.k. sometimes criticisms…) great ideas and solutions. What DID the publishing industry do before the Wicked Witch was keeping tabs on it?

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