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News & ArtsTuesday, December 15, 2009
Books Adjusting to Ebooks
Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 3:24 PM
Be it the Kindle or the Nook or whatever ereader wins the ebook battle, publishers are finally acting on ebooks. The last week has seen a flurry of ebook activity.
The Wall Street Journal reported that at least three major publishers—HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette Book Group will all delay the sales of ebooks from four weeks to six months after the publication date of the dead tree edition. (Ebook Magazine says that this will inspire more book-related piracy, and I'm inclined to agree with them.)
At the same time, Macmillan is going a different route:
Macmillan, one of the country's largest book publishers, says it will begin selling enhanced electronic-book best sellers in the first quarter of 2010. The special editions, which will include author interviews and other material such as reading guides, will carry a list price slightly higher than the hardcover edition. The new e-books will go on sale on the same day as the hardcover. After 90 days, the special edition will be replaced by a standard e-book.
At some point, the industry is probably going to standardize on some set schedule, the way that paperbacks come out a year after hardcovers as a rule. But Macmillan's idea of including bonus materials with a limited edition ebook is kind of a good idea, too. At the same time, publishers and authors are fighting over ebook rights.
All of a sudden, this "ebook" thing that the industry has been cowering over for a decade now has come true. The shocking thing is how unprepared everyone is now that they're here.
1
Charging the same amount of money as a hardcover copy is freaking insanity. As is delaying release. The ONLY thing these tactics are going to do is increase piracy.
The idea of charging the same as a hardcover is insulting. It costs the publisher comparatively infinitesimal amounts to produce and distribute an ebook, there are no physical materials to pay for, and nothing "lasting" is acquired.
I really don't get how none of the content industries can at all understand that piracy is a market indication that people think there products are 1) way over priced 2) not available how/when they want them 3) not available in the formats/use scenarios they want. As much as I hate to say it as a fan of literature, if publishing is going to act this stupid and hostile towards their customers, they deserve to die. It's almost 2010 for fuck's sake, get a clue.
The idea of charging the same as a hardcover is insulting. It costs the publisher comparatively infinitesimal amounts to produce and distribute an ebook, there are no physical materials to pay for, and nothing "lasting" is acquired.
I really don't get how none of the content industries can at all understand that piracy is a market indication that people think there products are 1) way over priced 2) not available how/when they want them 3) not available in the formats/use scenarios they want. As much as I hate to say it as a fan of literature, if publishing is going to act this stupid and hostile towards their customers, they deserve to die. It's almost 2010 for fuck's sake, get a clue.
2
Wait, if I buy the special edition, does the above quote mean the fancy-schmancy edition I purchased will revert to a plain-ol one? Or does it just mean that a standard e-book version will go on sale 90 days after the fancy one? i.e. do I get to keep my fancy-enhanced copy?
4
Books will never die. Ebooks will die out like the fad it is. Keep chopping down trees. We will need them for future books. Keep wishing(from inside your seattle bubble) that ebooks will replace books.
5
@4 - I'm a bit less optimistic, and I think ebooks will take over a certain segment of the market permanently, but I basically agree that traditional books are here to stay. Certainly nothing I have seen so far would ever tempt me to try to read a book on an e-reader if a physical copy were available.
6
Instead of stupid-ass "extra material", how about publishers put ten cents' worth of thought into EDITING THE BOOK for e-readers? I have numerous Kindle books that are grotesquely full of typos, most often in the kerning of word pairs -- twoormorewords runtogether, or div ide dinod dplaces. It's REALLY FUCKING IRRITATING.
7
I've turned the corner toward acceptance of eBooks. None of the readers are there yet, but the Publishing industry is being as clueless as the music industry was before it. I agree this only fuels the fire of piracy.
And, as Will states, Apple will eventually do this right, and everyone will bitch even though they could have prepared. I've begun reading books on my iPhone, and there are distinct advantages that when the right device presents, will win me over.
...
Why do I/will I read eBooks? I like to highlight passages and make notes as I read. The inability to do this effectively on legacy books means that I don't do it nearly as often as I'd like, and when I do, the notes, pages, etc. are often lost or not organized in any friendly way.
In just the couple of months that I've been reading on my iPhone (more Kindle for iPhone apps in the wild than actual kindle devices), I've taken more notes, highlighted more passages, and been able to capture more value out of my reading ever before.
This reminds me of how Motorola couldn't get email right for decades before Apple came in and owned the phone market.
And, as Will states, Apple will eventually do this right, and everyone will bitch even though they could have prepared. I've begun reading books on my iPhone, and there are distinct advantages that when the right device presents, will win me over.
...
Why do I/will I read eBooks? I like to highlight passages and make notes as I read. The inability to do this effectively on legacy books means that I don't do it nearly as often as I'd like, and when I do, the notes, pages, etc. are often lost or not organized in any friendly way.
In just the couple of months that I've been reading on my iPhone (more Kindle for iPhone apps in the wild than actual kindle devices), I've taken more notes, highlighted more passages, and been able to capture more value out of my reading ever before.
This reminds me of how Motorola couldn't get email right for decades before Apple came in and owned the phone market.
8
@4, I doubt they will ever fully replace books, at least not until we have digital paper that feels and looks just like a book. Even still there will probably be a market for regular books.
What I want is to be able to buy both, at the same time, and for a reasonable price. That way I can have the book, but can also catch up on a few pages on my iPhone when I am on the bus, or bored at work without hauling the damn thing around. I would happily pay an extra couple bucks for this and it seems like publishers could do this for almost no cost.
Its the ease of use and the low cost of services like iTunes that really reduces piracy.
What I want is to be able to buy both, at the same time, and for a reasonable price. That way I can have the book, but can also catch up on a few pages on my iPhone when I am on the bus, or bored at work without hauling the damn thing around. I would happily pay an extra couple bucks for this and it seems like publishers could do this for almost no cost.
Its the ease of use and the low cost of services like iTunes that really reduces piracy.
9
@1: OMFG, Amen! In South America there is massive book piracy of paper books, because they're mostly manufactured in the global north and cost the same as they do at the Barnes & Noble down the street. There is a whole industry of people who purchase a book for $15.00 or so - a princely sum down there - and then make very nice photocopies of them and sell them for a buck or two or three. Publishers get what they deserve when they ignore the what the market will bear.
10
Paul - I really enjoy your stuff & I was just wondering what you think of the iPhone as an eBook reader...TIA.
11
The technology to produce an ebook in addition to a printed book isn't easy or cheap. It's a huge technological hurdle that all major publishers are frantically scrambling to clear, because they know it is the future and they can't afford to be left behind (and also because the great and powerful Amazon demands it). But this is happening at the worst possible time, as the last two years have seen major downsizing at publishing houses. So they're having to learn and adopt expensive new processes at a time when editors and support staff are stretched very thin. (And don't get me started on the complication of re-visiting tens of thousands of author contracts to work out a new royalty model.)
Early adopters never have the widest choices and service. That's what it boils down to: people who have e-readers now *are* early adopters even if it feels like ebooks have been around for a long time. As ebook use reaches critical mass, publishers will catch up.
Early adopters never have the widest choices and service. That's what it boils down to: people who have e-readers now *are* early adopters even if it feels like ebooks have been around for a long time. As ebook use reaches critical mass, publishers will catch up.
12
I completely agree with @1. I got a Kindle for my birthday and now they've gone and killed one of the primary reasons for buying it.
@11: I have to disagree: I worked for a major magazine publisher digitizing articles and while it's not a free process it's far from being expensive or difficult. You are correct about the author contracts though -- that is a nightmare.
@11: I have to disagree: I worked for a major magazine publisher digitizing articles and while it's not a free process it's far from being expensive or difficult. You are correct about the author contracts though -- that is a nightmare.
13
@6 - Fnarf
This will come once ebooks actually have someone in at the publishing house that is responsible for providing the stores with an electronic copy.
Now, nearly all Kindle books are scanned in by page-turning robots and the scans interpreted by software. (I know people on the team.) I can't imagine hiring a team of humans to read the whole book to correct errors would make any financial sense.
(A frigging spell-checker would, though. I wonder if the words that run together or are separated that you encounter actually form new, valid words, thus are not caught? If not, lame, Amazon.)
Online music services used to have the same problem. They'd have to rip CDs because it was the only way to get the tracks, resulting in errors. Now the labels just send the online service the digital tracks when a new album comes out.
The same thing will happen with ebooks once publishing is truly on board.
This will come once ebooks actually have someone in at the publishing house that is responsible for providing the stores with an electronic copy.
Now, nearly all Kindle books are scanned in by page-turning robots and the scans interpreted by software. (I know people on the team.) I can't imagine hiring a team of humans to read the whole book to correct errors would make any financial sense.
(A frigging spell-checker would, though. I wonder if the words that run together or are separated that you encounter actually form new, valid words, thus are not caught? If not, lame, Amazon.)
Online music services used to have the same problem. They'd have to rip CDs because it was the only way to get the tracks, resulting in errors. Now the labels just send the online service the digital tracks when a new album comes out.
The same thing will happen with ebooks once publishing is truly on board.
14
I have yet to see a good side by side comparison of where the money goes with a digital vs. paper copy of a book. This might be an interesting exercise that would help consumers understand why an ebook should cost the $30-ish publishers seem to think is right. From a consumer's perspective, the marginal costs seem negligible, and there should be a smaller retailer cut.
A big part of the issue right now is, I think, that people pay different amounts to enjoy a book. Some of us pay nothing (library, borrowing from friends), some of us pay a little (used books where the publisher sees none of it), some a little more (paperback), some a relatively large amount (new hardcover). The publishers seem to think that the ebook market is this last set. I think they're wrong, but I'd be interested in a good analysis of why they believe this.
A big part of the issue right now is, I think, that people pay different amounts to enjoy a book. Some of us pay nothing (library, borrowing from friends), some of us pay a little (used books where the publisher sees none of it), some a little more (paperback), some a relatively large amount (new hardcover). The publishers seem to think that the ebook market is this last set. I think they're wrong, but I'd be interested in a good analysis of why they believe this.
15
I have yet to see a good side by side comparison of where the money goes with a digital vs. paper copy of a book. This might be an interesting exercise that would help consumers understand why an ebook should cost the $30-ish publishers seem to think is right. From a consumer's perspective, the marginal costs seem negligible, and there should be a smaller retailer cut.
A big part of the issue right now is, I think, that people pay different amounts to enjoy a book. Some of us pay nothing (library, borrowing from friends), some of us pay a little (used books where the publisher sees none of it), some a little more (paperback), some a relatively large amount (new hardcover). The publishers seem to think that the ebook market is this last set. I think they're wrong, but I'd be interested in a good analysis of why they believe this.
A big part of the issue right now is, I think, that people pay different amounts to enjoy a book. Some of us pay nothing (library, borrowing from friends), some of us pay a little (used books where the publisher sees none of it), some a little more (paperback), some a relatively large amount (new hardcover). The publishers seem to think that the ebook market is this last set. I think they're wrong, but I'd be interested in a good analysis of why they believe this.
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