Just two days ago I posted news about one publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc., purposefully delaying the release of an e-book version of a new book. Now The New York Times is reporting that other publishers are considering the same course of action.
Authors whose works may be delayed in e-book format include Dan Brown and Stephen King (Yes, the same Stephen King who wrote a story exclusively for the Kindle to help pimp the Kindle 2.).
Are we heading for a showdown between publishers and Amazon?
Paul
6 comments:
what we're really heading for is a showdown between publishers and the market (that is to say, US)...
everyone saw how well that worked out for the music industry when they tried it. but i guess the publishers have to take it on the chin personally before they figure it out. its a damn shame really, and i just hope the idiocy from the dinosaurs doesnt last as long as it did for music.
although it probably will.
Hey Joe, love your blog. But, while we are embracing new media, any chance you could fix what's happening on your page? Your reliance on frames leaves those of us who can't see well out in the cold. When I try to use the old "ctrl-+" macro to make the text large enough so I can see it, the frames on both side of your page SQUEEZE the text so tight that eventually I'm reading one word at a time. Any chance to fix this?
Hi Anne. My apologies for your frustrations with my blog's design. I'll have to see what other options might exist which would allow me to keep the elements in the outer frames. I'm wondering if you might be better served by getting the RSS feed instead of trying to read the blog directly. Have you tried that option?
I don't think there is a showdown here. Peter Olson & Bharat Anand's column in Book Business last month even suggests dynamic pricing (hard bound first, with ebook release and price reductions to follow) as a compliment to an effective publishing strategy. People that want a book now will buy, and people that don't will wait. Amazon satisfies both types of consumer. Where's the conflict?
Delaying an ebook release will certainly produce some backlash from the early adopters who spent $400+ on a device and cannot get the book for their device when it releases, and for that reason, I don't think this approach will stick. It could work though, if the consumer could get an "advanced copy" of the ebook with the purchase of the hardcover. It feeds the early adopter's need to have something before everyone else, and the author, retailer, and publisher still get the hardcover sale. Even a $25 hardcover might be on sale for $15, which is $5 more than the ebook will be in six months, but the consumer gets the ebook now, before everyone else, and a print edition they can resell or gift, providing a kind of pass-along/word-of-mouth marketing benefit to the publisher. Barnes & Noble and Amazon could launch a program with the Public Library Association and give consumers the option to donate the print edition to a struggling public library.
http://bit.ly/Bmpwp
I don't like reading from a screen, computer or otherwise. I guess you'd call me a dinosaur Rabio :-) I'm just more comfortable holding the book, my eyes just don't like focusing on a screen. Besides then I can underline if I choose and have it for later reference if I want. So I hope ebooks don't overtake the world. lol
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