tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post1905821083886490336..comments2024-03-28T09:21:52.243-04:00Comments on Pimp My Novel: The Death of (Another) FormatUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-85833720116213929732024-01-04T05:41:22.580-05:002024-01-04T05:41:22.580-05:00Het verhaal, geschreven door een fascinerende gees...Het verhaal, geschreven door een fascinerende geest en vertaald door Updaten, neemt de lezer mee op een reis vol verrassende wendingen. De intrigerende strip Life on a Deserted Island with an <a href="https://www.reaperscanss.com/life-on-a-deserted-island-with-an-enemy-female-soldier/" rel="nofollow">Enemy Female Soldier</a> verkent de onontgonnen gebieden van relaties, persoonlijke ontwikkeling en overleven.mangaahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11950851000560227059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-87466468085755877282023-12-26T04:23:53.570-05:002023-12-26T04:23:53.570-05:00More than just reviews and suggestions, reaper sca...More than just reviews and suggestions, <a href="http://reaperrow.com/" rel="nofollow">reaper scans</a> is a literary companion that captivates readers with insightful analysis, conversations with authors, and a look into current trends in literature.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09510429219963791559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-7639147975837993242023-12-18T02:52:21.347-05:002023-12-18T02:52:21.347-05:00In order to give its broad audience a comprehensiv...In order to give its broad audience a comprehensive and interesting experience, <a href="https://www.walkerfeed.com/blackboard-utsa/" rel="nofollow">black board utsa</a> is a dynamic web platform that skillfully blends ideas about technology, health, sports, and novels.Social Media Servicesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14197118104789695787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-8407669024424032112023-12-12T03:30:29.011-05:002023-12-12T03:30:29.011-05:00The masalqseen is your one-stop online shop that e...The <a href="https://www.brightsmail.com/" rel="nofollow">masalqseen</a> is your one-stop online shop that expertly combines the worlds of technology, literature, and health to provide a lively and perceptive environment for a wide range of interests. BrightsMail keeps you informed about the newest devices, fashions, and technological advancements in the field of technology.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09510429219963791559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-52129404845079068972010-08-16T13:09:33.143-04:002010-08-16T13:09:33.143-04:00Thanks, Doug, for pointing out the flaw in all the...Thanks, Doug, for pointing out the flaw in all the "marketplace will decide" talk when so much control is exercized by a small number of actors. People tend to forget (conveniently?) that the economy doesn't care whether people planning it out call themselves "government" or not. A command dynamic is a command dynamic.<br /><br />Also, to all those pointing to the different ways we treat paperbacks and ereaders, let me introduce you to my iPod. Not only is in encased in leather padding, but it's battered to the point of needing replaced because I take it to the beach, throw it into rucksacks, etc. <br /><br />With new versions of the iPod coming out almost monthly, it's natural to consider them quasi-disposable. In fact, my oldest paperbacks are several times older than my current iPod. I suspect the same attitude will be applied to ereaders once the prices come down far enough. <br /><br />And, I give it to next summer before we start seeing washable ereader slipcovers that keep them clean of sand, water, food, and sunblock.J. Nelson Leithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16447435354556646276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-11060800623823451242010-08-15T16:20:27.765-04:002010-08-15T16:20:27.765-04:00Very interesting analysis. I'd have to say tha...Very interesting analysis. I'd have to say that I agree. Paperbacks are often last-minute, impulse buys, as in oh-I'm-bored-lets-find-a-book and ebooks are obviously really easy to buy when you're waiting at the doctors office or forgot to pick something up for the flight. A lot of people are more careful with their hardback choices, because they're more expensive, built to last, and will probably join some kind of collection instead of kissed passed from friend to friend. So, I could see how many people will still want to go to a bookstore and peruse for hardbacks and to have them as a physical copy.Dayana Stockdalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03732725838165251900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-49434982695249410482010-08-15T03:09:21.898-04:002010-08-15T03:09:21.898-04:00Well, you are not short sighted, are you? The most...Well, you are not short sighted, are you? The most important part for me is when I open the book and it smells of freshly printed pages. I believe that (at least for a while) many people will prefer books (including paperbacks) for iloogical resons like that. I agree with you that the next generation, who grew up using technology for everything, will surely think different. But my generation will be here for quite a while yet, and our buying preferences will govern the industry for a few years to come, methinks (oh I love that word).Katharina Gerlachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223722392075669331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-54904961100616415902010-08-13T18:48:25.626-04:002010-08-13T18:48:25.626-04:00I'm with Eric. The hardcover has still got leg...I'm with Eric. The hardcover has still got legs, and I think that the trade paperback also does for the many types of non-narrative books.<br /><br />Those who say "consumers will still want mass-market paperback" forget that the people aren't in control. What's the incentive for a publisher to produce MMPB when e-book is cheaper, has a higher profit margin, no returns, and can be kept "in print" indefinitely at virtually no marginal cost? What's the incentive for mass-market retailers (Wal*Mart, etc.) to stock MMPBs when they could be using that shelf space to sell e-readers?<br /><br />MMPB sales have been in slow decline for the past few years. E-book sales have been rocketing (duh), and may surpass MMPB sales by the end of the year. Or might not. But next year for sure. Yeah, for sure!<br /><br />E-book is the new MMPB. I expect that sometime next year, at least one of the 'Big 6' will announce that their new titles will be released in hardcover and e-book only, with no MMPB cycle. Or maybe they won't actually announce it, but just do it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-58336792748200414622010-08-13T15:46:19.598-04:002010-08-13T15:46:19.598-04:00Good concise thoughts here and I heartily agree.Good concise thoughts here and I heartily agree.ssashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527483283426518167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-26760970974272790532010-08-11T08:24:55.417-04:002010-08-11T08:24:55.417-04:00I can't imagine the demise of something so che...I can't imagine the demise of something so cheap and disposable as the mass market paperback. The advantage of them is that you can fold them, drop them, get them dirty, get them wet, spill coffe on them, and it doesnt matter because they're disposable. <br /><br />With an e-reader, it means that all books are precious, delicate, expensive technology that I wouldnt dare to just throw into a rucksack.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-36907298163942135142010-08-11T07:27:35.673-04:002010-08-11T07:27:35.673-04:00Despite the ad campaigns, e-readers suck at the be...Despite the ad campaigns, e-readers suck at the beach. Forget the sand problem and salt water problem, and the greasy sun-screen on the fingers problem - what's great about paperbacks is that when you drop them, they don't break. If they get wet - no problem. Sand? Whatever. Wanna highlight lines or fold pages for future re-readings? At your pleasure. But the best part is that a beach-paperback smells like the beach! Plus, when you're finished, you can hand it off to a friend or stranger.<br /><br />I've tried the e-book. I hate the e-book. I even hate that it's called an e-book.frank1569https://www.blogger.com/profile/10125628219505031584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-75605890991185293202010-08-11T04:18:35.591-04:002010-08-11T04:18:35.591-04:00One of the interesting things about the panic behi...One of the interesting things about the panic behind paper books going away is that the public is forgetting 2 very important things:<br /><br />1) People don't like to buy things twice. If we can't share it with a friend or pass it on to a family member we feel cheated. <br /><br />2) Amazon's ability to remove of Animal Farm from hundreds of thousands of Kindles was an invasion of privacy. Sure, people got their money back. And maybe it was legal. But do we really want to give Walmart, Target, and the next wave of e-reader retailers the right to access our purchases after we've left the store with them?Ms.Smithfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05096076099050040020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-82840029324772610392010-08-10T11:15:08.645-04:002010-08-10T11:15:08.645-04:00I don't think ebooks will kill ALL mass market...I don't think ebooks will kill ALL mass market paperbacks. There are really two kinds of MMs: 1)books that publish only in MM. Usually they're genre books (mysteries, science fiction, romance) and the author is not enough of a name to get get into hardback or trade paper. 2) Books that publish first in hardback and then a year or so later come out in MM (of it they sell really well, it's hardback, trade paper, and then MM). I think publishers will want to start brand new authors out in ebooks but I think with best selling hardbacks, they will still want to put out a MM edition and then finally an ebook.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-11168866151016242522010-08-10T10:03:25.418-04:002010-08-10T10:03:25.418-04:00I do think this is all highly age biased, and no m...I do think this is all highly age biased, and no matter what WE (and in the interest of full disclosure I'm 31, but a slightly old fashioned 31) think about books and formats, it is what THEY--the "millennials" and later--think. It is their interactions with the printed word that are going to spell the doom for hardcover, mass market etc. In my inexpert opinion, they have no meaningful interaction with the printed word. Printed and digital are at best interchangeable to them. Their main driving impulse is to get it now (1am on a Tuesday when they've just read on facebook that their buddy has heard this great new band) and have it(their entire library of movies, music, books) available at all times. <br /><br /><br />That said,I'm still in wait and see mode, although I've actually started off loading my physical library--except some things that are reference, rare, or sentimental. There are a few battered mass market paperback fantasy novels from when I was a preteen that you are going to have to pry from my cold, dead fingers. That is purely sentimental. Those are the first books I ever fell in love with; the first books I ever went to an actual book store and picked out on my own and paid for with my own money. I just don't get the same thrill these days from going to B&N to get the latest bestseller or new book from my favorite authors.<br /><br />Large numbers of physical books are a pain. I work in a library, so I have an excellent vantage to study this, but mostly I'm speaking from my experience at home. They are a pain to store, they are a literal pain to move, and who can keep to a one in and one out rule? You just have to keep buying new book cases.<br /><br />I always thought that CDs and DVDs would stick around, because vain people want to show off how many they have and how good their taste is, but no one I know keeps a stack of CDs around anymore. That went the way of the ipod. Even DVDs, I've started to notice, are going the way of streaming in the home (this is highly age related, because you have to have buckets of money or technological savvy to set this up).<br /><br />Social networking has given us the ability to share and brag about our collections online the way we used to in the homes. Plus, you can brag to a much larger audience--and one that might actually know what you are talking about. Instead of just showing off the relatively few books I can afford to own, keep and lug around with me in my peripatetic existence, with a service like goodreads or librarything, I can list pretty much every single book I've ever read--back to my Babysitter's Club days in third grade. I know plenty of people who've done just that. Facebook, Netflix, Pandora, Last.fm--there is a way to get out there and say, "Hey, look what I've just read/listened to/seen." Not to mention there are social networks for knitting, drinking wine and whatever else you can think of!Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02189885439561806664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-41693535437279672252010-08-10T08:12:45.424-04:002010-08-10T08:12:45.424-04:00How's that first prediction working out for yo...How's that first prediction working out for you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-56661069026553439382010-08-10T01:02:51.158-04:002010-08-10T01:02:51.158-04:00Eric,
I think you are right with the exception of...Eric,<br /><br />I think you are right with the exception of Expresso-type POD books for the last man standing in the paperback aisle. <br /><br />Regardless of what current buyers want/think about the cuddly paperback vs. the cold, hard ebook, there is a generation rising who will have read waaaaaaaay more digital words than traditionally printed. They are very comfortable with that format. EReaders will continue to drop in price. If you are school aged and an eReader is available for $50 or less (and they will be, eventually) you can get nearly all your required reading classics as public domain freebies and come out way ahead over purchasing them as paperbacks. <br /><br />And if you want to read your Kindle by the pool, do what I do and put it in a ziploc first.<br /><br />No, printed books will never go away completely. But mass market printing is going to wane in favor of eBooks. POD is available for the holdouts and makes a lot more sense than a 10K print run on a best guess. <br /><br />Digital is just too easy and cost effective to not eventually dominate the market.Laurelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06120847492230531939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-16725367766217570152010-08-09T23:49:58.459-04:002010-08-09T23:49:58.459-04:00Brad Jaeger,
Total paid e-book downloads exceed t...Brad Jaeger,<br /><br />Total paid e-book downloads exceed total hardcover sales, but only select frontlist titles are selling in hardcover. Amazon is measuring the total e-sales of the same frontlist titles, plus e-versions of all the new books published mass market and trade paperback, plus all the backlist e-books. If you compare sales of current bestsellers in hardcover to Kindle sales of the same titles (which you can't do, because Amazon is very selective about which data it releases), the hardcovers trounce the e-books.<br /><br />E-books are less than ten percent of total book sales.Daniel Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217086697322548237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-32255143168221469702010-08-09T21:52:09.306-04:002010-08-09T21:52:09.306-04:00Hi, Eric. Thanks for maintaining this blog.
Yes,...Hi, Eric. Thanks for maintaining this blog.<br /><br />Yes, I can for two reasons. The first being convenience. While most everyone may one day own a computer/e-reader, they may not carry them at all times. <br /><br />More importantly, for low income households, the cost of many $4 books over time is more feasible than the investment in an e-reader even if it is a better buy. It is the same premise as home buying. 30-year notes are a seriously bad investment, but more manageable over the short term.Micah Maddoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09629630302222010812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-12363490717942921112010-08-09T20:23:39.773-04:002010-08-09T20:23:39.773-04:00The market place will decide what format lives or ...The market place will decide what format lives or dies. But are you willing to wait months for the mass market of today's hot hardcover when the e-book is available for only a few dollars more than the mass market version will be?<br /><br />Perhaps some of you have noticed the price of the e-book goes down when the title becomes available on mass market format. With the exception of the agency model books I have found the e-book cost less than or nearly the same as the mm version.<br /><br />I think the future for the print formats will be a small speciality size market with the vast majority of sales for the e-book format. I don't think the hardcover format or the mass market format will totally vanish for a generation or two. <br /><br />Hard Case Crime publisher Charles Ardair has said he will always publish in the mass market format only. He publishes reprints and originals in the style of the old crime novel paperbacks. His publishing is about honoring the old format. As long as readers buy enough of any format so such publishers can make a profit, the format will live. Much like you can still buy select music on new LP records.<br /><br />Hopefully publishers understand that cost does not set price. Demand sets price and price sets cost.<br /><br />Hopefully we readers understand that profit will set format. Since there are many costs (paper, inventory, returns,etc) for mass market books that e-books do not have, it makes business sense for the average book to abandon the mass market, audio book, large print formats. I think the hardcover will survive the longest among the print format. This still leaves out the Trade paperback format.michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17812924049258701715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-29495775749001154742010-08-09T19:59:03.647-04:002010-08-09T19:59:03.647-04:00Your argument for why mass markets will go the way...Your argument for why mass markets will go the way of the dodo makes a lot of sense to me--I really did have an "aha" moment when I read it. But like Brad above me said, I think that the hardcover is seriously endangered by the e-reader as well. I'm already resistant to buying a $25-30 hardcover, and if I can get a cheap e-copy at the time of release, I'm going to do that (once I have an e-reader). Unless e-releases are delayed, I have very few reasons to ever buy a hardcover. I'll have to *really* like the author and want to get it signed. I have enough print books already for display purposes. (Too many, I'm thinking, as I'm moving right now and those boxes are heavy!) At least now with mass markets, I have to wait to read book if I want it cheaper, and if I'm that impatient, I might cave and buy the hardcover.<br /><br />What do you think will be the effect on trade paperbacks?<br /><br />I'm fairly certain e-books will be loanable someday, so that's not a concern for me. Although I want to know where T.H. Rathke is finding $4.95 books. I remember those from middle school...Kristin Laughtinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01536556357622503501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-13437132056383714812010-08-09T14:57:09.679-04:002010-08-09T14:57:09.679-04:00I think mass market paperbacks are probably the mo...I think mass market paperbacks are probably the most resilient to being snuffed out; it's the hardcovers that are going to suffer limited sales due to their bulky nature and high cost. Kindle e-books are already outselling hardcovers at Amazon by a substantial margin. <br /><br />At least 75% of my library is mass market paperback. Hardcovers simply don't lend themselves to a comfortable reading, which is why I avoid them for the most part.Brad Jaegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12672047492091058737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-86270044908818558652010-08-09T14:25:31.815-04:002010-08-09T14:25:31.815-04:00The printed page offers many advantages; paperback...The printed page offers many advantages; paperbacks don't require batteries or electricity. I can read them by candlelight if the power's out.<br />Actually holding a book in your hands gives you a stronger connection to the story, and in an odd "telepathy" kind of way, the author.<br />As has been mentioned above, if I read a book that I think is especially well done, I can lend it to a friend that I think will enjoy it, and I can borrow similar books from them.<br />E-readers are fine; I'll probably own one myself once I can justify the cost. But I'll never give up books.<br />Even if the Kindle could replicate the immersion of a book, the scent of the pages (or the heady scent that fills a bookstore) or the texture of paper in my hands, it could still never replicate the experience.<br />Curling up on the couch with a cup of hot tea and a Kindle just doesn't cut it.Bradhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10646548242753417196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-21470260941162053232010-08-09T13:04:25.414-04:002010-08-09T13:04:25.414-04:00Eric, I sincerely hope you are wrong about this! I...Eric, I sincerely hope you are wrong about this! I'm a copyeditor and I spend all day reading onscreen, being able to pick up a book and read on paper is a relaxing blessing after work is done. <br /><br />Anne, right on! Used bookstores are my favorite places to visit, too--and yes, if I find an author I really like in a used bookstore, I will go to a new bookstore or Amazon.com and buy their newer releases.<br /><br />I want to to turn the pages!!Nanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08809913527142033733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-78995356367184909062010-08-09T13:01:21.484-04:002010-08-09T13:01:21.484-04:00T.H. Rathke,
Music publishers went DRM free becau...T.H. Rathke,<br /><br />Music publishers went DRM free because they really didn't have a choice. CD-audio is an unprotected digital format that can be ripped DRM free to a sharable file by anyone. And publishers can't put DRM on CDs, because the media must be compatible with existing CD players.<br /><br />If commercial music downloads are encumbered by DRM, they're inferior to freely-available pirated versions. E-vendors had to go DRM free because they were essentially competing with illegal downloads. People who might have bought the album would pirate to avoid the limitations on the commercial files. <br /><br />A book is different because it can't be ripped like a CD. Somebody has to scan every page of a book to PDF or type every word into a text document in order to turn it into a file that can be shared on the internet. This doesn't happen very often, and the result is noticeably inferior to the original. <br /><br />If publishers start releasing books as freely-sharable files, they'll create mass book piracy where none exists now. <br /><br />A full book in Word format is less than 1MB. If publishers put their books out as DRM-free files, a reader can attach an author's entire life's work to an e-mail and forward it to everyone he knows with a push of a button, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Nobody who is in the business of selling content would willfully create that kind of situation.<br /><br />DRM free e-books will never happen; it would be the end of commercial publishing.Daniel Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217086697322548237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7733835506387656648.post-69545538486518616942010-08-09T12:52:02.010-04:002010-08-09T12:52:02.010-04:00I think I'm going to side with you on this one...I think I'm going to side with you on this one, Eric. More and more people are getting e readers - and loving them, but there will always be a place for a well bound hardcover.Tracy Krausshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05066853243062725525noreply@blogger.com