Comments on: In Our Continuing Series of Electronic Publishing Rants, Episode IV http://booksquare.com/in-our-continuing-series-of-electronic-publishing-rants-episode-iv/ Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism Mon, 21 May 2012 06:15:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Booksquare http://booksquare.com/in-our-continuing-series-of-electronic-publishing-rants-episode-iv/comment-page-1/#comment-79604 Booksquare Thu, 26 May 2005 14:46:34 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/05/22/1349/#comment-79604 First, congratulations on getting back your rights. It's nice to know one of the people responsible for the massive books hiding in this house! I really do the think the O'Reilly model is a boon for computer books because technology changes so rapidly. We use our Safari subscription constantly (yes, even me, though that's a secret). I do think smaller books would benefit from either the Safari model or even direct sales/access/free (depending on the book). I often point to Cory Doctorow as an example of someone who makes new distribution approaches co-exist nicely with traditional avenues. As far as format goes, the Beta vs VHS argument related to vastly different technologies. You couldn't make one work with the other no matter how hard you tried (same for DVD). For books, the underlying technology is the same, even if the format is different. You still start with basic text -- how it's represented is flexible. The danger, as I see it (being all knowing and all that) is when/if a publisher locks into a single method of delivering books. Readers want their entertainment in the way they want it -- they don't want to be told how they must consume their books. The music industry is having a hard time grasping this, and I think it's contributing more to piracy than they realize. People don't mind paying for things; they just want it to be convenient. First, congratulations on getting back your rights. It’s nice to know one of the people responsible for the massive books hiding in this house! I really do the think the O’Reilly model is a boon for computer books because technology changes so rapidly. We use our Safari subscription constantly (yes, even me, though that’s a secret). I do think smaller books would benefit from either the Safari model or even direct sales/access/free (depending on the book). I often point to Cory Doctorow as an example of someone who makes new distribution approaches co-exist nicely with traditional avenues.

As far as format goes, the Beta vs VHS argument related to vastly different technologies. You couldn’t make one work with the other no matter how hard you tried (same for DVD). For books, the underlying technology is the same, even if the format is different. You still start with basic text — how it’s represented is flexible. The danger, as I see it (being all knowing and all that) is when/if a publisher locks into a single method of delivering books. Readers want their entertainment in the way they want it — they don’t want to be told how they must consume their books. The music industry is having a hard time grasping this, and I think it’s contributing more to piracy than they realize. People don’t mind paying for things; they just want it to be convenient.

]]> By: Naba Barkakati http://booksquare.com/in-our-continuing-series-of-electronic-publishing-rants-episode-iv/comment-page-1/#comment-79603 Naba Barkakati Thu, 26 May 2005 13:12:08 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/05/22/1349/#comment-79603 As a computer book author I have been guilty of some of those oversized 900+ page geek books you mentioned :-) However, lately I have been wondering if computer ebooks could help us cut down the size and beat the stigma of being "outdated" within months of publishing the book. O’Reilly Safari-style subscription seems to be one solution, but perhaps smaller, low-priced computer ebooks (with additional features such as simple animations to illustrate concepts) would also sell. The idea of putting my older books (where I have gotten back the rights) on my own web site seems like a viable step- - just to test the waters. As for fiction ebooks, I'm really glad to learn that ebook fiction seems to be thriving. Do you think the multiplicity formats and ebook readers would be a hindrance (like the VHS vs. Betamax days)? By the way, I read your blog regularly and find it very interesting. Thanks! As a computer book author I have been guilty of some of those oversized 900+ page geek books you mentioned :-) However, lately I have been wondering if computer ebooks could help us cut down the size and beat the stigma of being “outdated” within months of publishing the book. O’Reilly Safari-style subscription seems to be one solution, but perhaps smaller, low-priced computer ebooks (with additional features such as simple animations to illustrate concepts) would also sell. The idea of putting my older books (where I have gotten back the rights) on my own web site seems like a viable step- – just to test the waters.

As for fiction ebooks, I’m really glad to learn that ebook fiction seems to be thriving. Do you think the multiplicity formats and ebook readers would be a hindrance (like the VHS vs. Betamax days)?

By the way, I read your blog regularly and find it very interesting. Thanks!

]]> By: Booksquare http://booksquare.com/in-our-continuing-series-of-electronic-publishing-rants-episode-iv/comment-page-1/#comment-78749 Booksquare Mon, 23 May 2005 14:58:44 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/05/22/1349/#comment-78749 Several months ago, I bought an electronic version of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Setting aside the ridiculously complex process for downloading and opening the file (thank you, paranoid digital rights management), the price was fine and certainly worth saving the hours of going through boxes in the garage. Even super-favorites must be cycled out to make way for new books. If only houses expanded. I didn't so much need to reread this book as refresh myself on certain matters. Over time, certain elements from other books had seeped into my memory of the first book. I now have a PDF version of this book, though I suspect that transferring it from my PC to my Mac will require more effort than I'm willing to expend. Several months ago, I bought an electronic version of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Setting aside the ridiculously complex process for downloading and opening the file (thank you, paranoid digital rights management), the price was fine and certainly worth saving the hours of going through boxes in the garage. Even super-favorites must be cycled out to make way for new books. If only houses expanded.

I didn’t so much need to reread this book as refresh myself on certain matters. Over time, certain elements from other books had seeped into my memory of the first book. I now have a PDF version of this book, though I suspect that transferring it from my PC to my Mac will require more effort than I’m willing to expend.

]]> By: The Vintage Reader http://booksquare.com/in-our-continuing-series-of-electronic-publishing-rants-episode-iv/comment-page-1/#comment-78640 The Vintage Reader Mon, 23 May 2005 09:53:48 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/05/22/1349/#comment-78640 Personally, I like ebooks. I buy from ereader.com (formerly Palm Digital Media) pretty frequently. I like it that I can take my PDA along anywhere and have a huge selection (just like with real books, I always have a TBR pile). And yes, my favorite part of it is being able to get old books that I can't find anywhere. I found K.K. Beck's entire Jane daSilva series for something like $4 each, and a whole stack of older stuff by Robert Silverberg, Mercedes Lackey, and Alan Dean Foster for next to nothing. My fiction magazines are available as ebooks--if I miss an issue of EQMM or F&SF, I can usually get them at ereader if I don't let too many months go by. There are some books that don't do well as ebooks, of course. Anything with a lot of graphs and charts and tables is out. For me, it has to be fairly light and entertaining, because it's a lot easier for me to get distracted when I'm reading on my PDA than if I have a book in front of my face. But I love being able to go online at 11:45 and download something to take to the park for lunch. Personally, I like ebooks. I buy from ereader.com (formerly Palm Digital Media) pretty frequently. I like it that I can take my PDA along anywhere and have a huge selection (just like with real books, I always have a TBR pile).

And yes, my favorite part of it is being able to get old books that I can’t find anywhere. I found K.K. Beck’s entire Jane daSilva series for something like $4 each, and a whole stack of older stuff by Robert Silverberg, Mercedes Lackey, and Alan Dean Foster for next to nothing. My fiction magazines are available as ebooks–if I miss an issue of EQMM or F&SF, I can usually get them at ereader if I don’t let too many months go by.

There are some books that don’t do well as ebooks, of course. Anything with a lot of graphs and charts and tables is out. For me, it has to be fairly light and entertaining, because it’s a lot easier for me to get distracted when I’m reading on my PDA than if I have a book in front of my face. But I love being able to go online at 11:45 and download something to take to the park for lunch.

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