Comments on: Sittin’ Here, Watching The Market Go By http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/ Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:57:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Roland http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-169120 Roland Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:43:45 +0000 882218203#comment-169120 Why haven't publishers fallen over themselves to get into the Apple market? That's a question asked by someone that is obviously not a publisher. Logikal Solutions recently released "Infinite Exposure" in eBook format. The book will not come out in print format until a certain sales threshold is reached. Ebook conversions were done in-house from the original OpenOffice file. Sony, Palm, and ePub were created. The Sony format was posted first on the Sony eBookstore site. Getting your book on that site is free, but requires the patience of a saint locating the correct group of people to get the book loaded. The Palm format was posted on eBookMall. There was no method humanly possible of figuring out how to get the book into a central Palm eBook site. It cost roughly $20 to get loaded. Very fair. Now, you want to get your ePub version posted on the Apple store...bend over baby, there is a long line of people that needs to violate you first. Stanza sent us a contract wanting a $1000 setup fee and a healthy cut on top of the cut Apple takes. This "new" service, pixelpapyrus, wants $3000 setup fee and a 20% cut on top of the Apple cut. BooksOnBoard (which is basically dealing with Stanza) doesn't leave any opening what-so-ever on their site for a small or independent publisher. (Sony is at least working on a publisher portal and has a dummy page up saying so.) Consequently, the ePub version currently isn't available for sale. iPhone users will have to install a reader which can read Sony or Palm format. At least until a retail operation contacts us with a fair deal to get the book in the Apple store. I'm not holding my breath on that one. Why haven’t publishers fallen over themselves to get into the Apple market? That’s a question asked by someone that is obviously not a publisher.

Logikal Solutions recently released “Infinite Exposure” in eBook format. The book will not come out in print format until a certain sales threshold is reached. Ebook conversions were done in-house from the original OpenOffice file. Sony, Palm, and ePub were created.

The Sony format was posted first on the Sony eBookstore site. Getting your book on that site is free, but requires the patience of a saint locating the correct group of people to get the book loaded.

The Palm format was posted on eBookMall. There was no method humanly possible of figuring out how to get the book into a central Palm eBook site. It cost roughly $20 to get loaded. Very fair.

Now, you want to get your ePub version posted on the Apple store…bend over baby, there is a long line of people that needs to violate you first.

Stanza sent us a contract wanting a $1000 setup fee and a healthy cut on top of the cut Apple takes.

This “new” service, pixelpapyrus, wants $3000 setup fee and a 20% cut on top of the Apple cut.

BooksOnBoard (which is basically dealing with Stanza) doesn’t leave any opening what-so-ever on their site for a small or independent publisher. (Sony is at least working on a publisher portal and has a dummy page up saying so.)

Consequently, the ePub version currently isn’t available for sale. iPhone users will have to install a reader which can read Sony or Palm format. At least until a retail operation contacts us with a fair deal to get the book in the Apple store. I’m not holding my breath on that one.

]]> By: A lost chance by publishers? « Booklishing http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-168022 A lost chance by publishers? « Booklishing Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:30:09 +0000 882218203#comment-168022 [...] debate going on (I guess -and hope- it is not finished yet): Kassia Krozser from Booksquare wrote a post complaining about how book publishers missed the chance to take part in the iPhone launch. That was [...] [...] debate going on (I guess -and hope- it is not finished yet): Kassia Krozser from Booksquare wrote a post complaining about how book publishers missed the chance to take part in the iPhone launch. That was [...]

]]> By: iPhone/iPod Touch As An eBook Reader « A Commons Blog http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-168001 iPhone/iPod Touch As An eBook Reader « A Commons Blog Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:26:14 +0000 882218203#comment-168001 [...] for the iPhone/iPod Touch 2.0 environment, in particular the iPhone 3G. BookSquare, in turn, has a post wondering where the heck all the publishers are: On a weekend when headlines were there for the [...] [...] for the iPhone/iPod Touch 2.0 environment, in particular the iPhone 3G. BookSquare, in turn, has a post wondering where the heck all the publishers are: On a weekend when headlines were there for the [...]

]]> By: thedigitalist.net » Work in progress http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-167998 thedigitalist.net » Work in progress Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:21:57 +0000 882218203#comment-167998 [...] make clarity of  choice and availability a nightmare for the consumer? I don’t agree with Kassia Krozer at Booksquare that DRM is the main issue (though it certainly still minimises massively the number of ebooks we could make available [...] [...] make clarity of  choice and availability a nightmare for the consumer? I don’t agree with Kassia Krozer at Booksquare that DRM is the main issue (though it certainly still minimises massively the number of ebooks we could make available [...]

]]> By: Adrian Graham http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-167997 Adrian Graham Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:10:13 +0000 882218203#comment-167997 It's happening(eBooks), but slower than people expected. Also we're waiting for screen technology to get better. The Kindle seems to have made a good start although it's not available in the UK. Amazon should have put out a Kindle 2 by now. I think the iPhone / iPod Touch could make a good casual eBook reader. I imagine Mobipocket would want to get a reader on this platform, but they're owned by Amazon now so maybe that won't happen. Wouldn't it be great to buy eBooks from iTunes ... I think Steve Jobs was quoted somewhere saying that he wasn't interested in eBooks because no one reads any more. I guess he wasn't including the Internet. It’s happening(eBooks), but slower than people expected. Also we’re waiting for screen technology to get better. The Kindle seems to have made a good start although it’s not available in the UK. Amazon should have put out a Kindle 2 by now.

I think the iPhone / iPod Touch could make a good casual eBook reader. I imagine Mobipocket would want to get a reader on this platform, but they’re owned by Amazon now so maybe that won’t happen. Wouldn’t it be great to buy eBooks from iTunes … I think Steve Jobs was quoted somewhere saying that he wasn’t interested in eBooks because no one reads any more. I guess he wasn’t including the Internet.

]]> By: Kassia Krozser http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-167996 Kassia Krozser Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:28:48 +0000 882218203#comment-167996 SJ -- Interesting theory on the SDK, and you might be correct. Still doesn't explain why the publishers aren't talking to Apple about working through the iTunes store. Or at least lobbying for a books/publications section to make finding content easier (I admit it, I simply cannot work with iTunes). SJ — Interesting theory on the SDK, and you might be correct. Still doesn’t explain why the publishers aren’t talking to Apple about working through the iTunes store. Or at least lobbying for a books/publications section to make finding content easier (I admit it, I simply cannot work with iTunes).

]]> By: Kassia Krozser http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-167995 Kassia Krozser Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:27:36 +0000 882218203#comment-167995 Adam, I really don't think it's ebook fatigue. I'm more in Jane's camp where it's waiting for someone to show the way...and DRM. They really haven't gotten over DRM. There are those who get it, but, just judging from my (one-time) Fictionwise experiment, the fear of piracy outweighs the desire to serve customers well. I think the problem with the golden age of ebooks (and I do agree that it's been overhyped) is that it's never going to happen, not the way anyone thinks. Ebooks are more of a quiet revolution, becoming mainstream without a lot of fanfare. There won't be a sea change, at least one that's noticeable, as much as an ongoing shift in consumer behavior (witness mainstream reaction to the Kindle and the possibility of reading on the iPhone). Adam, I really don’t think it’s ebook fatigue. I’m more in Jane’s camp where it’s waiting for someone to show the way…and DRM. They really haven’t gotten over DRM. There are those who get it, but, just judging from my (one-time) Fictionwise experiment, the fear of piracy outweighs the desire to serve customers well.

I think the problem with the golden age of ebooks (and I do agree that it’s been overhyped) is that it’s never going to happen, not the way anyone thinks. Ebooks are more of a quiet revolution, becoming mainstream without a lot of fanfare. There won’t be a sea change, at least one that’s noticeable, as much as an ongoing shift in consumer behavior (witness mainstream reaction to the Kindle and the possibility of reading on the iPhone).

]]> By: Adam http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-167994 Adam Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:08:11 +0000 882218203#comment-167994 Much to agree with, but dont think you are right about the diagnosis of why publishers havent been pushing the iPhone: DRM is not the issue, most publishers have got over the DRM hangup. I think a more probable explanation is simple eBook fatigue. The promised golden age of eBooks has proven to be a false dawn so many times, that most publishers are taking a very 'wait and see' attitude. http://exacteditions.blogspot.com/2008/07/dozing-at-wheel.html Much to agree with, but dont think you are right about the diagnosis of why publishers havent been pushing the iPhone:

DRM is not the issue, most publishers have got over the DRM hangup. I think a more probable explanation is simple eBook fatigue. The promised golden age of eBooks has proven to be a false dawn so many times, that most publishers are taking a very ‘wait and see’ attitude.

http://exacteditions.blogspot.com/2008/07/dozing-at-wheel.html

]]> By: Jane http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-167993 Jane Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:41:22 +0000 882218203#comment-167993 Of course, I am in complete and full agreement with you, Kassia. It doesn't really make sense for publishers to rely solely on vendors to open the market for them, particularly when it appears that any decent programmer can develop something for the iPhone. With my limited tech knowledge, I was able to set up a Bookshelf ShelfServer for the public domain. Could an enterprising publisher team up with someone like Zac Bedell, the developer, and allow its books to be sold through something like that application? While I applaud publishing's efforts to move into the digital format, I really wonder about their vision. Of course, I am in complete and full agreement with you, Kassia. It doesn’t really make sense for publishers to rely solely on vendors to open the market for them, particularly when it appears that any decent programmer can develop something for the iPhone.

With my limited tech knowledge, I was able to set up a Bookshelf ShelfServer for the public domain. Could an enterprising publisher team up with someone like Zac Bedell, the developer, and allow its books to be sold through something like that application?

While I applaud publishing’s efforts to move into the digital format, I really wonder about their vision.

]]> By: Times Emit: Apt’s links for July 14th http://booksquare.com/sittin-here-watching-the-market-go-by/comment-page-1/#comment-167988 Times Emit: Apt’s links for July 14th Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:31:37 +0000 882218203#comment-167988 [...] Sittin? Here, Watching The Market Go By | Booksquare - “Since there has been significant interest in using the iPhone as an ereader, I was, well, expecting amazing things from the publishing industry. Hopes. Dashed.” I love Booksquare. [...] [...] Sittin? Here, Watching The Market Go By | Booksquare – “Since there has been significant interest in using the iPhone as an ereader, I was, well, expecting amazing things from the publishing industry. Hopes. Dashed.” I love Booksquare. [...]

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