Tara — the luvlibrary thing is interesting, but I’m not seeing how authors benefit. This could lead to reduced royalties for many authors as fewer copies of their books are sold. While I haven’t looked at the deal NetFlix has with studios, presumably, there is either some sort of revenue sharing or premium pricing in place to ensure that the copyright holders (and their contractual obligants) receive compensation.

As for Napster, while it could be argued that it ultimately benefitted sales (and the new Napster model is certainly a wonder to behold — you lose your music if you stop your subscription), the artists involved did not receive compensation for the works being traded. Again, this might have worked to the benefit of some in the form of increased exposure and higher concert attendance, but I am firmly in the camp of paying for works whenever practicable (I don’t always pay for books received for review, for example).

It’s an interesting business model, but I’d like to see how artists benefit. Publishing, like all businesses, is a numbers game, and if sales are siphoned off, there’s a real impact.

That being said, the new upperbacks are no easier to read than any other book and they require a bigger purse to carry them. Not that I don’t have an industrial-sized bag to begin with…

Can’t wait to read it. I do love Crusie and her attitude. (s)

Please take a look and let me know what you think