Unpopular Opinions Society

[Spang]

Books that aren't eBooks should be referred to as books, not paper books.

 

[kazyeeqen]

Books that aren't eBooks should be referred to as books, not paper books.

Did you know the original thing we called a potato was a sweet potato? Then the American potato got popular and sweet potatoes had to have something added to their name, even though they were first in English.

So do or do not, there is no should.

 

[FortyTwo]

Good job with the unpopular opinion 42. It was very unpopular indeed.

Thankfully enough. However relieving it may be that we all tend to have similar opinions (on here, at least) about most things, it can get a bit dull without people debating over stuff. It's good to have a middle ground between the Abortion Thread and everyone just blatantly agreeing all the time.

Many smart phones are that inexpensive (in the US) due to carrier subsidies. Many, many people do not qualify for discounts through their employer. Those who do are very fortunate.

Meh, yeah, you're right about that. I still can't see it staying expensive for very long. Smart phones are a gigantic thing now. And look at the Raspberry Pi and similar projects. Who's to say that the smart phone won't undergo a similar revolution?

Publishers probably don't see an incentive to cut the price of an ebook as long as people are willing to paying price for it. Cutting the price cuts revenue for the publisher, the author, and everyone else involved.

People are buying ebooks for the convenience of them, and an eReader is still somewhat of a luxury item. If they're looking to save money, they might buy a physical copy used or borrow it from a friend or library for free.

So people should rely on outdated methods simply because they make more money, regardless of the side-effects and the fact that, well, they're outdated?

eReaders aren't necessarily the future of books. I think that an integrated way of reading them on multifaceted devices will prevail. Like iBooks, except less terrible.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

So people should rely on outdated methods simply because they make more money, regardless of the side-effects and the fact that, well, they're outdated?

I was responding specifically to Beancounter's annoyance at the current cost of ebooks and the lack of discounts, when compared to books.

The profit motive isn't necessarily a reason to hang onto something that some people think are "outdated," but as long as there is a profit to be made, those making the profits are going to do whatever they can to continue making profits.

 

[beancounter]

Publishers probably don't see an incentive to cut the price of an ebook as long as people are willing to paying price for it. Cutting the price cuts revenue for the publisher, the author, and everyone else involved.

People are buying ebooks for the convenience of them, and an eReader is still somewhat of a luxury item. If they're looking to save money, they might buy a physical copy used or borrow it from a friend or library for free.

That's true, but counter intuitive. It cost next to nothing to "produce" an incremental e-book. IMO, the price should reflect that. But consumers and consumerism is rarely logical.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

That's true, but counter intuitive. It cost next to nothing to "produce" an incremental e-book. IMO, the price should reflect that. But consumers and consumerism is rarely logical.

But they're still paying the author, editor, advertisers, and want to make a profit. Those costs would be the same, whether the book is digital or physical.

 

[beancounter]

So people should rely on outdated methods simply because they make more money, regardless of the side-effects and the fact that, well, they're outdated?

Ebooks are definitely the best environmental option, but they should sell for less, because they cost next to nothing to produce. yet, I can get a used physical book for a fraction of the price. Hopefully when the novelty wears off, prices will go down.. But then again when people get used to paying a lot for something, they get lulled into a complacent state.

 

[beancounter]

But they're still paying the author, editor, advertisers, and want to make a profit. Those costs would be the same, whether the book is digital or physical.

Right. And they could still make a profit at a much lower price because once you remove production and holding cost (fixed capital cost), the other variable costs are minimal in comparison.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

Good luck convincing them to take a cut in profits.

 

[das_nut]

Why are people ignoring the vast amount of free ebooks?

 

[ledboots]

Why are people ignoring the vast amount of free ebooks?

I love the free ebooks, I read and reread so many classics. I have never paid for an ebook, they are too expensive, but I don't have a reader. I have the kindle app on my phone, and for books I use the library, swaps at work, and used book shops.

 

[das_nut]

My library has ebook lending. \o/ Very nice.

Project Gutenberg is another great source of ebooks.

Then there are those who give ebooks away for free as a way to popularize other works by the author. Sometimes that's a crap shoot, but there are some interesting authors I've found that way.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I'm not interested in the vast majority of (legally) free ebooks I've run across. While I can browse in the library for hours, browsing a list on a screen is just boring. I've downloaded some classics, but have yet to read them. Six months later, and they still have the "new" banner across them.

It's nice to have access to public-domain books, but giving stuff away for free isn't sustainable as a model for the future. Herman Melville doesn't need to pay rent or eat anymore, since he's dead, but my author friend is alive and needs to do these things.



I would guess that some of the continued higher price of ebooks is an attempt by publishers to recoup some of the money they lose by people torrenting books, too.

 

[das_nut]

It's nice to have access to public-domain books, but giving stuff away for free isn't sustainable as a model for the future.

Eric Flint and Baen's publishing would disagree with you:

"For me -- for pretty much every writer -- the big problem isn't piracy, it's obscurity (thanks to Tim O'Reilly for this great aphorism). Of all the people who failed to buy this book today, the majority did so because they never heard of it, not because someone gave them a free copy. Mega-hit best-sellers in science fiction sell half a million copies -- in a world where 175,000 attend the San Diego Comic Con alone, you've got to figure that most of the people who "like science fiction" (and related geeky stuff like comics, games, Linux, and so on) just don't really buy books. I'm more interested in getting more of that wider audience into the tent than making sure that everyone who's in the tent bought a ticket to be there."

Mr. Flint does have figures to back up his claims.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

Ok, whatever.

Personally, I like to get a paycheck for the work I do. But if people want to have day jobs and just write in their spare time and then give it away for free, that's their deal. I expect at least a few people like to make money somehow from the things they write.

 

[das_nut]

Ok, whatever.

Personally, I like to get a paycheck for the work I do. But if people want to have day jobs and just write in their spare time and then give it away for free, that's their deal. I expect at least a few people like to make money somehow from the things they write.

You're misunderstanding. Giving some of your work away for free doesn't necessarily mean you can't sell other works.

A lot of the Baen's free library is books that are either the start of a series, or some books by an author (where the author has other non-free books). Those free books are advertising. They are giving away something for free in exchange for publicity.

After all, for most works of art, the problem is obscurity. Be it writers, musicians, etc, most people will never hear of you. Giving something away for free can be powerful advertising.

 

[Blobbenstein]

also, while an artist is beginning his/her career, they may still be learning and developing, so just getting an audience while that process is going on can get the ball rolling, then when the ball is rolling they can start charging.

 

[Freesia]

We call our sweet potatoes Kumara here.

 

[Freesia]

And can I state again, I am not a book-hater, nor do I scorn the past. There's an entire good-sized room in my house that is a library, and I am quite defensive of it. I love books! I've loved reading since I was very young. That doesn't mean I can't wish for a future with less waste and more forward thinking.

Of course. But I do think that when it comes to planetary waste, books are low in the chain of problems compared to other things.

 

[Freesia]

And I prefer paper books because I find computers very overstimulating. My primitive little mind likes simpler, old fashioned things better, less to process.