I read a few new things about ebooks and readers this past week that started me thinking once again about where this is all going. I provided a link in this post about a ereader called the "Que". I mentioned it because it has been designed to address one of the concerns about ebook readers, that is how easily they break. It appears now that the Que might actually become available for purchase. It appears Barnes and Noble will sell the Que along side its Nook product. Meanwhile, the oft-rumored Apple tablet device, a gadget that so far no one has ever seen may really be coming - at an Apple-like price (potentially) of $1,000. Apple is apparently pitching the product to publishers in an effort to create a content base.
Which brings me to the "publishing madness" portion of my missive today. I read this article and think that perhaps the publishing industry has collectively taken leave of its senses. How can they possibly think it is a good idea to delay by FOUR MONTHS the release of a new book in ebook format? I suppose they really think that people will be so excited about some books that they will buy the print version first and the ebook version later. What is actually going to happen is that the publishers will cut themselves out of a source of revenue. The Amazon response quoted in that article is correct, the hype and publicity surge for a new book will be lost four months down the road and sales will be lost. Another stated concern from the publishers is that piracy of the "e" format will reduce sales. That is a possibility, but this strategy will certainly reduce ebook sales and I would wager actually increase the instances of piracy. Sigh...
No comments:
Post a Comment