Internet Publishing Can Pay Off

An anonymous reader writes "Leander Kahney of Wired News has an article (Net Publishing Made Profitable) about how the publishers of the free, online newsletter TidBITS have hit the jackpot with their highly focused Take Control ebook series (nicely formatted PDFs that are easy to read on screen or print). Authors earn 50% royalties, and the books cost $5 or $10, with free updates. All the books out right now are about Mac topics, but maybe they'll branch out in the future."

Comments

Music

[macdaddy]

I've often wondered why this very business method wouldn't work in the music business. Part of the problem, I think, is that music success nowadays is too dependant on radio. The whole indy process keeps those that can't afford to push bribe their way into radio stations from being heard. I think this is a business method that Apple should embrace with iTunes. The artist could pay $X dollars to sell their music on iTunes. The artist could then make 50% of the procedes. Apple could even charge to burn the music to CDs and mail it out. I think this would work very well.

eBooks are great.

[g-to-the-o-to-the-g]

I personally love ebooks. I have a $100 Palm m500, which has a backlight, so I can read without having to worry about the lighting or turning the page. Not to mention, I can have 50 books on a SD card. Why more people haven't caught on, I don't know. My favourite part is laying in bed and reading until I fall asleep (which is convenient, seeing as the thing powers itself off eventually, and I don't have to worry about the lights).

Aswell, I've heard other people criticize the whole ebook thing because they think its not as clear (to look at) or something. If you doubt me, you should just walk into a best buy or something and play with them yourself.

Yes, but

[Knights who say 'INT]

Mac users like/can pay for stuff.

Beginning with their ridiculously overpriced PPC's, to iTunes, shareware software...

Your typical Linux geek or Windows pirate isn't really used to the concept of "paying for computer stuff". He just downloads it. Can it work?

Then again, good weblogs can lead to dead-trees publishing deals. I hope someone will pick me up some time :)

Re:Yes, but

[lavaface]

I'm cheap. Well, poor. But I bought a Powerbook (with student loans : ) because video work on a PC blows. For many users a Mac is overpriced. But for folks that like a machine that offers a smooth user experience with well-designed apps bundled, it's a dream.

Re:Yes, but

[GileadGreene]

Amen to that!

I'm a new convert to the Mac religion, after about 7 years of Linux at home and Windows at work, and many years of DOS and Windows before that. I just picked up my first Mac (a Powerbook) recently. The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was the power adapter. Yes, the power adapter. It impressed the hell out of me, mostly because of what it boded for the design of the rest of the system. When something as seemingly mundane as the power adapter displays the elegance of design, and thought given user convenience, that the Apple power adapter does, you can pretty much count on the computer itself being a joy to use. And it has been so far. I definitely understand why Apple has so many devoted fans now.

Re:Yes, but

[clifyt]

Gawd damn, don't remind me of the power adapter.

I'm renovating part of my work area, and now I've got to go out and buy an apple white surge protector. The only one actually looks good, but compared to the Apple stuff plugged into it, it looks shitty.

I was just thinking about this last night as I was tinting my new desk and chairs. Normally, I'd have just ignored this stuff...but damn...even the power supply looks good enough you'd be an idiot not to upgrade the rest if you like aesthetics.

Looks ain't everything -- but for the area that clients stop by, I want things to look good. My PC sits in a very unimposing area -- and the linux servers are now sitting in my industrial steel powder blue racks in the basement out of site / out of mind.

Good to have you as a convert -- I see this as a big plus for everyone. The more unix users, the more we can all use our skills elsewhere. Knowing unix has taught me to do things that most mac users never need to do. Knowing OS X means there are things I never thought to try, and find out it works the same elsewhere. Having some cross compatibility is always good.

Because of the audience

[Anonymous Coward]

Mac users are used to paying for things. Software, shareware, etc. Linux users expect everything for free, and Windows users just pirate it.

Re:Doesn't Always Work

[bcrowell]

IIRC, sales were actually OK, but not as high as the target he'd set. It was a very atypical case anyway, because he was such a popular author. His books normally sold a lot of copies, and he expected to make a boatload of money off of each one. It's a whole different story for most authors. Most authors are only supplementing their income by writing books anyway.

It's also no secret that digital books can be a big failure if you choose the wrong model. Maybe his model (donate, or I'll stop writing chapters) was simply a bad one. Personally, I think it sounds like a huge hassle to have to pay the author periodically to read each chapter, after it's been so long that I've probably forgotten what happened in the last chapter.

Re:Good thing you've mentioned them on Slashdot

[Synesthesiatic]

Frankly, without DRM authors will be doomed, and with DRM people will be doomed since multinationals will seek to lisence everything. I can't really see any middleground right now. People really can't make money selling intangible objects like data because once data is created it can be copied at nearly no cost. They can make money at selling tangible objects, like paperbacks, however.

But it's been shown time and time again that the DRM is just big media's security blanket. CSS, FairPlay and Adobe's eBook DRM have all been cracked. Sure there's some technical knowledge required, but it only takes one person to share it on Kazaa before it's everywhere. Does this mean big media (the greedy middlemen, in most cases) is doomed? Possibly.

But that doesn't necessarily mean artists are left out in the cold. I know it might be hard to remember in the iTunes age, but I remember the first online music store worth giving a crap about was eMusic, because it was the only major player without major DRM restrictions (and it actually had none, since it used MP3s). We don't hear much about eMusic anymore, but the fact that it's still around says something: there's money to be made selling unprotected content. Maybe the multi-millionaire musicians are in danger, but as a whole I think artists might just come out on top by replacing the recording industry with an indie label and an online music store.

Re:Good thing you've mentioned them on Slashdot

[Donny Smith]

>I think they'd make more money by providing the books for the cost of download ($2 or $3 a e-book) and then offering exclusive paperbacks/hardbacks to people who want them at $20 or $30 a pop, or they can offer books that'll last forever for more.

If someone did that, I'd print hardbacks in China and sell them on eBay at $10 a pop.

eBooks can be great

[gidds]

The key there is when you said 'this type'. I agree that e-books as something in a proprietary format, which only work on dedicated machines, is stupid.

However, e-books as I use and love 'em are a very different beast. I have a large library (>100MB) of stuff in Palm DOC format -- an open format, easily convertible to/from plain text. (This means I can edit the texts as needed to fix formatting, errors, convert to British English spellings, &c.) I keep them on my Psion 5mx -- a PDA that I already carry in my pocket anyway. I read them on its 640x240 backlit LCD, which I find easy enough on my eyes. I get them from various sources; legit ones include Fictionwise, which has a reasonable range of DRM-free stuff, though the biggest names are DRM-only; author's web sites Gutenberg; Baen Books; and various others.

The advantages are numerous: I always have reading material, without having to carry a book around with me, so when I find myself sitting in trains or in the Chinese take-away, the time's never wasted. I always have reference material to refer to (dictionaries, 3 Bible translations, the Jargon File, you name it -- shortly to include a full cut of Wikipedia), and can quote straight from my favourite books. I don't need to faff around with bookmarks. I can read in bed with the lights out. I have backups. I don't need to buy any more bookcases (and I've got enough already...) And so on. I'm not saying this would be right for you; but it certainly works for people like the grandparent poster and me.

Re:Caveat Emptor

[kfg]

1 page written by a wise man is more valuable than 1001 pages written by a fool.

KFG

Re:Good thing you've mentioned them on Slashdot

[huchida]

Now these books will appear on every god damn P2P network out there.

With titles like "Take Control of Email with Apple Mail" and "Take Control of What's New in Entourage 2004", I seriously doubt there're many P2P users interested in the titles. If they can figure out how to access the networks in OSX (which takes a bit more savviness than downloading Kazaa for Windows) they probably have enough knowledge to "master" their e-mail programs. (Who's using Entourage anymore, anyway? I didn't know they even updated it!)

Anyone else think these books are overpriced, considering the low-level topics? Ten dollars for an electronic pamphlet on how to share files in Panther? I just bought a three hundred page (real) book on DVD Studio Pro for twenty!

Re:Good thing you've mentioned them on Slashdot

[pgnas]

"I have nothing but contempt for someone that would violate the copyright on this"

geesh, does anyone get it? anyone?

"Small and independent"

ok, their small, I applaud their zeal to break some new ground, I truly wish them well! What does that have to do with anything? Do you steal or encourage/condone stealing from Walmart ( after all, they are BIG)?

"Compensating writers fairly"

complete rubbish! Do you feel you are compensated fairly? if not, is it ok then to steal from your employer? What is fair? eveyone has a different opinion of fair, fair is over-rated, nothing is fair.
Are you suggesting that "artists" like Brittney Spears are not being "fairly" compensated? I tell you who isn't be compensated fairly, the engineers who work miracles with her "talent".

"Charging a very Reasonable Price"

You know, you almost got me on that one, however riddle me this: what is reasonable? this is another ridiculous word that everyone has their own opinion of. This is a CAPITALISTIC society, prices are determined by what people are willing to pay, if people stop buying, trust me, they will be forced to lower their prices(whoever they are.

"Choosing not to use DRM"

what is the problem with DRM? if it can be delivered to you in a "reasonable" manner by which you can enjoy the book, music, video, what-ever, than what is the problem in someone trying to prevent you from rifling out copies to all of your friends, neighbors and the entire Kazaa network? If it's worth it, and you want it, you will pay for it.

There is simply no justification for stealing.

Pay less for books

[citadelgrad]

If I could buy books cheaper in an electronic format I would have about a 1000 books by now. I'm addicted to books but I don't have the space for them. I have purchased e-books but I have not been too impressed with the readers. I wish you could read MS reader books in Adobe and Word just for general versatility.

Re:Yeah, but how profitable?

[Peter Cooper]

Okay, I know you posted late at night, so you may be smoking crack, but $75,000 can be a significant amount to a small business. Expenses are, generally, negligible. I know their payment processor takes 10%-15%, and beyond that perhaps someone needs to maintain the sub-section of the site dedicated to these books. It's only a side section of TidBITS, and $75,000 for (almost) nothing isn't to be sniffed at!

Interesting. . .

[Fantastic Lad]

Do people with low UIDs go around looking for Low UID threads, and reply?

I've not noticed that trend myself, but if there is a pattern, then perhaps it has something to do with experience on a couple of fronts. . .

For instance, low UID users automatically have at least 5 years of on-line experience by virtue of the fact that low UID's on /. were created five years ago.

Also, those who were 'in the know' then, had enough world-savvy to get on board with /. when it was first starting up. This means foresight and an instinctive sense for, 'being where it counts'. --Those who have low UID's who still post also suggests that they have spent the last 5 years honing their skills in how to contribute useful and well-written material.

Age and experience will always trump youth and beauty. Not that this says much about the /. crowd. I save all my most juvenile posts for this arena. There are few forums where I let myself swear and swagger and be very open about my thoughts and beliefs. Interestingly, it is this aspect which makes /. very powerful! This is truly a free-thought, no holds barred self-auditing arena. Quite a success, it seems to me.

It'll be interesting to see the day when the one millionth UiD is reached! At about 100,000 new users per year, it should happen around the end of 2006, assuming the internet doesn't alter significantly between now and then.

-FL

Re:Good thing you've mentioned them on Slashdot

[adamengst]

Anyone else think these books are overpriced, considering the low-level topics? Ten dollars for an electronic pamphlet on how to share files in Panther? I just bought a three hundred page (real) book on DVD Studio Pro for twenty!

Only you can decide if any one book is overpriced, of course, but "Take Control of Sharing Files in Panther" is 104 pages, highly detailed, completely searchable, and comes with free updates for that $10. And it's not a low-level book by any means; it has instructions for reconfiguring httpd.conf to turn on WebDAV, twiddling smb.conf to share specific folders, and editing the AppleShare .plist file to turn off guest access. Perhaps you know all of those things, but plenty of people don't and have been grateful for the assistance provided in the book.

One of the points of the Take Control model is that we can write about topics that aren't big enough to fill an entire paper book. That doesn't make them less interesting, or readers less desirous of reading them, just shorter.

cheers... -Adam (Take Control publisher)