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Scribd To Change Its 'Unlimited' E-book Subscription Plan To Semi-Unlimited

Posted by timothy on from the demi-perfect-and-quasi-eterrnal dept.

Robotech_Master writes: Subscription service Scribd has announced that it will change its unlimited e-book and audiobook-reading plan to a hybrid limited/unlimited model starting next month. It will offer a rotating selection of thousands of titles for unlimited reading, plus up to 3 books and 1 audiobook per month from the entire Scribd catalog. The particularly interesting thing to come out of this is that only 3% of Scribd's subscribers actually read more than 3 books per month--so the effect for the other 97% will actually be to give them access to a wider selection of titles.

24 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. Semi-unlimited? by ITRambo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There is no such thing. Unlimited means no limit. Anything less is limited. Period. Such marketing BS.

    1. Re:Semi-unlimited? by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      Things like this are why I don't subscribe to Scribd or its ilk.

      They neglect to mention that while only 3% of the users were downloading lots of media, everyone else was also paying for "unlimited" service they didn't really use.

      Scribd's stance seems to be: "It's just too expensive to offer the service we actually promised. So everyone is now going to pay for our screwup."

    2. Re:Semi-unlimited? by jabuzz · · Score: 1

      If you go unabridged that could be less than one audio book. For example Lord of the Rings is just under 51 hours and War and Peace is around 61 hours. Bleak House is 35-37 hours depending on narrator. Most of the Game of Thrones books are over 35 hours, so it's not just classics.

      Though I would concede that the average audio book is in the region of 15 hours.

    3. Re:Semi-unlimited? by LatePaul · · Score: 1

      "Semi-unlimited" (with quotes) was a phrase used by the article not Scribd. So it may be BS but it's not (Scribd) marketing BS.

    4. Re:Semi-unlimited? by MrNiceguy_KS · · Score: 1

      My father-in-law is a truck driver. About a year ago, he discovered audiobooks on CD and in the months following, tore through the collections of most local libraries. My wife and I decided to get him a subscription to an audiobook service for Christmas. Most of them are like book or record clubs - your membership buys you 1 or 2 a month. We went with Scribd because their audiobook rental was more like what we were looking for - basically a Netflix for audiobooks, an all-you-can-eat membership.

      Now their audiobooks are limited to a "rotating collection" for rental, instead of the full catalog. I guess if they want to keep him as a customer, they better make sure that collection has stuff he's actually interested in.

      --
      Redundancy is good And also good.
  2. Lol by cfalcon · · Score: 2

    > hybrid limited/unlimited

    The word for that is "limited". If I can find a limit, it's "limited". It's not "hybrid limited/unlimited". That's silly.

    1. Re: Lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Clearly you aren't in marketing.

  3. Words by sexconker · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The word they're looking for is "limited".

    1. Re:Words by penguinoid · · Score: 1

      Their "unlimited" books have always been limited in selection. Now they're shrinking the selection, but adding 3 books from an even wider selection.

      Presumably, the plan is to get their customers hooked on their wider limited selection, so that that one month they read more than 3 books, they'll have to spend extra. Since only 3% of their customers will be affected in any one month, they're not expecting much backlash (presumably a different 3% each month, since they're careful to focus on the percent affected monthly rather than the total).

      --
      Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  4. ick by fluffernutter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't really get Scribd's business model. The only time I end up there is through Google results, and they try to make me pay for something that the next Google result has for free. Scribd and Experts Exchange could possibly be the two most annoying sites on the internet for that.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:ick by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      "Scribd and Experts Exchange could possibly be the two most annoying sites on the internet for that."

      But at least Experts Exchange has a funnier domain name.
      [Deleting Scribd app]

  5. Marketing BS by bugs2squash · · Score: 1

    There must be 1000s of books that I don't ever want to read. Clearly the marketing guys don't factor-in that quality of choice is as important as quantity. Looks like scribd is about to market itself into oblivion.

    --
    Nullius in verba
    1. Re:Marketing BS by arth1 · · Score: 1

      There must be 1000s of books that I don't ever want to read.

      Indeed, and those books will make up the brunt of the 1000 "unlimited' books. (The rest will be the first book in interminable series.)
      To read books that are actually readable, you have to use your quota of 3 books, and soon enough, pay extra.

      Or at least, that's what Scribd marketing thinks. They don't appear to take into account that this will alienate readers, who will jump ship in a second. Internet users are fickle, and won't stay if you try to milk them.
      (Something the new owners here seem to get.)

  6. Rotating selection? by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

    The idea of rotating selection is stupid. Just make all the titles you have available actually available all the time. It isn't as if they are running out of disk space. You want a wider selection of titles? Just make them all available, don't rotate them.

    1. Re:Rotating selection? by Freedom+Bug · · Score: 1

      They are all available all the time. This change simply limits you to 3 per month. So unless you read more than 3 books per month, this change doesn't affect you at all.

    2. Re:Rotating selection? by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      "It will offer a rotating selection of thousands of titles for unlimited reading,"

      Rotation selection.

    3. Re:Rotating selection? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      "The idea of rotating selection is stupid. Just make all the titles you have available actually available all the time."

      Rotating selection is what makes Netflix Streaming so miserable. You constantly have to watch for those pitiful little lists of Netflix movies that 'expire' soon. I stay with Netflix DVD so I can get mostly every movie ever made.

  7. not to fear... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I don't know what scribd is, but I read somewhere that it was soon going to be incorporated into systemd.

  8. Re:"Semi" is a word with negative connotations. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    WTH

    Well most people hear the word semi and think tractor trailers. Maybe you think about cock too much?

  9. Awesome by Freedom+Bug · · Score: 1

    This change makes me feel a lot better about my Scribd subscription, it gives me confidence that the service is sustainable. It's still a good deal, I'm definitely part of the 97% that read fewer than 3 books per month. Buying 2-3 books a month would definitely cost me a lot more than $90/year.

    I felt the same way after my ISP switched from unlimited to 400GB per month. I'm no longer paying for those leechers that use several TB per month.

    1. Re:Awesome by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      "I felt the same way after my ISP switched from unlimited to 400GB per month."

      Imagine how thrilled you'll be when they cut the cap to 150GB per month?

    2. Re:Awesome by penguinoid · · Score: 1

      I felt the same way after my ISP switched from unlimited to 400GB per month. I'm no longer paying for those leechers that use several TB per month.

      How big a discount did they give you for the switch?

      --
      Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  10. piss on scribd by SkunkPussy · · Score: 2

    They take public domain documents then put them behind a wall where you can't download or print them unless you sign up or subscribe.

    Its complete bullshit.

    --
    SURELY NOT!!!!!
  11. Ugh by DriveDog · · Score: 1

    Sounds like the effect's going to be like moving from the old Netflix with hoardes of obscure DVDs to the "popular" online movies available. 3 books, but only 1 audio from the full catalog per month? Boo. Who wants to listen to the same junk as everyone else? Bad news, at least it sounds like it.