Actually, there are already two categories of titles out there where electronic distribution has killed the old paper way:
The encyclopediaes, dictionaries and maps of this world. Here people are making lot of money from selling these. All are reference works, so the computer adds a lot of value from better search capabilities and more up-to-date material. On the other hand we do not look long the text, so the panalty from inferior screens does not count.
Newspapers. The publishers have not yet learned how to make money, but for many people the web has become their premier news source. Here the advantage is timely delivery.
When in five years time we have readers that provide 300dpi resolution, a complete day of battery life and are robust enough to be taken outside, a lot of material will go electronic.
But this requires the publishers to loose their fears. Unless you need the search capabilities of a computer, you will only accept an electronic version when the price/performance ratio is at least as good as that of a book. A book allows me to
make notes
copy individual pages
lend it to someone else
share the notes with someone else
and it can be used along side any other book
If I cannot do one of these things, I need to be compensated by the price. If I got The Art of Computer Programming for 5 dollar without the ability to copy it, that would be OK. But not for 100 dollar.
Also, when will the page paradigm for e-books die? It is interesting that all the good e-books I know do not regard themselves as books, but are modelled on the browser interface.
Slashdot Mirror
- The encyclopediaes, dictionaries and maps of this world. Here people are making lot of money from selling these. All are reference works, so the computer adds a lot of value from better search capabilities and more up-to-date material. On the other hand we do not look long the text, so the panalty from inferior screens does not count.
- Newspapers. The publishers have not yet learned how to make money, but for many people the web has become their premier news source. Here the advantage is timely delivery.
When in five years time we have readers that provide 300dpi resolution, a complete day of battery life and are robust enough to be taken outside, a lot of material will go electronic. But this requires the publishers to loose their fears. Unless you need the search capabilities of a computer, you will only accept an electronic version when the price/performance ratio is at least as good as that of a book. A book allows me to- make notes
- copy individual pages
- lend it to someone else
- share the notes with someone else
- and it can be used along side any other book
If I cannot do one of these things, I need to be compensated by the price. If I got The Art of Computer Programming for 5 dollar without the ability to copy it, that would be OK. But not for 100 dollar. Also, when will the page paradigm for e-books die? It is interesting that all the good e-books I know do not regard themselves as books, but are modelled on the browser interface.