Comments on: Experiments with E-Books http://blog.awmonline.com.au/2008/05/09/experiments-with-e-books/ Writing and publishing news, events and markets Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:22:10 +1000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Margaret Tanner http://blog.awmonline.com.au/2008/05/09/experiments-with-e-books/comment-page-1/#comment-86364 Margaret Tanner Wed, 21 May 2008 12:51:48 +0000 http://blog.awmonline.com.au/2008/05/09/experiments-with-e-books/#comment-86364 Hi there, I just wanted to add my few cents worth about e-publishing. I certainly think it is the way of the future, obviously the larger publishers are starting to feel that way too now. I write historical romance, but not the sweet fluffy stuff. My stories are set against a well researched Australian background. I couldn't find a publisher in Australia to even read my work, although I have won several writing competitions, I had to go to America and was taken up by the small press publishers who also do e-publishing. Well, at least in the romance field, but I am sure other genres as well, the big publishers turned up their noses and sneered at the pathetic writers whose book were e-published. I mean, you couldn't get published by a "reputable print publisher" so you had to turn to e-publishers, you poor deluded fool, was their catch cry. Strange how most of the large publishers have started publishing E-books of late. Just go to Fictionwise and check out who has books listed there now. You will be surprised. Margaret Tanner Historical Romance Author http://www.margarettanner.com/ Hi there,
I just wanted to add my few cents worth about e-publishing. I certainly think it is the way of the future, obviously the larger publishers are starting to feel that way too now. I write historical romance, but not the sweet fluffy stuff. My stories are set against a well researched Australian background. I couldn’t find a publisher in Australia to even read my work, although I have won several writing competitions, I had to go to America and was taken up by the small press publishers who also do e-publishing. Well, at least in the romance field, but I am sure other genres as well, the big publishers turned up their noses and sneered at the pathetic writers whose book were e-published. I mean, you couldn’t get published by a “reputable print publisher” so you had to turn to e-publishers, you poor deluded fool, was their catch cry. Strange how most of the large publishers have started publishing E-books of late. Just go to Fictionwise and check out who has books listed there now. You will be surprised.
Margaret Tanner
Historical Romance Author
http://www.margarettanner.com/

]]> By: Meika http://blog.awmonline.com.au/2008/05/09/experiments-with-e-books/comment-page-1/#comment-85612 Meika Tue, 13 May 2008 02:35:36 +0000 http://blog.awmonline.com.au/2008/05/09/experiments-with-e-books/#comment-85612 "but shouldn't good work get paid?" Good to see the labour theory of value hasn't entirely disappeared from the population. It's pretty close to the idea that the world owes you a living. I mean, maybe it does owe after it's responsible for you, but why live/think that way? People get paid whatever other people feel they can pay for service or product X, mainly so that you go away afterward supplying said product. Currently technology is changing market dyamics and IMHO Intellectual Property (IP) based capitalism is as doomed as the dodo. Copyright was only a vicarious way of protecting printing machines and plates. The market giveth, the market taketh away. It won't just be IP. The question is, what's left after this change that most of us will feel is worth paying for? My guess is bulk commodities and energy. I used to say commodities and good design/branding, but now I am not so sure about the latter. What it all means is that in the future labour will be worth zilch, as will be everything actually, that's what post-scarcity means, and we will all, and I mean everyone, will live on dividends or the dole, and eventually these two incomes will be the same thing, though our electronic masters may not let us think that for psychological reasons and keep us running in the hamster wheel with gold pieces for each cycle of the wheel turned, and platnium bonuses for each weapon of mass destruction found in foreign deserts. Maybe even for a new novel about the search for said mysteries. “but shouldn’t good work get paid?”

Good to see the labour theory of value hasn’t entirely disappeared from the population. It’s pretty close to the idea that the world owes you a living. I mean, maybe it does owe after it’s responsible for you, but why live/think that way?

People get paid whatever other people feel they can pay for service or product X, mainly so that you go away afterward supplying said product.

Currently technology is changing market dyamics and IMHO Intellectual Property (IP) based capitalism is as doomed as the dodo. Copyright was only a vicarious way of protecting printing machines and plates.

The market giveth, the market taketh away.

It won’t just be IP. The question is, what’s left after this change that most of us will feel is worth paying for? My guess is bulk commodities and energy. I used to say commodities and good design/branding, but now I am not so sure about the latter.

What it all means is that in the future labour will be worth zilch, as will be everything actually, that’s what post-scarcity means, and we will all, and I mean everyone, will live on dividends or the dole, and eventually these two incomes will be the same thing, though our electronic masters may not let us think that for psychological reasons and keep us running in the hamster wheel with gold pieces for each cycle of the wheel turned, and platnium bonuses for each weapon of mass destruction found in foreign deserts.

Maybe even for a new novel about the search for said mysteries.

]]> By: Kate Eltham http://blog.awmonline.com.au/2008/05/09/experiments-with-e-books/comment-page-1/#comment-85195 Kate Eltham Fri, 09 May 2008 07:54:28 +0000 http://blog.awmonline.com.au/2008/05/09/experiments-with-e-books/#comment-85195 I guess the experiment is not complete, though, until Poole examines his book sales for the period the free download was offered. How does he know that the free download didn't prompt people to buy the print version of the book? As in the case of Suze Orman's book Women and Money which was offered as a free download on Oprah's site, registered more than 1 million downloads and shot straight to the top of the bestseller list. I guess the experiment is not complete, though, until Poole examines his book sales for the period the free download was offered. How does he know that the free download didn’t prompt people to buy the print version of the book? As in the case of Suze Orman’s book Women and Money which was offered as a free download on Oprah’s site, registered more than 1 million downloads and shot straight to the top of the bestseller list.

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