ebooks and all that

[erda]

I've been reading a small fraction of the posts about DRM and ebooks and all that, since it appears it would take a lifetime to read all of it.

I just want to say that for almost 30 years I ran a used bookstore that supported our family, and it was a much loved enterprise until the internet came along and killed it. Oh well.

I think also there were untold numbers of women who made a living making lace in the 17th century, and the overwhelming majority of them lost their livelihood when machine lace took hold. They couldn't compete with all the cheaply, quickly, uniformly produced lace a machine could spit out. Oh well.

Things change, jobs disappear, you have to move on.

So, I have to say, if writers can no longer make a living writing books, I don't really give a shit. This thing about how they will not have time to write if they have to earn a living some other way? Well, boo hoo.

There are tons of people writing online everyday who are not getting paid for it. And yes, most of it is not going to give you that punch in the gut that good writing delivers. But you're just as likely to get that punch from the unpaid stuff as from something that went past some publisher's idea of what kind of writing has enough mass appeal to make a lot of money.

People will write, others will read, we will sort it out. Things change, careers come and go, people kick and cry and act like the world will end. Oh well. I have more stuff to read than ever before.

Comments

[facetofcathy]

This is the post I would have made if I'd been able to strip the profanity out after I saw a couple of barely competent authors joking about how it would be awesome if their publisher could infect electronic copies with malware that would affect people who illegally downloaded. Nice to know where their consideration lies.

The last classical music store in the entire region closed this week. Oh well, indeed. Sometimes you can't change the forces of the market, even in this land of government meddling and cultural protectionism.

[erda]

The last classical music store in the entire region closed this week.

Yes, this is another good example. And I have more access to the obscure music I like than I ever had before.

That's the way the cookie crumbles.

[elf]

how it would be awesome if their publisher could infect electronic copies with malware

...and that would be why so many of us don't trust anything with DRM, anything we can't open in a text reader before using a program with corruptible features. Because some jerks think "they've stolen $3 in profits from me, therefore I should be allowed to destroy their last six months' worth of work and force them to reinstall their OS."

AFAIK, to date, there have been *no* convictions for ebook copying. I'm not sure there have been any lawsuits filed for nonprofit ebook copying, as opposed to piracy-for-profit or copyright-infringing-derivatives. (For profit. No lawsuits filed against fanfic, I think, just DMCA takedowns.)

I'm ready to start telling authors, "if it really bugs you, use the damn legal system to claim your rights." Because the idea that "we can't get a conviction, so let's inflict viruses on them" is not persuading me that authors are in the morally good zone in these debates.

[darkemeralds]

Thanks for putting it so clearly. I agree. My father was a bookdealer. My mother was a librarian. One passed on and the other retired before books essentially vanished, but even before that, I could see the digital writing on the virtual wall--and I felt kind of guilty for being excited about it.

I've seen comments on certain fanfic to the effect that "this is so good you should publish it," honestly intended as sincere praise. And it's not an insult or anything, but...why? What pittance could the author get after stripping the heart and soul and grit and porn from their work to meet publisher's guidelines? A thousand bucks? Five, tops?

And what's more, little or no feedback! It's not worth it--at least, it doesn't seem worth it to me. I know one or two writers who are hoarding their novels, trying to get them printed on paper and distributed in trucks to the last two bookstores in the world, and while I wish them joy of the enterprise, I think: I can put my stuff out there today, and have reactions tomorrow, and I'll make just about the same amount of money.

Thanks for the link to a good Rivkat story, by the way.

[erda]

I felt kind of guilty for being excited about it.

Hee, me too. As a used book dealer, I feel like I should protest, but basically I welcome the change.

I've seen comments on certain fanfic to the effect that "this is so good you should publish it," honestly intended as sincere praise. And it's not an insult or anything, but...why?

I couldn't agree more.

[yourlibrarian]

I have more stuff to read than ever before.

Exactly this. Were I a writer I would be far more concerned about the declining literacy rate than pirated books. Movie and TV makers do not have to worry (much) about their audience's general ability or willingness to access their product. Print writers do.

There are more people who are willing and able to write than there are audience members willing and able to read their writing. This is the main problem. Secondarily, the problem is the intransigence of a publishing industry that has apparently learned nothing from the music industry.

[erda]

There are more people who are willing and able to write than there are audience members willing and able to read their writing. This is the main problem.

Yes, nail, head.


When a skill, like hand sewing or writing, becomes something so rewarding that many people will do it for free, things have to change. It's wrenching and life altering for many, but it has to happen. Whining about the time consuming aspect of your skill, or how it ought to be worth more money to people, is useless if there are enough people giving it away.

Hey, I was unhappy when every Tom, Dick and Harry started selling off their used books for $.50. I couldn't make a living by selling things for that low a price.
But if books sell for so little, then that is what they are currently worth.

[yourlibrarian]

You actually bring up another point when discussing the "true value" of used books which is the true value of convenience to many people. One could always find used books for 50 cents or less, it's just that your selection was often limited and it would take time to find what you wanted if you wanted something specific. The real value of a used bookstore was organization and reliability (not having to wait for the library's spring fundraiser, or for hand me downs from a relative, for example).

Frankly, although I see scores of books at Amazon selling for a penny, once one adds shipping to the cost, they run about the same as they would at one's local bookstore. However the convenience factor of being able to find a recommended book within minutes and buy it is very high. I see this as the major factor in the success of the Kindle, because it sure isn't an economical choice, and it's astonishing how many eBook users are unaware of free content.

[erda]

That's true. There were always $.50 books, but if you wanted a specific book, it was much more difficult to find before the internet become easy to use, and so people were willing to pay more. Now, not so much. So, yes, convenience is a huge factor, too.

[jumpuphigh]

Out of all of the posts that I've read over the past few days, I think this one is my favorite.
I have more stuff to read than ever before.
Yep. Me, too. I try not to think about it too much since it would overwhelm me if I did.

[erda]

I try not to think about it too much since it would overwhelm me if I did.

I know. I cannot read fast enough, and I've become more particular about what types of reading I'm willing to spend my time on.

[jumpuphigh]

I've become more particular about what types of reading I'm willing to spend my time on.

Me, too. The delete command on my ereader is my friend.