Publishing and Opportunities
I’m a bit wary of some of the “pros” that are made for the ebook format. A friend of mine is involved in new media publishing, and just returned from New York where he met with publishers (his 2nd trip there). I don’t have solid numbers to back up my claim, but it is my understanding that manufacturing and shipping costs for educational books are a very small percentage of the overall cost. In this sense, the paperless aspect of the ebook is not that great of an advantage. It’s my understanding that the cheap cost of ebooks from Amazon and competitors is less to do with hardcopy costs and more to do with reduced margins.
There are a lot of unknowns out there in the market right now, I am sure of this. Publishers everywhere are scratching their heads and wondering where all of this new technology will lead us. They are all very aware that paper publishing is clearly on a steady, irreversible decline. They just don’t know what form or model the new market will take. It’s not a matter of bringing the first venture to market, or having the best venture. This could easily turn out to be another battle where the ereader equivalent to VHS wins.
Another thing to consider is how the new media (ie ereader) will change the media itself. Already people are changing their reading habits. Instead of “sitting down to a good book,” and reading for 2 hours, people are now more inclined to read a few passages, check email, read a few passages, check a webpage, read a few passages, check facebook, etc. It is bite-sized consumption. A great analogy to this is the mp3 player. What big difference would a person recognize if they compared a teenager listening to a cassette Walkman (remember those?) and an mp3 Walkman? I can almost guarantee you that the teenager with the mp3 won’t finishing listening to 1/2 of the songs they start, and there will only be a remote chance that they would listen to a whole album.
Just some food for thought, as you contemplate your next eBook venture!
For an interesting podcast on ebooks, check out this CBC Ideas show: http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episodes/2011/09/26/closing-the-book-2/
Posted in: Week 06: eBooks
kstooshnov 8:46 am on October 12, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for the CBC link, Doug, and how could I forget to mention the Chapters/Indigo Kobo – how un-Canadian of me!
Great comparison between the eReader that will win the battle like VHS, which I would add won the battle of analogue video, but lost the war to digital video. When the same battle between HD DVD and Blu Ray was supposedly raging a couple years ago, lots of movie studios were unsure which way to go, as they didn’t want to invest on the losing side. WIthout having a large selection of content to offer, eReaders seem to be dragging behind. Once more news outlets embrace the digital environment, daily newspapers or weekly magazines will be on the frontlines for eBook market.
Karen Jones 6:50 pm on October 12, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kyle,
Beta or VHS? The whole proprietary lock of different brands of e-readers being compatible with certain text formats definitely directed my purchase of the Sony, and my use of the software Calibre. For example, BC has an online library that is accessible through our city library and library card. Through this website one may borrow Adobe EPUB eBooks, Adobe PDF eBooks, OverDrive WMA Audiobooks, and OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks. While all e-readers seem compatible with PDF’s, Kindle does not support the EPUB format, which on my Sony, seems to have the “best” formatting. To address this issue, the desktop software, Calibre, will convert most any format to that desired for a huge number of e-reader brands.
However, it is this plethora of brands and e-book formats that would make me hesitate to dive into the ereader market, if I were purchasing for a school board. It seems that you would either have to have an idea of what titles schools wanted to buy, and work backwards from there, or a magic ball to foresee which device and text formats are left after the market dust settles. For my money, I would guess that an Apple product would be the best bet, as its iBook works on a variety of formats, and many people already possess a compatible device. Time will tell!
Everton Walker 12:03 pm on October 12, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi All,
I like how you set up the technological warfare. It will only be time before existing technologies are replaced. It’s just a natural phase. That’s the main reason I don’t think we should treat older technologies as outcasts because of the arrival of new ones. Every technology was valuable during its time and should be treated accordingly.
Everton
mcquaid 7:39 am on October 13, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Good comparison to music, Doug. I know I read in bite-size chunks, and I think my attention span overall (squirrel!) has suffered from my increased connection to digital media in the last ten years. Whether it be attention span, interests, or work, I find the only time I can sit and listen to an album (vinyl, tape, or even CD) the way I used to is in the car on the way to and from work. I never get “headphones” time with music anymore. Similarly, I don’t often have the time to sit and quietly read a book for enjoyment, either. I usually find I get time to read in the car (when not driving this time) or when waiting at an office or something.
The format size of things is changing, isn’t it… listening to whole albums has given way to a singles culture again. Perhaps reading is doing the same. Maybe I read in “singles” – bite-size bits I can skim through.
I wonder about this headphones component, too. How headphones could better connect you with an album and block out distractions. What would be the equivalent for a book? A quiet room with a lamp? An eReader with no web browser?