They're Playing the Wrong Song
On Ed Gorman's blog site, he recently profiled a writer named Carole Nelson Douglas. In response to Gorman's question regarding advice to the publishing world, she notes (and I hope somewhat facetiously) that publishers should forget acid-free paper and produce books that fall apart after two or three readings. She says this because of the perceived threat of the burgeoning used book market.
There have been a number of published articles regarding this phenomenon over the past few months but I think that, as usual, the people that should know better don't. I'd like to think that they're not stupid, that they simply are too far removed from the common sense of the book buying masses, but I don't know. What's more, there's an obvious parallel to the music industry and their ability to just not get it, and you'd think this would be noticed so it could be learned from. Blindness shouldn't be contagious.
The problem they have isn't with the "legitimate" disposition of out of print books, estate collections, or truly collectible editions. It's with the perceived loss of royalty producing new book sales. Herein lies the fallacy, both in publishing and music. I'll use music CD's as my example.
Music at some point in the past was more affordable than it has been recently. Over time, greed has caused consumer costs to rise even while the cost of producing the physical product went down. Quality, however, did not go up. There were still only one or two "good" songs on most pop music CD's. And once they reached a retail price point of $18.99, consumers finally rebelled. What took them so long I'll never know. In the midst of slumping sales, new technologies, including used CD sales and file sharing, gave the consumer more affordable options for acquiring music. The difference in price was such that it quelled any moral or ethical objections.
As a consumer myself, I can tell you the use of these new technologies in place of purchasing new CD's could have been easily avoided simply by making the cost of the CD's themselves more affordable. They've done this recently (many CD's now retail for $13.99) and time will tell how much sales will rebound (so far it's working).
That's the first half of the equation. The second part has to do with the "piracy" that has always taken place, always will take place, and isn't necessarily a bad thing. The recording industry is fond of publishing huge numbers when they describe how much revenue they lose each year to the illegal copying of music. The point that they're missing is that much of this copying does not come at the expense of a new CD sale. Rather, it is a way that potential fans of that particular artist sample the goods and learn whether or not they would ever actually plunk down their money for CD's by him/her/them. In other words, people won't take a risk on an unknown commodity for $18.99 a shot. But if they have a sample, and they like it, the artist goes from "unknown" to interesting and has a good shot at selling either their back list or their future releases to their new found fan.
I've blogged before about how publishers need to publish better books at more affordable prices; this would cure many ills. When I buy a used or remaindered copy of a book still in print, it is almost invariably because I am unfamiliar with the work of the writer and simply can't afford to plunk down twenty six bucks for a hardcover or eight bucks for a mass market paperback (or worse, fourteen bucks for a trade paperback). Chances are the book will be okay at best and I won't feel good about how I spent my allowance. If the book is good, though, guess what? I will now go out and buy the rest of the author's work, including new releases AS THEY COME OUT.
I discovered James Lee Burke in mass market paperback. I then bought his new hardcover and all of his back list in mass market (that's what was in print). Since then, I buy each of his books as they come out; I never even look at the price. I could wait a few months and pick up a used copy some where, but I don't. Why? Because as a book lover, the tactile experience is not the same.
Used CD's are not evil, nor are used books. Both fill very important niches to the consumer. They will always overlap with new sales, but the point that they cut into them needs to be examined closely. What you'll find are illustrations of your target market's dissatisfaction with your products and how they're sold. And that's the real lesson here.
In two weeks the 25th annual Antiquarian Book Fair takes place at the St. Petersburg Coliseum. Talk about used books? I can't wait.
There have been a number of published articles regarding this phenomenon over the past few months but I think that, as usual, the people that should know better don't. I'd like to think that they're not stupid, that they simply are too far removed from the common sense of the book buying masses, but I don't know. What's more, there's an obvious parallel to the music industry and their ability to just not get it, and you'd think this would be noticed so it could be learned from. Blindness shouldn't be contagious.
The problem they have isn't with the "legitimate" disposition of out of print books, estate collections, or truly collectible editions. It's with the perceived loss of royalty producing new book sales. Herein lies the fallacy, both in publishing and music. I'll use music CD's as my example.
Music at some point in the past was more affordable than it has been recently. Over time, greed has caused consumer costs to rise even while the cost of producing the physical product went down. Quality, however, did not go up. There were still only one or two "good" songs on most pop music CD's. And once they reached a retail price point of $18.99, consumers finally rebelled. What took them so long I'll never know. In the midst of slumping sales, new technologies, including used CD sales and file sharing, gave the consumer more affordable options for acquiring music. The difference in price was such that it quelled any moral or ethical objections.
As a consumer myself, I can tell you the use of these new technologies in place of purchasing new CD's could have been easily avoided simply by making the cost of the CD's themselves more affordable. They've done this recently (many CD's now retail for $13.99) and time will tell how much sales will rebound (so far it's working).
That's the first half of the equation. The second part has to do with the "piracy" that has always taken place, always will take place, and isn't necessarily a bad thing. The recording industry is fond of publishing huge numbers when they describe how much revenue they lose each year to the illegal copying of music. The point that they're missing is that much of this copying does not come at the expense of a new CD sale. Rather, it is a way that potential fans of that particular artist sample the goods and learn whether or not they would ever actually plunk down their money for CD's by him/her/them. In other words, people won't take a risk on an unknown commodity for $18.99 a shot. But if they have a sample, and they like it, the artist goes from "unknown" to interesting and has a good shot at selling either their back list or their future releases to their new found fan.
I've blogged before about how publishers need to publish better books at more affordable prices; this would cure many ills. When I buy a used or remaindered copy of a book still in print, it is almost invariably because I am unfamiliar with the work of the writer and simply can't afford to plunk down twenty six bucks for a hardcover or eight bucks for a mass market paperback (or worse, fourteen bucks for a trade paperback). Chances are the book will be okay at best and I won't feel good about how I spent my allowance. If the book is good, though, guess what? I will now go out and buy the rest of the author's work, including new releases AS THEY COME OUT.
I discovered James Lee Burke in mass market paperback. I then bought his new hardcover and all of his back list in mass market (that's what was in print). Since then, I buy each of his books as they come out; I never even look at the price. I could wait a few months and pick up a used copy some where, but I don't. Why? Because as a book lover, the tactile experience is not the same.
Used CD's are not evil, nor are used books. Both fill very important niches to the consumer. They will always overlap with new sales, but the point that they cut into them needs to be examined closely. What you'll find are illustrations of your target market's dissatisfaction with your products and how they're sold. And that's the real lesson here.
In two weeks the 25th annual Antiquarian Book Fair takes place at the St. Petersburg Coliseum. Talk about used books? I can't wait.
posted by Rick Ollerman at 9:08 AM
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