ENTRIES TAGGED "consumers"
It's time for a unified ebook format and the end of DRM
Proprietary ebook formats and rights restrictions are holding consumers back.
The music industry has shown that you need to offer consumers a universal format and content without rights restrictions. So when will publishers pay attention?
Publishing News: Amazon lands "4-Hour" author Timothy Ferriss
Amazon signs its first best-selling author, RR Donnelley acquires two companies, and what publishers can learn from the NYT paywall.
Timothy Ferriss signs with Amazon Publishing to "redefine what is possible," RR Donnelley positions itself for digital publishing success, and the NYT can teach publishers a thing or two about advertising and sponsorship.
Two lessons from Pottermore: Direct sales and no DRM
Why publishers should take a note from J.K. Rowling's latest effort.
It's not surprising that J.K. Rowing is forging ahead with a well thought-out direct sales plan for Harry Potter ebooks, but it's a shock that publishers aren't doing the same things for their titles.
4 ways DRM is like airport security
The failings of DRM become clear when viewed through a different lens.
The similarities between digital rights management and airport security go beyond near-universal dislike. Comparing the two shows the failings of both.
Inside Look at RAND's $9.95 Ebook Pricing Strategy
Recently, the RAND Corporation announced that it has revised the suggested retail pricing on all RAND ebooks to $9.95 each. RAND ebooks are available through a wide variety of wholesale and retail partners. The press release provided some explanation for the decision, also discussed in Publishers Weekly. I have been asked by Tools of Change to provide some additional…
One-Question Interview at BookNet Canada Tech Forum
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at the 2009 BookNet Canada Technology Forum in Toronto (motto: Even colder than you expected!), and Mark Bertils caught up with me on my way out for a quick video interview: Two follow ups on what I said, now that I have my del.icio.us feed handy: The Peter Drucker reference is from…
Expectation of Fair Pricing, Not Free
At Dear Author, a post stating that not all content should be expected to be free; rather it must be provided, free or not, in a realistic understanding of consumer needs and expectations, which might mean changing the way you do business. What content providers must realize is that a changing business model wherein revenues are no longer captured in…
10 Things Ebook Merchants Should Offer
Jane at Dear Author has a wonderful list of 10 things ebook merchants should be providing as a matter of course. Here's just one example, but read the whole list: Buy a for a friend. The only site that offers this feature is Fictionwise. Amazon does not even offer this for Kindle which makes no sense. When a reader…
TOC Recommended Reading
Transforming American Newspapers (Part 1) (Vin Crosby, Digital Deliverance) Contrary to myopia of many newspaper executives, advertisers aren't newspapers' primary customers. Although advertising revenues may be sunshine for newspaper executives, the roots of their business are readers. A newspaper with readers will attract advertisers but a newspaper without readers will not. Readers ultimately support and sustain the newspaper business. (Via…
A Broad View of Amazon's Influence
Neil Denny looks at Amazon's positive and negative influences on book publishing's constituencies. From The Bookseller: The web, if not Amazon, can't be uninvented: retailers and publishers need to find ways to make it work for them or they will face an increasingly difficult future. Related Stories: Publishers Beware: Amazon has you in their sights Which Game is the…