Re: Can E-books mean the end of hardbacks
- From: Gary <not@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:56:48 -0400
On Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:17:57 -0700, El Castor <No_One@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:18:50 -0400, Gary <not@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:39:13 -0700, El Castor <No_One@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:26:49 -0400, Jim Higgins
<gordian238@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Gary wrote:
E-books could spell the end for hardbacks, warns Hachette chief
By Ben Hall in Paris
Hardback books could be killed off if Amazon?s e-books and Google?s
digital library force publishers to slash prices, Arnaud Nourry, chief
executive of French publishing group Hachette, has warned.
EbooksMr Nourry said unilateral pricing by Google, Amazon and other
e-book retailers such as Barnes & Noble could destroy publishers?
profits.
He said publishers were "very hostile" to Amazon?s pricing strategy --
over which the online retailer failed to consult publishers -- to
charge $9.99 for all its e-books in the US. He also pointed to plans
by Google to put millions of out-of-copyright books online for public
use.
"On the one hand, you have millions of books for free where there is
no longer an author to pay and, on the other hand, there are very
recent books, bestsellers at $9.99, which means that all the rest will
have to be sold at between zero and $9.99," Mr Nourry said.
There was a real and "muscular" debate in the industry in the US, he
added. Retailers were paying publishers more than $9.99 for each
e-book, so were selling them at a loss: "That cannot last ... Amazon
is not in the business of losing money. So, one day, they are going to
come to the publishers and say: by the way, we are cutting the price
we pay. If that happens, after paying the authors, there will be
nothing left for the publishers."
Some rival publishers have expressed concern in private at Amazon?s
fixed $9.99 per title pricing on its Kindle electronic reader. Others
note the minimal costs of distributing books electronically mean they
can make higher profit margins even with lower prices than in print.
Mr Nourry?s comments come as analysts predict a growth spurt for the
still-niche electronic reader market, with wireless devices from Sony,
Plastic Logic and others due to compete with the Kindle.
Resistance to the Google books project from European libraries appears
to be easing, with the National Library of France confirming this
month that it was working with the US internet giant. But European
publishers say they are determined to defend their rights.
Mr Nourry said Hachette -- the world?s second largest publisher of
books by sales -- wanted to work with Google because of its formidable
online presence. But he called on the group to be "more reasonable" in
its dealing with French publishing houses.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0df31226-958d-11de-90e0-00144feabdc0.html
I am not about to give up real books for e-books. It is soothing and
satisfying to handle real paper as you turn a page and then flip back to
read some passages again. Give me paper :-)
My wife and I both have ebooks -- five+ years old and they are far
superior to paper.
1. Ever tried to read the cramped print in some paperbacks --
particularly in dim light?
Yep. Last night.
Well, your ebook will allow you to
customize the print size to suit your eyes.
2. Ever try to keep a thick paperback pried open for an hour when
suddenly it slips, springs closed, and you have to figure out where
you left off?
Yep. Last night.
3. Can't read in bed late at night because the light keeps your spouse
awake? Our ebooks (although at this point, not all models) have
adjustable backlights that are perfect for bed reading.
4. No fumbling around turning pages -- just a little finger pressure
is all that's required. When you turn it off, your place is
automatically saved, and if you zonk out and go to sleep without
turning it off, it turns itself off, and saves your place.
Forget the paper -- give me technology.
If I can ever find one in a store -- at a reasonable price -- that has
the features I want -- such as ability to read documents -- I going to
buy and e-book reader. None of the high tech stores (Best Buy, etc)
have them. I saw one in Target recently but it was $300. The clerk
didn't think it would read documents.
The wife and I have RCA REB 1100's. One is currently listed on eBay
for $61 with 9 bids and 25 minutes to go. It reads one format *.REB,
That one is gone. Over the years, I've liked the way yours has
sounded. I wish they had them in stores.
How about a REB 1200 ?
Here --
http://tinyurl.com/nfkomj
Or here
http://cgi.ebay.com/RCA-e-Book-Reader-model-REB-1200-Complete_W0QQitemZ220473934645QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3355454335&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
but with a freeware piece of software, any HTML or text document can
easily be translated to REB format, and "almost" any book type file
can be gotten into HTML or text, and from there to .REB.
Unfortunately, the software that is designed to communicate directly
with the ebook doesn't work with Vista, but it has a Smartmedia slot,
so files can be written directly to the Smartmedia card in .REB
format. I suppose that sounds like a big deal, but when you know what
you're doing -- not so much. Most people would probably get pissed off
by the process and throw the book out the window.
At the moment, the two big names in ebooks are Sony and Amazon. Both
of their readers are expensive ($200 - $300). Can they read documents?
Probably, but how it's done (if it can be done) would have to be
researched on the Internet -- not at Best Buy.
As for the cost, I guess that depends on how much reading you do and
how much you pay for the books. Can't take it with you. Sony and
Amazon sell them. Some public libraries are beginning to stock ebooks.
Gutenberg has thousands of out of copyright classics. There are other
sources, etc.
I really don't mind paying $200 to $300. But I'd prefer to look at
it, touch it and talk to somebody before doing so. I'm old
fashion.
I may have to break down and join Ebay. That appears to be the
only place to get a REB.
.
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