tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6491137338834612494.post3093005400906383893..comments2023-10-19T08:18:51.914-07:00Comments on Grid Knowledge: Drawing the line on eBookscolleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03329604063159377884noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6491137338834612494.post-32350849267766344022012-05-12T14:26:05.716-07:002012-05-12T14:26:05.716-07:00Yes, it would be lovely if everyone could stay hom...Yes, it would be lovely if everyone could stay home and read the latest books from the comfort of their couch without lifting a finger or paying a dime. However, that can't happen and still have a viable publishing industry, and pretending otherwise is intellectually dishonest.<br /><br />Libraries and publishers have a long and synergistic relationship. Libraries offer curation, opportunities to discover new authors for free, and valuable resources. <br /><br />However, if libraries are allowed to merge collections and offer one-stop at-home access to the entire catalog of available books, they eliminate many of the reasons people buy books.<br /><br />In a paper library there is friction: travel to and from the library, limited availability of titles, limited checkout times. The library was, of course, awesome, but there was still incentive to buy books. Remove that friction, make borrowing more attractive than buying and the industry will suffer.<br /><br />Publisher's are already in trouble. Margins are thin, and they're fighting for survival against the pirates you so blithely mention. <br /><br />If the publishers raise prices, they're evil. If the try to limit the number of loans, they're evil. If they insist on DRM (to keep libraries from just being Napster for books) they're evil. <br /><br />You're right, of course, that reader's morality is already changing to view publishers and authors as the 'bad guys' and piracy as an acceptable protest. Whatever they do, it seems, their goose is cooked. <br /><br />I just hope that readers remember, as they sift through the endless masses of fanfic and slush, that they cooked the goose that laid the golden eggs.Angry Ranterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16977780773305257659noreply@blogger.com