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Published February 15th, 2010 | 
Diary of a Mad Editor
Don’t Kill the Messenger
Published February 15th, 2010 | Before I head off to the gym in my ongoing quest for stomach fat loss, I thought I’d respond to this post by Dan Agin on The Huffington Post. "Kindle Armageddon . . . " echoes the pro-eBook theme, I’ve been drumming for a while. But that’s not why I wanted to respond to it, exactly. Mainly, I wanted to react to many negative comments made to the post from individuals who, like certain publishers, see eBooks as the enemy of regular books. I suppose it’s human nature to be protective of an old technology in the face of a newer technology that is perceived as a replacement.
Although, Agin’s post was a little too Kindle-centric in his view of eBook market, his core message that eBooks are not a fad and publishers need to get with the program is right on target. I don’t believe he’s making a case against regular printed books or suggested that eBooks are superior or even that eBooks will ever completely replace printed books as these commenters suggest. He’s merely saying what I and many others have been saying all along — that if publishers continue to fight against the advent of the eBook as a serious medium for the written word, they do so at their own peril.
Personally, I love printed books as I’ve stated many times in the past. I’ve read thousands of books in my lifetime and I currently own hundreds of them. But, if I could afford an eReader, I’d own one of those too. As one commenter stated, it’s true that "eReaders and eBooks are not a necessity" — but there are times when it would be damn convenient to have an eReader.
I remember when I was a senior in college. On Thursdays, my final semester, I had this window of several hours between my Shakespeare II class and my T.S. Eliot seminar in the evening. I would kill time as best as I could. Mostly, though, I read books. I would carry around several at one time, usually polishing off 5-10 volumes per week. Once, I even read 20 books in one week (a fete I haven’t duplicated since). As much as I loved reading, carrying around all those books every day was a pain in the ass (and back and shoulders, etc.) If the technology had been available back then, I definitely would’ve had me an eReader. Likewise, right after graduation, I found myself on a long train ride to visit my grandmother. Plenty of books to read, but not a lot of physical space to stretch out and enjoy. An eReader might’ve made the experience a bit more pleasurable as I wouldn’t have had to bother my neighbor every time I wanted to retrieve another book. Just before Christmas, I was waiting on my father at his doctor’s office. I had a library book — a hardcover. It was a long wait and after a time holding the weight of the book became a little uncomfortable. Not to mention the fact that nearly every time I flipped a page this old man would throw me a hard stare as if the barely audible sound of a page turning was somehow rude. Having an eReader in the doctor’s waiting room would’ve been nice. And there’ve been plenty of other occasions where I’d have preferred an eBook to a so-called "real" book. And that’s what eBooks are good for — not as a permanent replacement for physical books, but as nifty stand-ins when regular books aren’t as convenient or readily available.
Regardless of whether you agree with that assessment or not, eBooks are here to stay, so killing the messenger won’t change the message or alter reality.
Cutting Off His Nose Despite His Face
Published February 14th, 2010 | Crain’s New York Business is running this story today about Macmillan CEO, John Sargent’s brave assault on Amazon’s pricing policy. From the smug, self-satisfied image of Sargent to the reporter’s portrayal of the man as some modern-day David/Everyman slaying the "e-Goliath" Amazon, this story is very much about how going after the eBook is a good, heroic thing.
Of course, I’ve already said plenty on this subject, but I’ll probably keep talking about it as long as these stories keep running in newspapers and blogs. Understand, in criticizing the likes of Macmillan, I’m not so much defending Amazon as much as I am defending the eBook. Because I see this power play for what it really is: Big Publishing trying desperately to hold onto a system that is slowly dying and slipping away from them. They’re digging in their heels and if they can no longer kill the eBook or dismiss it as a fad, they will do everything they can think of to slow its ascent. As such, I don’t see John Sargent as a hero in this saga — but as he is the guy putting another nail in the coffin. Whether Amazon, Apple or some other outfit is the top market for eBooks is completely beside the point. What is the point it that eBooks are here to stay. There will be more demand, more devices to read them on and more markets to buy from and sell to in the coming years. Mainstream publishers have come to a fork in the road — they take one road and they accept eBooks and adapt, or they take the other and hold-fast, risking greater loses in the future.
Let me break it down:
- eBooks sales have been closing the gap with mass market paperback sales over the last few years with every expectation that this market will continue to grow. Right now, the only thing keeping mass market paperbacks at all viable is the continued popularity of Romance novels. Mass market paperbacks are an otherwise stagnant market for most other genres. Last week, I saw a woman in a doctor’s office reading a romance novel on an Sony e-reader. How much longer will the mass market paperback be the medium of choice for Romance publishers? And what about Audio books? audio books have become a rather stagnant market in recent years as well. Some of that can be blamed on the recession, but how much of that is due to eBooks?
- This agency model that Apple has concocted and mainstream publishers are embracing will not help publishers sell eBooks and won’t help publishers increase hardcover sales. Nor will it kill demand for eBooks. What it will do is increase piracy. Someone wants to buy an eBook and they can’t get it at a fair price, they’re not going to stop buying e-readers and they’re not going to run out and buy the hardcover at Borders, okay. If they can’t get it cheap, they’ll go somewhere where they can get it for free and everyone loses.
- Consider that self-publishing is becoming more popular. Consider further that some authors with traditional publishers are starting to discover that self-publishing eBooks is often a better deal for them than dealing with their publishers. The agency model means even less royalties for writers since publishers will be losing money and the royalties come out of their end. Do I need to spell this out for you, Mr. Sargent?
All I’m saying is, everything major mainstream publishers have been doing lately has been self-defeating. Sometimes the only way to maintain control is by letting go. It’s time for Big Publishing to let go or else they’ll be a lot more people currently on their payroll looking for new employment in the future.
