plunging in

[gfish]

I know I should stay clear of Amazonfail, but I just want to say that a publisher which can't make a profit selling $9 etexts (or $5, or $2) deserves to go bankrupt. If amortized editing and design costs are really the lion's share of a physical book, the system is deeply, deeply broken.

(Even applying design costs to the etext version is largely ridiculous. How much design work does an etext need? I'd prefer it as a raw text file anyway, but a LaTeX-generated PDF would also be just fine as well. The only reason for fancy design in the first place is to catch people's attention in a store. Etext selection and browsing is nothing like that, so why bother with it in the first place? Tradition? Snob factor? Anything that can't be seen in the scaled down image of the book cover in an Amazon listing is a complete waste of money.)

I remain unconvinced of the long-term viability of selling data as a business model. But if you want to find a way for authors to make money, don't make it even harder by trying to defend these dinosaurs at the same time.

Comments

[solarbird]

How much design work is needed for a book depends upon the book in question. But even the simplest books will still need attractive cover - or perhaps more properly in this new environment, poster art. People will still browse, still organise visually (in many or most cases, tho' obviously not all), and so on.

(Out of curiosity, do you have album art view up in your music player or do you set it up as a plaintext list?)

Not that I'm defending the price points here, I'm not. I tend to agree with Amazon here, just not the totaly dickheaded way they're going about it.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

Poster art is an excellent way to think about it. I have no doubt that aspect will continue to exist.

Album art shows up on my ipod, and because of that I occasionally go on completest binges adding missing ones to the hundred of random old files I have. But I rarely see them, since I only need to look at the device to chose playlists. On my laptop, no, I never have the album art view on. I like having the wider context of seeing the current playlist in spreadsheet view.

[solarbird]

I kind of suspected not. I have it on all the time; I find it very useful for browsing purposes. (Not for finding a specific album, but for looking around for something interesting to play.) I'm more visually oriented than you, I strongly suspect.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

There is album art on mp3 players?
I don't think I understand the point in that. It'd be like having a book with one of those greeting-card chips in it so it sings while you're reading.
(for reference, this (http://www.pjrc.com/mp3/) is my mp3 player, which has been running a 120 gig hard drive for ten years now.)

[solarbird]

There is album art on mp3 players?
Yes, as you no doubt know, but sure, I'll play along. Particularly in those players used to manage material carried about on smaller, more portable devices.

I don't think I understand the point in that. It'd be like having a book with one of those greeting-card chips in it so it sings while you're reading.
Many of us find the visual art useful for organisational purposes. Some of us are more visually-oriented than you. Learn it, live it, love it: "Everyone is not the same as me."

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

I actually didn't know there was album art. I don't get out much...

[solarbird]

Oh, okay. Sorry, I'm a little touchy today. (Bad hands day. RSI suxx0rs.)