Comments on: Perhaps the revolution has reached an evolutionary stage http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage The Idea Logical Company Blog Sun, 19 May 2013 10:55:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Is the book a crucial cultural artefact, or just an outdated container for content? — paidContent http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-15627 Is the book a crucial cultural artefact, or just an outdated container for content? — paidContent Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:37:32 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-15627 [...] printed book sales are “holding up relatively well.” Some publishers and distributors have even noticed a slowdown in e-book sales, says Carr, who then goes on to propose some reasons why that might be the case, [...]

]]> By: Will Gutenberg laugh last? | Rough Type http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-15528 Will Gutenberg laugh last? | Rough Type Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:24 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-15528 [...] publishers have also been reporting a sharp slowdown in e-book sales growth, with a Macmillan representative saying last month [...]

]]> By: Children’s Ebooks up 89% in July, Adult up 48% | Digital Book World http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-15251 Children’s Ebooks up 89% in July, Adult up 48% | Digital Book World Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:42:26 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-15251 [...] sales were up 48% in July versus the same period last year. From 2007 through 2011, e-book sales doubled or more every year. This year, ebook growth has slowed to a still-breakneck speed of about 30% to 50%. According to [...]

]]> By: eBook Sales Grew by 52% Y-to-Y | SGEye Eyes the World http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-15169 eBook Sales Grew by 52% Y-to-Y | SGEye Eyes the World Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:55:16 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-15169 [...] 2007 through 2011, e-book sales doubled or more every year. Digital growth at major trade publishing companies like Random House and Hachette — bellwethers [...]

]]> By: Children's Digital Continues Surge, Overall E-Book Growth Slows in May | Digital Book World http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-14907 Children's Digital Continues Surge, Overall E-Book Growth Slows in May | Digital Book World Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:27:44 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-14907 [...] 2007 through 2011, e-book sales doubled or more every year. In 2012 so far, e-book revenues have grown 65.9% across adult trade, children’s and [...]

]]> By: Mike Shatzkin http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-14793 Mike Shatzkin Sat, 18 Aug 2012 15:47:00 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-14793 Eric, I would have had a lot more faith in it all if it hadn’t started with this:

*A simple example can show why. According to Olen Steinhauer, the production cost of an average hardcover printed in a lot of 50,000 and including distribution is around $2.00. If a hardcover by unknown novelist X sells 5,000 copies at $27, the publisher makes $125,000 in marginal profit. If that same novel sells 50,000 copies at $7, the publisher makes $250,000. *

That’s just wrong, wrong, wrong. It is confusing the RETAIL dollars with the marginal profit. And the idea that there is a fixed marginal cost of production is also wrong, wrong, wrong. In the earlier example, did he assume that they printed 50,000 and sold 5,000 but didn’t have any costs for the 45,000 they didn’t sell?

Frankly, this paragraph is so starkly incompetent that I not only question the writer, I question the editors. Nobody with a passing knowledge of publishing economics who was awake at the time they were reviewing this should have let it through.

Will self-published material drag down prices and hurt established publisher margins? Absolutely. No rocket science in that; been saying it for years and publishers all know it.

Mike

]]> By: EricWelch http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-14765 EricWelch Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:49:00 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-14765 I’m sure you’ve seen this analysis and wondered what you thought of the economics he develops, especially on the last 3 pages.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2012/08/15/publishing-is-broken-were-drowning-in-indie-books-and-thats-a-good-thing/

]]> By: Mike Shatzkin http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-14752 Mike Shatzkin Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:16:00 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-14752 I take it the comment is that if all these books are available from pirates, it could explain the decline in sales?

I doubt it. But I take the point.

Mike

]]> By: JoeBob http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-14750 JoeBob Tue, 14 Aug 2012 05:56:00 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-14750 http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/7527977/New_York_Times_Bestsellers_12_August_Fiction_and_Ebook_Collectio

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]]> By: Mike Shatzkin http://www.idealog.com/blog/perhaps-the-revolution-has-reached-an-evolutionary-stage/#comment-14748 Mike Shatzkin Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:49:00 +0000 http://www.idealog.com/?p=5905#comment-14748 This is a constantly shiftng landscape, as you have made clear. My beat is what affects publishers more than what affects indie authors. I agree there’s a piece there worth doing, but I’m not the guy to do the research.
Mike

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