Thursday, July 16, 2009

Provocative view of e-books

Like the recording industry in the early 2000's, the publishing industry today is struggling with the question of what to do about electronic content. In the view of one Slate columnist, they are leaving themselves open to the same Napster battles the recording industry went through. Amazon.com with its Kindle reader has inspired many people to download the electronic version of a book they want to read rather than buy a print copy. The price of most of the books for Kindle is $9.99, considerably less than even a trade paperback much less a hardcover. Of course it is not only the price that attracts users; the convenience and small size of the Kindle is also a benefit, but the price is certainly a factor. Now publishers are trying to force amazon.com and other booksellers to charge more for e-books so the electronic/print difference will not be so great. Is this a good idea? Slate writer Jack Shafer thinks not. He says publishers should learn a lesson from the recording industry and give consumers what they want. Librarians who also wonder whether the provision of e-books is going to become an integral part of their services will do well to watch the outcome of this battle. It's hard to believe that e-books won't triumph in the end, but we can all hope that publishers adjust to the new situations and not try to go back to the past.

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