Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Invading the Book: The DoJ Settlements & Book Prices

Today, the publishing industry is being rocked by the DoJ suing some of the Big 6 publishers and Apple for price fixing e-books. It is a huge crapstorm that reaches deeply into the product chain, all the way down to the authors. Most of it will have long-term repercussions in ways that aren't directly addressed in the suit. I'm waiting for the myriad of affected groups to voice their reactions before formulating a rational opinion. 

However

Business statements like the one below caught my eye because they make me worry about "Can vs Should" when trying to monetize new technology. This is a bullet item taken from a memo from HarperCollins (Publisher) regarding why they quickly settled with the DoJ:

"...The introduction and rapid development of enhanced e-books with audio, video and interactivity, which are a fast-growing digital format for HarperCollins." -- Source: http://brilligblogger.blogspot.com/2012/04/agency-e-books-harper-statement.html

If I wanted to play a video game, watch TV, or browse the Web, I wouldn't have picked up a book to read. Not every activity is meant to be a social experience. Not every digital purchase is an invitation for an upsell. Not every advance in technology should serve as a host to the virus of sales and the further decline of consumer privacy.


Now, I'm aware the "choose your adventure" books are making a tiny comeback in adult fiction. E-publishers like Colilquy are using enhanced e-book technology to allow the reader to choose which lover a heroine pursues or which mentor a wizard-prodigy is assigned. That's cool, great, fab, whatever from a consumer perspective because I chose an entertainment experience with which I expected to interact.

But


Business is business. Successful businesses protect the revenue streams they have and create new ones. Big publishers are still scrambling to cope with the mainstream adoption of e-books. The DoJ litigation forces them to rethink traditional revenue streams. They have no choice but to explore revenue opportunities available with digital books that do not exist in print books.

I worry. 

I worry because I know for what I would be pushing were I still responsible for a P&L. I worry because I know of what the technology is capable and which genres are ripe for exploitation.


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