Comments on: Kevin Kelly and how to profit in the free economy http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/02/12/kevin-kelley-and-the-8-generatives/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 21 May 2008 22:59:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Jess http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/02/12/kevin-kelley-and-the-8-generatives/#comment-733398 Jess Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:40:07 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/02/12/kevin-kelley-and-the-8-generatives/#comment-733398 "Technology played little or no role in initially elevating these works to public consciousness (technology played a part only later)... " - Sorry, but you've made a grave error; "little or no role" and "played a part only later" are incorrect perceptions. Baum, Disney, The Beatles and Rowlings all expressed they're ideas through technology first (like pen and paper or an old typewriter) and then they were able to share with a wider crowd; if you are the Beatles how do even play music without instruments (musical technology)? What you're saying is silly really. Mind The Gap! The distance between technology and the economy of scales it affords is shorter than you think. “Technology played little or no role in initially elevating these works to public consciousness (technology played a part only later)… ” - Sorry, but you’ve made a grave error; “little or no role” and “played a part only later” are incorrect perceptions. Baum, Disney, The Beatles and Rowlings all expressed they’re ideas through technology first (like pen and paper or an old typewriter) and then they were able to share with a wider crowd; if you are the Beatles how do even play music without instruments (musical technology)? What you’re saying is silly really. Mind The Gap! The distance between technology and the economy of scales it affords is shorter than you think.

]]> By: Crosbie Fitch http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/02/12/kevin-kelley-and-the-8-generatives/#comment-729395 Crosbie Fitch Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:54:31 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/02/12/kevin-kelley-and-the-8-generatives/#comment-729395 Instead of "Buy one, get the next one free" how about the same proposition, but back to front? "Get this one free, buy the next one" Your first one is freely shared worldwide. It's readers are encouraged to pledge to pay for the next one. The next one is also freely shared worldwide. It's readers are also encouraged to pledge to pay for the next one. Each time, the audience gets bigger. Each time, the author makes more money. Instead of “Buy one, get the next one free” how about the same proposition, but back to front?

“Get this one free, buy the next one”

Your first one is freely shared worldwide. It’s readers are encouraged to pledge to pay for the next one.

The next one is also freely shared worldwide. It’s readers are also encouraged to pledge to pay for the next one.

Each time, the audience gets bigger. Each time, the author makes more money.

]]> By: hyokon http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/02/12/kevin-kelley-and-the-8-generatives/#comment-719500 hyokon Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:09:25 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/02/12/kevin-kelley-and-the-8-generatives/#comment-719500 I agree a lot with both of you. It is hard to imagine anything that is absolute free, because then no one will make it. Currently talked about 'free' is really just a kind of bundling. When you 'buy one and get one for free', are you really getting one for free? No! The price is just hidden. In the online contents market, it is less obvious. You 'as a group' buy bundles (someone does click the ads, and buys), but an individual may not have bought anything to get contents for free. I am worried it is becoming a pop economics. I am writing series of posts, and wrote <a href="http://hyokon.blogspot.com/2008/02/in-addition-to-free-part-1-free-is-not.html" rel="nofollow">the first one</a>. I agree a lot with both of you. It is hard to imagine anything that is absolute free, because then no one will make it. Currently talked about ‘free’ is really just a kind of bundling. When you ‘buy one and get one for free’, are you really getting one for free? No! The price is just hidden. In the online contents market, it is less obvious. You ‘as a group’ buy bundles (someone does click the ads, and buys), but an individual may not have bought anything to get contents for free. I am worried it is becoming a pop economics. I am writing series of posts, and wrote the first one.

]]> By: Rob Preece http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/02/12/kevin-kelley-and-the-8-generatives/#comment-714709 Rob Preece Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:01:18 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/02/12/kevin-kelley-and-the-8-generatives/#comment-714709 When I first got into this business, I was enamored of the free model (this immediately before the first dot-com crash). I still think it's amazing how much information and services are available for free. Free e-mail with unlimited storage, free news, free encyclopedias. You hint at a problem, though, which is that all this free is supported by advertising. If we continue to move in the everything is free direction, who can afford to advertise? Unless advertising, too, becomes free, in which case... I've scaled back free on www.BooksForABuck.com. Sure I offer free reviews and free excerpts from the books we publish. I also offer some free short stories and links to free resources around the web. But I only offer one complete novel for free. Unless they start giving away free housing, food and medical care, free can only take us so far. Rob Preece Publisher, www.BooksForABuck.com When I first got into this business, I was enamored of the free model (this immediately before the first dot-com crash). I still think it’s amazing how much information and services are available for free. Free e-mail with unlimited storage, free news, free encyclopedias.

You hint at a problem, though, which is that all this free is supported by advertising. If we continue to move in the everything is free direction, who can afford to advertise? Unless advertising, too, becomes free, in which case…

I’ve scaled back free on http://www.BooksForABuck.com. Sure I offer free reviews and free excerpts from the books we publish. I also offer some free short stories and links to free resources around the web. But I only offer one complete novel for free. Unless they start giving away free housing, food and medical care, free can only take us so far.

Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com

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