Comments on: The ultimate anti-piracy weapon for Random House, S&S, HarperCollins and the rest http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/08/05/the-ultimate-anti-piracy-weapon-for-random-house-ss-harpercollins-and-the-rest/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:29:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Mike Cane http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/08/05/the-ultimate-anti-piracy-weapon-for-random-house-ss-harpercollins-and-the-rest/#comment-868774 Mike Cane Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:15:12 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/08/05/the-ultimate-anti-piracy-weapon-for-random-house-ss-harpercollins-and-the-rest/#comment-868774 The other thing about going to sketchy sites in pursuit of illegal ebooks is the malevolent code just waiting to infest and infect your computer! Going the free route can be bloody expensive in its own way. Often too expensive. The other thing about going to sketchy sites in pursuit of illegal ebooks is the malevolent code just waiting to infest and infect your computer! Going the free route can be bloody expensive in its own way. Often too expensive.

]]> By: B. Scott Andersen http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/08/05/the-ultimate-anti-piracy-weapon-for-random-house-ss-harpercollins-and-the-rest/#comment-868724 B. Scott Andersen Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:40:04 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/08/05/the-ultimate-anti-piracy-weapon-for-random-house-ss-harpercollins-and-the-rest/#comment-868724 I believe there is a parallel here with paperback books. Nobody in their right mind photocopies paperback books as the genuine articles are cheap and easy to find. Further, as asserted here and elsewhere, most people want to "do the right thing." Not everyone, mind you, but the vast majority do. One should also note that paperback books are also occasionally stolen. Retailers lose money through inventory shrinkage (theft, etc.) and publishers lose money when supposedly destroyed books, one with covers removed, are sold anyway (usually at deep discount). Expecting that electronic book distribution will be free of any problems is unreasonable. The question should instead be, is there a business model here where publishers can make money--perhaps even doing as well or better than the business model currently in place, with all its flaws, for their paperback and hardcover counterparts. I believe there is and publishers such as Baen have gone a long way to proving I'm right. I believe there is a parallel here with paperback books. Nobody in their right mind photocopies paperback books as the genuine articles are cheap and easy to find. Further, as asserted here and elsewhere, most people want to “do the right thing.” Not everyone, mind you, but the vast majority do.

One should also note that paperback books are also occasionally stolen. Retailers lose money through inventory shrinkage (theft, etc.) and publishers lose money when supposedly destroyed books, one with covers removed, are sold anyway (usually at deep discount).

Expecting that electronic book distribution will be free of any problems is unreasonable. The question should instead be, is there a business model here where publishers can make money–perhaps even doing as well or better than the business model currently in place, with all its flaws, for their paperback and hardcover counterparts. I believe there is and publishers such as Baen have gone a long way to proving I’m right.

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