The Plight of eBooks: A Swiftian View
January 4, 2010
Most folks in Harrods Creek don’t read too many books. The local Barnes & Nobles, about a day’s ride by mule, is filled with book lights, knick knacks, and greeting cards. Because the addled goose has no work and no friends, he has time to read. I clip along at two or three books a week, and I buy most of them online. The sort of book that strikes my fancy like Taichi Skaiya’s “The Knowledge Value Revolution” or W. Brian Arthur’s “The Nature of Technology” are not too popular. These books don’t mix well with most folks’s idea of a fun read, and I don’t think in the entire US there are more than a few thousand individuals who share the addled goose’s taste in books.
When the book stores lose their best customers—that is, the folks who actually read several books a week or a month for that matter—there’s not much of a future for them. When popular books find their way into pirated eBook editions, publishers are going to be squeezed even harder.
Tomorrow’s pirates must be stopped today. Without people who read, the book publishing industry will be saved. Er, that doesn’t sound exactly right, does it? Never mind. Stamp out reading piracy by eliminating reading or children, whichever is easier. Image source: http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/10/28/schools291006_wideweb__470x312,0.jpg
CNN has an interesting article on its Web site: “Digital Piracy Hits the E-book Industry.” For me, the most interesting comment in the write up was:
Statistics are hard to come by, and many publishers are reluctant to discuss the subject for fear of encouraging more illegal downloads. But digital theft may pose a big headache in 2010 for the slumping publishing industry, which relies increasingly on electronic reading devices and e-books to stimulate sales.
Ah, the eBook readers from publishers and bookstores are encouraging piracy. Is that an unintended consequence?
Another passage caught my attention:
However, some evidence suggests that authors’ and publishers’ claims of damage from illegal piracy may be overstated. Recent statistics have shown that consumers who purchase an e-reader buy more books than those who stick with traditional bound volumes. Amazon reports that Kindle owners buy, on average, 3.1 times as many books on the site as other customers.
I get it. Readers are stealing eBooks but may buy more books.
With fewer readers per capita, the problem may work itself out. If no solution is found, maybe the publishers can seek help from the US government? Could it evolve that not teaching student to read, shifting attention to videos, and using government watchdogs to curtail reading will make the problem go away? I hope so. With no one reading, I would not have to write the articles in this Web log about unintended consequences and failures in developing viable business models.
Oyez, oyez. I am reporting to the administrative office of the Bankruptcy Courts that I was not paid to write this article about businesses likely to face bankruptcy. A bit of a virtuous circle is it not?
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