Could be. I mean, hey, if I were a poor college student and wanted print-copy, I'd probably say I'd take the comb-binder version for $10, Bob, while I can see a certain Leo in this household insisting he'll only get the perfect-bound with printed cover for $18.
From business POV, I think of it like this: if the book itself (as a text-package of words, independent of physical existence) comes from the publisher at, say, wholesale cost of $5, then the bookstore could sell the ebook for $8 (a sweet profit when you consider hard-drive space much cheaper than shelf-space), or a simple-bound for, hrm, $10, or a fancy special bound for $14, numbers off the top of my head.
I mean, the publisher gets their $5 for every copy sold, just as usual. The bookstore absorbs the cost of the printing-on-demand, or the file storage, or providing CDs, and thus absorbs the cost that would have been carried by the distributor.
On the other hand, I'm sure if we give Cerberus a day or two, he'll figure out a way to do it to screw over the publishers and make it damn near impossible for even more bookstores out there. Maybe even take out the libraries at the same time, if there's a buck to be made. Sigh.
no subject
Date: 11 Jan 2009 01:21 am (UTC)From business POV, I think of it like this: if the book itself (as a text-package of words, independent of physical existence) comes from the publisher at, say, wholesale cost of $5, then the bookstore could sell the ebook for $8 (a sweet profit when you consider hard-drive space much cheaper than shelf-space), or a simple-bound for, hrm, $10, or a fancy special bound for $14, numbers off the top of my head.
I mean, the publisher gets their $5 for every copy sold, just as usual. The bookstore absorbs the cost of the printing-on-demand, or the file storage, or providing CDs, and thus absorbs the cost that would have been carried by the distributor.
On the other hand, I'm sure if we give Cerberus a day or two, he'll figure out a way to do it to screw over the publishers and make it damn near impossible for even more bookstores out there. Maybe even take out the libraries at the same time, if there's a buck to be made. Sigh.