tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post5708281785134184348..comments2024-03-18T02:11:40.154-07:00Comments on <b>Smashwords</b>: How Ebook Subscription Services May Redefine the Value of Books (Part II)Dovetail Public Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-2945418797146137742014-12-10T23:27:22.509-08:002014-12-10T23:27:22.509-08:00I use Oyster and I love it. Read constantly. Las...I use Oyster and I love it. Read constantly. Last year I spent over $2,500 on books with b&n so this was a blessing. Still buy the odd book that isn't on the site, but I have been thrilled with it overall.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00794897270011880220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-75159550106658310762013-12-17T16:18:47.324-08:002013-12-17T16:18:47.324-08:00Hi C.E., with these subscription services, authors...Hi C.E., with these subscription services, authors are royalties when the readers cross a certain threshold for free sampling, which in the case of Oyster is 10%. The more your books are read on these subscription services, the more the author earns. Of course, if every customer consumes so many books that it costs the subscription service more than $10, then they'll lose money on that customer for the month. These services are betting that most readers, on average, will read in moderation. They might lose money on some subscribers on some months but make it up in other months. If most readers read in moderation, the service will make money, the author will benefit from the sales, and the reader will benefit by being able to enjoy friction-free reading.Dovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-75371934289944948922013-12-17T15:34:09.575-08:002013-12-17T15:34:09.575-08:00I'm leery. I still don't see an explanati...I'm leery. I still don't see an explanation of why authors would make more. I suppose the average person in the US, say, spends less than $10 a month on average on books. Is that average person going to suddenly subscribe to Oyster? I don't see why. Are the people who spend more than $10/month on books going to subscribe? Of course. Given this, how will authors make more money with subscriptions? Or, to put it a bit more directly, how many authors make a living selling books to libraries?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11881065312300147812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-18649772341304463652013-11-12T13:35:39.950-08:002013-11-12T13:35:39.950-08:00Jane, with these subscription services, you can re...Jane, with these subscription services, you can read as much as as little as you want, and you can read at your speed.Dovetail Public Relationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05039664167177159146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-18115476617642843842013-11-12T11:59:21.919-08:002013-11-12T11:59:21.919-08:00If I subscribe, am I limited to 2 weeks to borrow ...If I subscribe, am I limited to 2 weeks to borrow the book or can I have it till done? I have downloaded rental books before and had a 2 week limit. I can't read a book in 2 weeks time.Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17775351927084346997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-88542795972956312952013-11-02T13:20:57.854-07:002013-11-02T13:20:57.854-07:00Maximizing access. Great point, Mark.
I'm wi...Maximizing access. Great point, Mark. <br /><br />I'm with amykeely, and glad Smashwords is supporting subscription-based services.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01426348248468370418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-70957240602672526542013-11-01T03:26:11.597-07:002013-11-01T03:26:11.597-07:00I hadn't considered the idea that readers woul...I hadn't considered the idea that readers wouldn't be seeing the price. That's a new and interesting way to think of it.<br /><br />Lots of questions:<br /><br />Right now you say you've got 200,000 books heading their way, do you see this number increasing soon? How are books chosen for those delivery batches? And how long will it take for a book to appear live for an Oyster reader?<br /><br />Do you know of any sites that are trying to get a jump on promoting books to Oyster subscribers? It'll be interesting to see how authors promote for this new platform.gpstberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388470847179787109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7436915084701775452.post-31342725572745702892013-10-30T06:25:47.797-07:002013-10-30T06:25:47.797-07:00Interesting thoughts. Did you know that our public...Interesting thoughts. Did you know that our public libraries here in the U.S. began as kind of a subscription-based service? Benjamin Franklin started it with his "social library." People paid a monthly fee (either in membership or subscription) to read as many books as the library held. Eventually, the government took over, adding libraries to their budget thus making them public. But we still have organizations like Friends of the Library that raise funds. Maybe Overdrive will go away and Oyster's model will be taken up by libraries? Or maybe I'm just reaching? :)<br /><br />I think this is a great idea, and I'm glad to see Smashwords supporting it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com