On Sunday 28 December 2008 11:37:47 am Stefano Franchi wrote: > On Tuesday 23 December 2008 06:40:51 Ethan Metsger wrote: > > On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:48:13 -0500, Steve Litt > > <sl...@troubleshooters.com> > > > > wrote: > > > if you can view it online, why should you > > > pay for the book? > > > > For my part, I hate reading electronic copy. I'm willing to scan it to > > see if the content is worth reading, but I would much rather turn to a > > paper library than an electronic one. > > > > Best, > > > > Ethan > > > > (PS - José, I haven't forgotten the Docbook stuff--I'm pretty swamped at > > the moment and don't expect to get out until after the holidays.) > > Just to add an additional data point on this rather controversial issue: > > There is an Italian "author" called Wu Ming (it is really a group of > writers publishing under this name) who makes *all* of their works > available on their web site on a Creative Common license in addition to > publishing them in traditional format with a major Italian publishing > house. They write fiction and are very successful, That is, they can make a > living as writers, are translated in several languages, etcetera. > > So in a sense they are providing evidence that an even more extreme > approach than Google's is not detrimental to traditional paper-based book > sales. In fact, just the opposite. Of course they write fiction, and the > argument may not extend to technical publications. I am sure I would rather > read a novel on my way to work rather than a TeX book. > > Cheers, > > Stefano
Also, more and more I'm selling Ebooks, which of are read on a computer just the same as illegally copied items. I think the bottom line is that an author should have a choice about having his work copied without authorization. I wanted my software packages: Umenu, VimOutliner, HTMLslides and several others to be copied far and wide, so I GPL'ed them. But my books are one of the ways I feed my family, and I don't see how the presense of an identical competitive Ebook with zero cost can possibly help the sales of my $14.95 Ebook. SteveT Steve Litt Recession Relief Package http://www.recession-relief.US
