Self-fulfilling E-piracy
Stephen wrote:
"Look at J. K. Rowling. She could have sold thousands, maybe millions of e-copies of the latest Potter, not to mention the earlier volumes, but she's so worried that someone will steal them that she refuses, thus guaranteeing the result she fears."
J. K. Rowling and her publisher refused to release an electronic edition of Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, claiming that it would be illegally copied and shared as soon as the first legal electronic copy was purchased. Despite this ... I'll be polite and call it "caution" ... electronic copies began appearing immediately after the book's European release -- some a chapter at a time, as the buyer read the book and scanned it to upload. The first half-dozen or so chapters were available online before the book's release in the US.
Does anyone honestly think internet publicity harmed this book's sales figures? Yeesh! Those who download an illegal copy tend to fall into certain categories: those who are checking out the book to see if it's worth buying (After the gaping plot holes in the last book, I can easily see where some would want reassurance that they wouldn't be getting another turkey); those who wouldn't buy the book anyway because they haven't the money; those who wouldn't buy a legal e-book anyway because they object to the asinine DRM/time limits/other limits that infest the vast majority of e-book releases; and those who wouldn't buy the book anyway because they're just too, too "l337" and only an illegal scan will satisfy their over-inflated egos.
Meanwhile, those who would eagerly buy an electronic edition have been left in the cold ... except for those illegal (usually error-riddled, sometimes malware-infected) scans. Talk about leaving money on the table! Failing to satisfy the demands of a market niche means that someone else will satisfy it.
Electronic editions -- when done right -- have the potential to increase sales of the hardcopy edition. Some readers will get both for convenience: one to read on a device when away from home, and one to stick on the bookshelf, loan to friends, hand to a child, or whatever. Some flat-out prefer an electronic edition for any number of reasons.
Too bad Rowling didn't give more thought to her own words:
Richard wrote:
"This is especially ironic when considered in conjunction with the emphasis she places on the idea that the prophecy only has power because Voldemort gave it power. Voldemort feared the boy the prophecy foretold, and in attempting to get rid of him, created him. JKR feared piracy of her works on the internet . . . . ."
"Look at J. K. Rowling. She could have sold thousands, maybe millions of e-copies of the latest Potter, not to mention the earlier volumes, but she's so worried that someone will steal them that she refuses, thus guaranteeing the result she fears."
J. K. Rowling and her publisher refused to release an electronic edition of Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, claiming that it would be illegally copied and shared as soon as the first legal electronic copy was purchased. Despite this ... I'll be polite and call it "caution" ... electronic copies began appearing immediately after the book's European release -- some a chapter at a time, as the buyer read the book and scanned it to upload. The first half-dozen or so chapters were available online before the book's release in the US.
Does anyone honestly think internet publicity harmed this book's sales figures? Yeesh! Those who download an illegal copy tend to fall into certain categories: those who are checking out the book to see if it's worth buying (After the gaping plot holes in the last book, I can easily see where some would want reassurance that they wouldn't be getting another turkey); those who wouldn't buy the book anyway because they haven't the money; those who wouldn't buy a legal e-book anyway because they object to the asinine DRM/time limits/other limits that infest the vast majority of e-book releases; and those who wouldn't buy the book anyway because they're just too, too "l337" and only an illegal scan will satisfy their over-inflated egos.
Meanwhile, those who would eagerly buy an electronic edition have been left in the cold ... except for those illegal (usually error-riddled, sometimes malware-infected) scans. Talk about leaving money on the table! Failing to satisfy the demands of a market niche means that someone else will satisfy it.
Electronic editions -- when done right -- have the potential to increase sales of the hardcopy edition. Some readers will get both for convenience: one to read on a device when away from home, and one to stick on the bookshelf, loan to friends, hand to a child, or whatever. Some flat-out prefer an electronic edition for any number of reasons.
Too bad Rowling didn't give more thought to her own words:
Richard wrote:
"This is especially ironic when considered in conjunction with the emphasis she places on the idea that the prophecy only has power because Voldemort gave it power. Voldemort feared the boy the prophecy foretold, and in attempting to get rid of him, created him. JKR feared piracy of her works on the internet . . . . ."
posted by Silverdrake at 16:42
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