RE: Weasels? (was RE: [dvd-discuss] CTEA Protects What Copyrights?)

["Richard Hartman" <hartman(at)onetouch.com>]

According to what little I've seen reported, they actually
have more margin on the ebooks than the dead tree versions,
or at least the _author_ does.  Dunno 'bout the publisher.


-- 
-Richard M. Hartman
hartman@onetouch.com

186,000 mi/sec: not just a good idea, it's the LAW!



> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Zulauf [mailto:johnzu@ia.nsc.com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 2:59 PM
> To: dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu
> Subject: Re: Weasels? (was RE: [dvd-discuss] CTEA Protects What
> Copyrights?)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Richard Hartman wrote:
> > 
> > I'm confused.  WeaselReader seems to be
> > a new name for GutenPalm ... am I right?
> 
> yup.
> 
> > 
> > It's probably all right for monolithic
> > texts such as the ones from Gutenberg,
> > but since the Baen books have HTML I
> > prefer to keep the TOC with links.  iSilo
> > does a good job.
> 
> The ones that came with "War of Honor" (which I haven't read 
> yet, as I'm
> only on book 3) came in several formats including 
> "MobiPocket" which has
> the TOC.  The MobiPocket Reader basic was a free download 
> (and has a PC
> version), so I went with that.
> 
> > obDMCA: Baen is strongly anti-encrypted etext.
> 
> I appreciate this greatly.  Certainly I'm going to Amazon a 
> copy of "On
> Basilisk Station" to my mother (a fellow bookworm). Baen's contention
> that free works create sales is certainly true in my case.  
> However, as
> the PC/PDA capable populace grows (and better devices arise) I'm not
> sure Baen's vision is sustainable.  Eventually the bulk of the market
> goes any from dead tree books.  The webscriptions model at Baen is too
> pricey (IMHO) to attract much business.  
> 
> It's an interesting challenge and Baen is certainly trying to "get it"
> but I'm not sure "it" is going to work without a dramatic decrease in
> average revenue per title.  Without the dead trees and money going to
> the channel (wholesale/retail margins), maybe they (Baen) break-even
> (assuming the "newspaper box" effect protects them from massive
> infringing copying).  Today, it works. Tomorrow, I dunno.
> 
>