Google Print - my take on why the publishers don't like it
Posted by Ian Holsman
I was having a discussion on IRC about google print, talking about how the publishers are crazy not allowing them to index all the content. People couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t be leaping at the chance of monetizing the long tail (in web2.0 speak).
but then it struck me..
- who would buy the books?
- who would hold them?
the answer to the first would be people who would have bought a new book instead, so the industry as a whole would not be better off, and might in fact be worse of, as the margin on ‘fresh’ books would be bigger, and scarcity is a good thing if you are a seller.
The answer to the second is no-one. it wouldn’t be economical to hold copies ‘just in case’. This would lead to some kind of ‘print on demand’ service or electronic purchase of it, resulting in lower value versions (but maybe higher margins)
Until the publisher has the infrastructure to print on demand, or demand for ebooks rise.. I just see a cannabilization of existing sales.
Or worse a monopoly of the electronic content owned by google (not the IP, just the asset itself) putting them in a very pretty bargaining position when it comes to splitting up the procceeds of a sale.