Josh Smith Online

Tobias Buckell, author of Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin had an interesting post today about the similarities between the current ebook environment and the music industry as well as what e-rights mean to many authors. If you have been reading imjosh.com for any length of time, you already know I am a huge proponent for ebooks and outspoken on how they should be used. It pains me to pass on books because I cannot find them in an affordable ebook format, especially when they come recommended on BoingBoing or other great sites. For my purposes affordable would be at least $5-10 off hardcover price on day one of release with decreases over time just as paper books do. I think the marketplace in many digital arena’s fails to take the age of an item into account for pricing but that is an entirely different rant.

Tobais writes:

This weekend I was at a B&N and looked at the latest Sony book reading device. Overpriced, too large, and slow, I wouldn’t buy it. But the screen, this new digital paper, nailed it. It’s only a matter of several more iterations before they take that display quality, slap it on a smaller pocket-sized product, lower the price, and get something. I also view the iPhone as an already existing book reader (both for its connected properties and the sharp screen).

I’m also amused at the number of writers who use the exact same words as former record execs (such as needing to inspire ‘fear’ in people who attempt to consume books in a non-controlled manner, when it’s more the lack of providing them with what they want that leads to this behavior). The closest we have to an iTunes is Fictionwise.com. We have no version of Rhapsody.

I’m not, however, particularly worried about the book transition. It took 10 years to shake things up.

He Also explains why the e-rights and money from ebooks are an important piece of income for authors who are “mid-listers”and how he hopes to gain use of his future e-rights.

In a way the lack of ebooks has helped my financial situation.  If I could have grabbed an affordable copy of each of the interesting books I have seen reviewed at BoingBoing and other sites I would need to take on a second job.

Tobias Buckell on ebooks

Tags: authors | e-rights | ebooks | income | Tech | tobias buckell