tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post3444979995537251061..comments2024-02-09T12:12:37.636-08:00Comments on best minimum wage job a middle aged guy ever had: My own little stimulus package.Duncan McGearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857388833850939721noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-59926453976424682092010-07-21T12:01:49.830-07:002010-07-21T12:01:49.830-07:00Its not the first time.
Really though what Baen f...Its not the first time.<br /><br />Really though what Baen found out was that creating their free library it kicked up sales of both the electronic and paper versions.<br /><br />Since most money is made on books within a relatively short time of printing and release they have found that by making backlist books free they allow more people to experience an author and increase the market for the authors new releases.RDChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13033979029490801023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-46854642945551425162010-07-21T11:29:53.184-07:002010-07-21T11:29:53.184-07:00Do you know how much I didn't want to post tha...Do you know how much I didn't want to post that, RDC?Duncan McGearyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02857388833850939721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-60050328226757518172010-07-21T11:24:06.880-07:002010-07-21T11:24:06.880-07:00In my case I switched to e-books a couple of year...In my case I switched to e-books a couple of years ago. Baen Books started putting all of their books into that format and I was reading books by several of their authors (Weber, Drake, etc.). Today I seldom buy a physical book. They are just too inconvenient to deal with. I carry a library of about 500 books on my cell phone (Motorola Droid, used to do the same on my older Palm Treo). Anytime I have a few minutes to read I can pop into the app and pick up where I last left off. If I run out of books to read, not likely, I can go and buy and download new ones. When I used to do a lot of business travel I would have to carry 7 or 8 books for a 3 or four day trip. I would read one between San Diego and Dallas, another between Dallas and DC, etc.<br /><br />I do not see me ever going back to buying large numbers of paper books and I am getting rid of my physical books when I can get electronic versions (i reread books frequently).<br /><br />If you want to try it and you like science fiction, Baen books has a free library with some books from pretty much all of their authors. Usually the first book in a series for example. They support several different e-book formats (I have FBreader for epub format, Borders book reader, and Wordplayer (also epub) on my Droid. There is a Kindle version for Droid but while I have loaded it, I do not care for Amazon's business practices and how they restrict your own ability to manage your library. Too much like Apple.RDChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13033979029490801023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-54340206992568416452010-07-21T11:00:36.875-07:002010-07-21T11:00:36.875-07:00I don't worry that people will stop reading pa...I don't worry that people will stop reading paper books, or that paper books will stop selling.<br /><br />I worry that a 10% or 20% drop might be enough to put such severe stress on the industry that it the whole thing will fall apart.<br /><br />I'm assuming that the transition, while painful, will be JUST slow enough for everyone to make adjustments, even if they aren't all happy about the adjustments.<br /><br />And the irony is, most significant towns will probably have at least one independent bookstore, done as much for the love as for the money, when B & N's and Borders are long gone....Duncan McGearyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02857388833850939721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-32438687347029974412010-07-21T10:45:34.766-07:002010-07-21T10:45:34.766-07:00"the transition from physical books is still ..."the transition from physical books is still early..."<br /><br />I can understand why printed newspapers may go by the wayside (I read all my news on computer), but I have a harder time imagining a day with no paper books. They're pretty cheap to produce, and a lot of people actually like to collect them (myself included).<br /><br />Do e-books really have that much of a cost advantage? Or a convenience advantage?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-19595134627751321582010-07-21T10:23:10.434-07:002010-07-21T10:23:10.434-07:00At this point in my career, ten years is a pretty ...At this point in my career, ten years is a pretty long window.<br /><br />I'm trying to stay aware of the dangers of e-books. I've had the example of anime and manga, where the transition to pirating took less than a couple years....<br /><br />But I think I'll be able to sell select books for a long time to come, and, because I'm diversified, I can constantly adapt to the flow of actual business.<br /><br />The only real danger is that EVERY category of product I carry drops -- and even then, I can look to add another product line.<br /><br />Books and games are relatively new products for me -- and they are approaching 40% of SALES!!!<br /><br />Thank god I added them, even though they were an extra expense at the time.Duncan McGearyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02857388833850939721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-77246990188411516992010-07-21T10:15:42.325-07:002010-07-21T10:15:42.325-07:00Keep in mind that you are a niche store, the trans...Keep in mind that you are a niche store, the transition from physical books is still early. As the conversion takes place they will move more and more into a niche market. Consequently, books as a category should serve you will for many years, as long as you keep that niche focus. On the other hand you will increasingly see main stream retail outlets dropping their emphasis on physical books and see major issues with the big box stores that are dependent upon physical book sales. 10 years from now you will probably not see a Borders or Barnes and Noble type store, just as you nolonger really see music stores focused on CD's and you see the demise of video rental companies.RDChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13033979029490801023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-3516105513342881152010-07-21T10:15:14.630-07:002010-07-21T10:15:14.630-07:00I should say, it's been the being careful up t...I should say, it's been the being careful up to now, and responding quickly to the two downturns, that has given me the wherewithal to make these orders.<br /><br />It's time to give it a little acceleration, so it doesn't stall on the next hill.Duncan McGearyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02857388833850939721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-7100302671489297012010-07-21T10:03:54.801-07:002010-07-21T10:03:54.801-07:00"...but it seems like you're the only bus..."...but it seems like you're the only business doing it."<br /><br />That's more like a reassurance....<br /><br />I'm more comfortable following my instincts when it's against the grain, than following everyone else when it's against my own instincts.Duncan McGearyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02857388833850939721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-529575095156315075.post-15063793558913220502010-07-21T10:00:21.870-07:002010-07-21T10:00:21.870-07:00Good to see that you're going against the grai...Good to see that you're going against the grain and investing for the future. Not to make you nervous, but it seems like you're the only business doing it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com