Re: ebook acquisition collectives

[Joseph Esposito <espositoj@gmail.com>]

Concerning a coalition for open books, I posted to this list
several years ago a proposal for a consortium for research
material; it was called "almost open access."  That post was
expanded and can be found here:

http://j.mp/9EfiKf

Joe Esposito

On Thu, Aug 12, 2010 at 10:21 PM, Eric Hellman <eric@hellman.net> wrote:

> The notes from Sandy, Joe and Todd were outstanding examples of
> the excellence of this list. Thanks!
>
> First, I should point everyone to the talk given by Frances
> Pinter at Tools of Change in February:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3ca42Io0f8&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=C1BD412D581098AF
>
> She proposed the formation of an "International Library
> Coalition for Open Books" which is pretty close to what I was
> thinking of. I'm told she is presenting at Charleston this
> November; Katina was listening, Sandy! I'm a pretty strong
> believer in markets. I imagine a library collective as creating
> a more efficient market for assets which are current deployed
> awkwardly. Publishers would be free to offer any property at
> any price so long as it offered appropriately open ebook
> access. The library collective would weigh the price and
> quality of each asset before deciding, using automated systems,
> which ones to collectively acquire. Building internet-based
> electronic markets is a technology that is reasonably well
> understood; librarians are familiar with automated purchasing
> systems and even with collaborative selection. To address one
> of Sandy's points, I don't think it too hard to put an
> expiration date on an publisher's offer- we've all heard of
> eBay.
>
> I appreciate the clarity which which Joe presented the
> book-as-asset viewpoint. I'm surprised that he thinks
> publishers would be so unbusinesslike about their assets,
> though. I would have thought most publishers are more
> interested in the production and launch of books than in
> servicing them. From a business point of view, books are like
> the loans made by banks. You put out money up front, and then
> let the cash flow in over many years.
>
> The banking industry is far advanced from that. The banks that
> originate the loans don't service them any more, they sell off
> the loans so they can make new loans. And, no that's not what
> led to the banking crisis. Publishers of all stripes should
> likewise be willing to cash in their book assets and use the
> proceeds to produce new ones.
>
> Todd, your point that non-profit publishers have costs, not
> prices, is true when averaged over catalogs. but even
> non-profit publishers have winners and losers that cost about
> the same to produce. Winners subsidize the losers. You wouldn't
> sell your winners at the same aggregate price you'd sell your
> losers.
>
> Sandy's comments about managing print inventory brings up an
> issue that never occurred to me, as I've not been in the book
> business. There are a couple of answers. First of all, smaller
> print runs and more POD minimize the risk of printing too many
> books. This is happening anyway. Second, I assume that
> publishers can build in print risk to the price they ask for.
> If it's really only 25% of first copy cost, well that's only
> 25%. I imagine a heterogeneous channel. Tthe typical
> library-acquired OA title might have had a toll access run of a
> year or so; the publisher could capture the most eager
> purchasers using DRM'd delivery systems. Most libraries would
> wait for the discounted OA acquisition, thus creating a market
> segmentation similar to hardcover/paperback. Some publishers
> might try to sell books even before issue; it could work. Some
> books won't get bought at any price, let alone the cost to
> produce them; others would probably be bought even at an
> obscene profit margin. Some things won't change.
>
> Most libraries want to treat anyone who walks in the door as a
> patron. That gets sticky when you consider ebooks. It means DRM
> and access controls, which means a certain amount of hassle.
> One beautiful aspect of the open access ebook is that you don't
> need to invest in a delivery system. the OA books just
> piggyback on the delivery systems built for paid ebooks. The
> DRM incompatibilities between iPad, Kindle, Nook, Sony, Google
> etc just melt away. Certainly there will be content for which
> institutional access will be advantageous; but I can't believe
> this is true for all content.
>
> Eric Hellman
> President, Gluejar, Inc.
> eric@hellman.net
> http://go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/
> @gluejar