Comments on: Filesharing Literacy @ Your Library

By: Steele

Steele — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:54:05 +0000

Baen Books, a sci-fi and fantasy publisher, has been making money hand over fist since they started making significant portions of their catalog available as ebooks–without any DRM at all. Many of them are free; others can be purchased online, and still others are available on CD-ROMs included with the hardcover editions (with readers encouraged to copy and share the CD-ROMs). The exposure does them good. I read many of their books for free (when free was my budget); I’ve bought many in paper and electronic formats in the decade since I first found them.

By: elena.schneider

elena.schneider — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:41:35 +0000

wooo hooo AL girlfriend, let’s do some Filesharing Literacy programs together!!!

By: Fat and Grumpy

Fat and Grumpy — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:04:54 +0000

Yes, let us embrace legal torrents and free e-books. Let us become the grassroots network supporting new or little known authors. Let us educate and promote literacy of every sort in our communities. Let us be active.

By: rollingeyeslibrarian

rollingeyeslibrarian — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:06:34 +0000

I was fairly sure when I wrote this there were some exceptions. I know that the publishing medium is easier than ever but I also believe there are many more authors out there than fewer who don’t know how to market effectively no matter the technology or medium. In any event, Will is right. All these changes are now evolving very quickly and my view is that, given how quick the change is occurring, we are going to be excluded as any kind of middle medium unless we take acute measures. I do believe you are correct about the long run, that young authors will change both the content and the distribution path of the market since they have successfully merged the their creative and technological mind as children but it may well not occur before we have been totally removed from consideration. Generally speaking about all of this of course, the sad part is that going straight to the public drives the price down on their work unless they already have a formidable reputation. It will take a long time for the general person to find any path to good reading. Even if how we acquire our New York Times Bestseller List is mostly distribution driven, it is what people know. While evening the playing field of authorship, this paradigm is still going to devalue most new author’s work until a truly substantial medium occurs to share reading. Most of the RA Blogs we seek out ourselves to read selectively are secondary content suggested by a distribution/publshing base. Your point is well taken and I should have said so but I just believe its going to take a long time to create all these substantial connections grand-scale. I am insulted even as people are attempting to complement me frequently by telling me I should have been a teacher. Not that I’m ashamed of the teaching profession of course as both parents were teachers. I cherish my librarian identity but already see the writing on the wall. Now instead of becoming the book warehouses that economics is forcing, we can instead become public education utilities and solely exist to help on the internet and teach computers all day.

By: cjlarsen

cjlarsen — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 03:43:36 +0000

Will,

The authors are already starting to publish their own ebooks – at least a few of the science fiction and fantasy authors are.

C.J. Cherryh, Lynn Abby and Jane Fancher have banded together to create the http://www.closed-circle.net website where they sell, as e-books, their own backlisted books (for which they have recovered the rights from the publishers). Their About page provides interesting insight into the authors’ take on the issue and also on why they have rewritten some of these books to take advantage of both writer maturity and the e-book format to further develop the ideas. I love the idea of buying a book and having the money actually go to the author.

Cory Doctorow has a site where he has posted Little Brother for free download under a creative commons license. Little Brother won the YALSA BBYA and YALSA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (among others) in 2009 – now, it’s a free e-book. Read what Cory has to say about why, at http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

I’m sure there are other authors who are directly selling or giving away their backlisted books as e-books. I just stumbled onto these. Times are already changing.

By: rollingeyeslibrarian

rollingeyeslibrarian — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 02:55:25 +0000

I like the bluntness AL, because “going down together” is what we are likely going to do precisely because we lack 1), the ability to agree on how best to respond to this and/or most things and 2) the ability to actively manage our own future together. We have always been able to find a niche’ (after the fallout), based on what we consider (with possible hubris) our own foresight to see all possible outcomes, but, without any an active plan, I think you are right. We are on our way down. I would not count on a unionization of standards where authors, known for all but their practical sensibilities, will be moving toward eliminating the middle man. The sad truth is most authors desperately need their publishers in countless respects I am sorry to say. I have yet to meet a remotely business-minded author myself. We are not in public service because the dollar is our most significant source of concern. And so is the case with authors. They want to be paid well and respected and extra income certainly doesn’t hurt. Finding the best path in the world of marketing,technological mediums and so forth creates no forward direction for all the new evolving talent we are seeing. When bibliographical content distributors deal per author collectively, I believe pigs will fly. There is simply too much for authors to learn independently without some middle source to intervene.

By: the.effing.librarian

the.effing.librarian — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:25:09 +0000

I hope “Publishers in Peril” has a sexy cover.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:23:41 +0000

I couldn’t agree more with will. The entire mainstream publishing industry is a ridiculous house of cards that’s limping along on the backs of a few bestsellers. When they realize how much money they’re losing because they’re not taking advantage of the direct market that’s been developing in recent years it’s going to be a major and bloody change.

By: Randal Powell

Randal Powell — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:19:54 +0000

I kind of like your plan AL – fire vs. fire. It’s good to see some out-of-the-box thinking regarding important library issues in these turbulent times.

Even if your suggestion is in jest, however, there is no reason not to teach people how to use file sharing software. As you point out, file sharing – like most tools – can be used for both good and evil. Let’s just help people be as knowledgeable and capable as possible.

By: Annoyed Librarian

Annoyed Librarian — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:50:36 +0000

Publishers in peril is the subject of my next post.