October 5th, 2009 / 10:58 pm
Snippets
Snippets
Ken Baumann—
Unfortunately, making physically nice books will only be a niche within a niche. Publishers are more likely to resort to expedients like selling autographed copies, or editions with the buyer’s picture on the cover.
Thoughts?
for some reason, after reading that article i got a mental picture of me reading my favorite author’s new book, and having to flip past ads for tampons and ambien every chapter…
for some reason, after reading that article i got a mental picture of me reading my favorite author’s new book, and having to flip past ads for tampons and ambien every chapter…
ken, this is a really good article. i enjoyed it a lot.
i don’t really see it applying to books at all. but the other shit i think is dead on.
books are the one exception to what he was saying. they are selling content and always have been.
the issue with books is why bother when you have all those other distractions.
it comes down to a matter of effort, commitment, etc. which is something that seems to be waning with each generation.
fuck tits we are screwed
ken, this is a really good article. i enjoyed it a lot.
i don’t really see it applying to books at all. but the other shit i think is dead on.
books are the one exception to what he was saying. they are selling content and always have been.
the issue with books is why bother when you have all those other distractions.
it comes down to a matter of effort, commitment, etc. which is something that seems to be waning with each generation.
fuck tits we are screwed
I have a lot of thoughts about this. I think people jump to conclusions a lot about this new media stuff, but I suppose that goes for me too. One thing I think separates books from other media is that people care about books as objects in a way that they don’t about CDs or VHSs. A few weirdos might have proudly displayed their CD tower, but most people tossed the cases somewhere and shoved the CDs in a big booklet. Nothing is lost moving up to MP3s, while you do lose having that nice bookshelf as well as a lot of functionality moving to digital books (you gain some functionality too of course, but you lose some while you don’t lose anything going from CDs or tapes to mp3s).
I actually feel the opposite may be true, that instead of selling crappier books, people will sell nicer books. This is the McSweeney’s model. Make it nice and people will pay for it, play up the objectness of the book.
I definitly do not agree with his feelings that this is all well and good though. If models for making money on art in the digital age aren’t found, the results won’t be good. I think there has already been irreparable harm to newspapers/journalism over recent years and there seems to be no signs of the trends reversing. Literature may not be hit as hard since most people don’t expect any real money to begin with, but having literature retreat even further into academia (as a funding source) doesn’t sound terribly healthy.
I have a lot of thoughts about this. I think people jump to conclusions a lot about this new media stuff, but I suppose that goes for me too. One thing I think separates books from other media is that people care about books as objects in a way that they don’t about CDs or VHSs. A few weirdos might have proudly displayed their CD tower, but most people tossed the cases somewhere and shoved the CDs in a big booklet. Nothing is lost moving up to MP3s, while you do lose having that nice bookshelf as well as a lot of functionality moving to digital books (you gain some functionality too of course, but you lose some while you don’t lose anything going from CDs or tapes to mp3s).
I actually feel the opposite may be true, that instead of selling crappier books, people will sell nicer books. This is the McSweeney’s model. Make it nice and people will pay for it, play up the objectness of the book.
I definitly do not agree with his feelings that this is all well and good though. If models for making money on art in the digital age aren’t found, the results won’t be good. I think there has already been irreparable harm to newspapers/journalism over recent years and there seems to be no signs of the trends reversing. Literature may not be hit as hard since most people don’t expect any real money to begin with, but having literature retreat even further into academia (as a funding source) doesn’t sound terribly healthy.
Also, while I think his comments about whether publishers have truly been selling content are very interesting and on some level accurate, he seems to overstate the case to me. It is not really accurate to say that the price has been determined solely by manufacturing differences and not content differences.
No, an awesome new novel isn’t more expensive than a crappy new novel if they are from the same house, but books with new content frequently costs more than old content (think public domain books). CD singles cost way less than full length CDs, even though on a manufacturing level they should be pretty much the same. Poetry books have always cost way more on a page per page basis, and that seems like clearly a content decision not a format one. I’m sure there are plenty of other examples.
Also, while I think his comments about whether publishers have truly been selling content are very interesting and on some level accurate, he seems to overstate the case to me. It is not really accurate to say that the price has been determined solely by manufacturing differences and not content differences.
No, an awesome new novel isn’t more expensive than a crappy new novel if they are from the same house, but books with new content frequently costs more than old content (think public domain books). CD singles cost way less than full length CDs, even though on a manufacturing level they should be pretty much the same. Poetry books have always cost way more on a page per page basis, and that seems like clearly a content decision not a format one. I’m sure there are plenty of other examples.
Books are *always* selling content? I’m not so sure. Most bookstores do their best business at Christmas time. They’re selling a *gift*, not content. From when I’ve worked in them at the holidays, it’s people buying something that they think will be a good present.
“Ooh, that Gordon Ramsay book looks nice. I bet Linda will love that.”
This of course isn’t everything. But there’s a significant part of the book market that it just about this need to give something physical, the idea of the book, rather than the actual reality of reading and using it.
I feel a bit dirty now.
Books are *always* selling content? I’m not so sure. Most bookstores do their best business at Christmas time. They’re selling a *gift*, not content. From when I’ve worked in them at the holidays, it’s people buying something that they think will be a good present.
“Ooh, that Gordon Ramsay book looks nice. I bet Linda will love that.”
This of course isn’t everything. But there’s a significant part of the book market that it just about this need to give something physical, the idea of the book, rather than the actual reality of reading and using it.
I feel a bit dirty now.
Some weird synchronicities:
I am sitting in a guy’s office that I don’t know to see if any of my undergrad. students come and see me. This is the first time I have been in this office. There is a picture of one of Adrian Tomine’s New Yorker covers on the wall.
It is the one that has a short story in nine panels about the biography of a book by a young author. We see it written, submitted, accepted, printed, bought, read, discarded, reused, and burnt.
It seems appropriate for this discussion.
I wanted to find an image of this cover to post here.
Google Images led me to Jimmy’s post on here: http://htmlgiant.com/?p=10278
This is neat.
Some weird synchronicities:
I am sitting in a guy’s office that I don’t know to see if any of my undergrad. students come and see me. This is the first time I have been in this office. There is a picture of one of Adrian Tomine’s New Yorker covers on the wall.
It is the one that has a short story in nine panels about the biography of a book by a young author. We see it written, submitted, accepted, printed, bought, read, discarded, reused, and burnt.
It seems appropriate for this discussion.
I wanted to find an image of this cover to post here.
Google Images led me to Jimmy’s post on here: http://htmlgiant.com/?p=10278
This is neat.
you are talking about the obligatory nature of christmas. this has nothing specifically to do with books but consuermism as a whole.
but i get what you are saying.
“people” lol
you are talking about the obligatory nature of christmas. this has nothing specifically to do with books but consuermism as a whole.
but i get what you are saying.
“people” lol
I have an idea! When the world blows up for whatever various reason and the information society infrastructure collapses and we are all practically living (or whoever is left) in the Dark Ages…
…Books are gonna be the shit! And that is why we should all prepare ourselves by learning how to make paper, print, bind, and read for long periods of time by candle light.
I am so ready!
I have an idea! When the world blows up for whatever various reason and the information society infrastructure collapses and we are all practically living (or whoever is left) in the Dark Ages…
…Books are gonna be the shit! And that is why we should all prepare ourselves by learning how to make paper, print, bind, and read for long periods of time by candle light.
I am so ready!
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