Seth, in an email this time - Domino;
A New York City publisher probably needs $2000 a page to acquire, edit, typeset, print and distribute a book (making up a number from thin air). A self-published ebook author needs $1 a page.
That’s not a cost-efficiency. That’s a totally different industry. But the if the viewer/reader doesn’t treat the two products as fundamentally different, if reading or watching one is a replacement for the other, then a crisis is right around the corner.
Dis-intermediation is one thing. But the democratization of production? Making everything digital, and then making the tools free? That is the real "killer".
And no, it is not the "same" tools as used by the pros, but for a lot of things, good enough is more than enough. It doesn't need to have 80 footnotes for each chapter if that is hard to make, it can just have a free companion book of notes, sources and ideas for further reading.
Take the Flinch, by Julien Smith. Yes, literally take it. It is free. Written, proofed, edited and with a cover. Uploaded to Amazon, hosted and distributed by them as well. All for free. Because the ideas are what matters. Getting more people exposed to it means more people hcaniging their life and our world.
Sure it might also give a boost to the rest of the Domino back catalog, some more traction for the blog, and related sales for Amazon of Pressfield amongst others. But the main point is that putting out a book for free can be close to free.
And it goes for a lot of other media content as well. The variety of choice enabled by global instant distribution, combined with digital back catalogs? Stunning.
Case in point; audio content and yours truly.
(Caution; shameless self-links ahead - back in time)Once upon a time audio was music. And music was cd's (well a few records and a bunch of tapes, but it took off with the shiny disc).
As I grew older I picked up back catalog for artists I liked, one or five golden oldies, and new releases every now and then. Then I had a rather modest 150. That is one a week for three years.
Then I got online radio streaming - and so I could listen any time and "any where"(well, at uni anyway). Whole new world, less planned music, more new and unknown stuff.
Then I got the Zen Micro. And started making digital copies of those 150 cd's. And enjoying them all over again in new ways.
Then I got podcasts - and suddenly a whole new world of audio content on the go poured in. First a lot of "talk". The stories as Escapepod led to Podcastle and Pseudopod. And now music at work - Tiesto, Gareth Emery, Sebastien B keeps me in the zone when coding or doing number crunching.
So from simply music, today there are four audio content sets competing for my time;
- 150+ albums in iTunes
- DAB and streaming Pinnell radio
- Music podcasts at work
- Assorted podcasts on the go
Most of them at little or no cost to me beyond already sunk cost such as the radio, the internet connection and the iPhone.
And then there is Spotify and Wimp...
- ...and the sun is back - again - mixed day today, but bright summer nights keeps the sun on past 21:00 ...
