E-BOOKS

Perlina Lau is doing a Batchelor of Communications degree at AUT
The following is one of her papers for her Year 2 Journalism Assessment which she has kindly allowed  to be reproduced here.



                         
 

E- BOOKS

New Zealand publishers eagerly await the arrival of electronic books, and although positive effects are apparent, pricing issues remain a challenge.
Using e-readers like the recently released Apple ipad, consumers can purchase books online and store them in their devices, which weigh less than a paperback.

Graham Beattie, a former editor and publisher says: “I have been in the industry for 43 years and this is the most interesting and challenging thing yet.”
Beattie, who now judges, reviews and blogs about books, says e-books are good for those who prefer technology to reading.
“It’s in a format that appeals to them.”

Martin Taylor, managing director of Addenda Publishing, says there is “great enthusiasm among publishers”.
“This digital way will make books more accessible, they will be read often and you’ll never be without a book.”

Nevena Nikolic, book buyer of the independent store Time Out, says digital books are inevitable and she is “ready to jump on the bandwagon”.                   
“We’re excited about e-books, we’re not afraid of technology.”

However, the arrival of the e-book is not without its concerns and pricing the e-books is an important issue.
Hardbacks have an average price of $40, contrasting with e-books which cost $9.99, in the USA.

“There is a notion that things on the internet should be free, so authors and publishers need to be careful they are not going to be demolished,” says Beattie.

“They are really going to have to control the price difference, if the gap is too big, it could help drive our customers away,” says Nikolic.

Taylor, who is also principal of Digital Strategies, says the agency model, where everyone has the same pricing, would allow independent books stores to continue to sell paper books.
“Otherwise large companies could sell for next to nothing, and still gain a profit.”

Taylor says operating on a rental system and having different prices, much like a video store, is also an option.
“The idea of a fixed retail price is disappearing.”

When asked about the fears of losing the paperback, Taylor says that there are emotional attachments to paper books, but this desire to hang on is “hope rather than reality”.
“Once you get into digital, you don’t go back.”

Sources

Graham Beattie
www.beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com
Former managing director and publisher of Penguin Books, Scholastic NZ and former books and poetry editor of Citymix Magazine. Graham now reviews, judges and blogs about books.

Martin Taylor
Managing director of Addenda Publishing and has special interest in technology, internet and business media. Principal of Digital Strategies and forum director of the Digital Publishing Forum - www.digitalpublishing.org.nz
Board member of BPANZ, former President of the Magazine Publishers Association of NZ and former managing director of IDG Communications. Launched one of the first daily internet news services in NZ in 1996.

Nevena Nikolic
Book buyer for the independent bookstore in Mt Eden - Time Out
www.timeout.co.nz