Here’s a link to an excellent article at the Wall Street Journal that investigates the impact of the eBook Revolution on independent authors, publishers and the traditional publishing industry. The accessibility of digital publishing has allowed the vast army of independent authors to circumvent the traditional “member’s only” mindset and publish their work directly for consumption through various online publishing platforms. An action that is quickly leaving the traditional publishing world in the cold.
I get a kick out of a quote in the article where author and lecturer Seth Godin predicts a two-tier eBook market defined by titles that are “branded/highquality” and “cheap/good enough.” It’s nice to have the power to judge, but the gist of the article seems lost on Godin. The whole idea is digital publishing platforms can provide an even playing field that will invalidate old market controls of the kind he suggests. The readers will decide what they want to read in the way they always have. Sure there are market forces (tricks) like advertising, perceived scarcity and limited selection but one look at the crumbling publishing industry will show you how sustainable that approach was.
Readers, like always, will take the time to browse for titles that capture their imaginations. The primary difference now is they’ll have selection never experienced before linked to authors that might have been left to obscurity by the publishing juggernauts of old.
Readers will decide what is high-quality whether it bears a brand (and accompanying high cost) or not.
