News Libraries should only lend ebooks '26 times'

Books are replaced on average after 26 loans, claims HarperCollins.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2011/03/07/libraries-can-only-lend-ebooks-26-times/1

 

I think to keep revenue up a compromise of 60 loans should be set. its a fair number and will keep the bozo's in business longer (even though their field will change in the next 10-20 years)

 

The sooner publisher go under the better. They stifle creativity and prevent some genuine talent from being published...

On the flip-side, they do prevent far more rubbish from being published.

 

Given it would cost effectively nothing to 'replace' an ebook (and no printing or distribution costs in the first place), I have to wonder why they feel they're entitled to the same revenue.

 

how do you loan an ebook?

is it down to the customer to delete it when the time runs out or something? what's to stop them from keeping it?

 

Don't most libraries sell their old books when they are no longer good enough quality to loan? I know mine did. If so will they be allowed to sell ebooks after their limited number of loans?

 

Fair point, If you want publishers to keep going then they've gotta get their moolah from somewhere... it's more likely to go down the route of a library renting the books from the publisher in the end.

 

Let the publishers die, and create something like an Appstore, just for books. Where everyone could submit. It would be awesome.

 

This.

 

So begins the death rattle of the publishing industry....

Thought they would have seen it coming years ago, and now we have ridiculous suggestions like this one coming from an industry in panic.
How about we all just pay Josh Marwell sales president of HarperCollins to flick off.

 

I'll let you trawl through the absolute dross that will be submitted so you can recommend to the rest of us the 1 or 2 out of every 1000 that are worth reading.

 

Which would then lead to you having to sift through the crap to get to anything half decent apart from the 'most popular' section, just like the Appstore... Sounds like great fun.

 

Amazon already have a self-publishing system for their Kindle Store. The problem with removing publishers is that they provide other services such as promotion and more importantly proof-reading and editing.

 

Absolute nonsense. Before my local library went through 'refurbishment' and tossed out every book they had that was older than about 1990 (or it seemed like it) they had a number of books published in the 40's, 50's and 60's... all yellowed with age, but all still perfectly readable, with spines in good condition and no pages missing. I have no idea how many times they were released on loan, but I would suspect that it was far more than just 26 times, given the fact that the loanstamp insert gets replaced when it's full, and can easily have upwards of 40 datestamps on it if they're put on neatly.

This smells of horseapples because they're frightened that digital copies means that they'll be obsolete.

 

I shall publish a book stating the earth is flat, women cannot drive, men with a monobrow are werewolves, and all african americans have rhythm. As it is published, so shall it be true...

;o)

 

Unfortunately the 'App store for books' would be drenched in fan fiction, probably 18-rated, in about 30 seconds Publishers do a reasonable job of ensuring mostly only good stuff gets to market - it's a system that seems to work. Most of the people who use libraries are of an older generation than us, less comfortable with the internet; making them trawl through 'Hermione Granger and the Centaurs' filth is a little harsh

 

lol

 

Lol, nice idea but even the very best writers need others to read over it and say what should be kept/discarded and/or changed.

Everybody thinks they could be a writer but what they think is fantastic is often dross. I don't fancy ploughing my way through a myriad of crap TBH.

If there was a direct route for all authors then there would be far more competiion and so the need for advertising would increase dramatically, this is what a lot of the publishers costs go on and is no different for an ebook or a regular book.

 

I'm surprised you can 'lend' e-books at all.

Although i don't use them to I wouldn't know.

 

this is exactly how beatport is now, anyone can sell their music and the net result is 99.99% of new music is very very poor and sounds the same.