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> but consider how much less it costs, per-viewer, to distribute a paragraph on the web versus printed on paper. From my understanding of publishing, most of t
by m52go 11y ago
> but consider how much less it costs, per-viewer, to distribute a paragraph on the web versus printed on paper.
From my understanding of publishing, most of the cost is in creation, editing, design, and marketing...not in actually printing it.
It's common to assume that electronic versions of paper media should be cheap (if not free) but that's very mistaken.
- Terr_ 11y agoTrue, but even some of those aspects are lessened, ex: 1. It makes sense to invest a lot to minimize defects (e.g. typos) before printing, but digitally it's much easier to issue a revision. 2. Marketing is less-critical for reaching "already interested" consumers, due to search-engines and the ease of passing links around. 3. Marketing is less-critical for pushing copies into "nearby retailers", because consumers can reach your presence directly.
- m52go 11y agoI see what you're saying with your first point, but does that mean it's more acceptable for people to put out less-polished professional work now that it's easier to go back and correct it? I hope not. Regarding points two and three, very few authors have an adequate following of "already-interested" customers. Sharing is easier with digital networks and social networks, sure, but the siloed nature of these media is a new challenge for authors/publishers. There's a big struggle right now within publishing to figure out discovery.