3 ms·

What this means is the little guy has a shot to have a big hit due to the massive distribution power of the kindle/nook/iBooks platforms. It's the same phenomen

What this means is the little guy has a shot to have a big hit due to the massive distribution power of the kindle/nook/iBooks platforms. It's the same phenomenon as app stores for software or blogging for news or iTunes for music. Major companies controlled major distribution. Now they don't. Of course an empire built around a competitive advantage that no longer exists is going to necessarily shrink. It would be folly to think otherwise.

raganwald 15y ago
It's true that the little guy has a shot at massive success without an intermediary like an agent, a publisher, and massive marketing. The flip side of this is that there will be more and more and more small, "vanity" books being sold in small quantities. Disintermediation is about the long tail. The little guy still has very little chance of scoring a major success, but lots of people will be able to write and make a few bucks for it. Being a part-time author is now a serious proposition.
- LarrySDonald 15y ago
  The narrative fits the US hopes and dreams very well, so well in fact that many believe it. I'm not saying people shouldn't be allowed to publish (and in fact they are) but this is a lot like the "I would be a rockstar if someone would just give me a break" story in music. Are we swimming in out-of-nowhere hits now that nearly everyone can buy everything you need to record/publish for less then a four-track recorder? No. The reason people aren't billboard no 1s/NYT bestsellers/directing the next Paramount isn't that the man is holding them down, it's that they suck at it. More cash won't change that much (an editor and a staff helps, but it's not a cure-all either). That said, sure, the concept of books is in serious need of help and e-readers including kindle do help some. I know several people who hadn't read a book since high school but suddenly got used to reading on kindle/nook/their laptop/phone and suddenly trade suggestions and (gasp) purchase actual books. This is a positive, seeing as getting them to sign up for a library card or even giving them (no strings) a physical book to read was usually met with suspicion.

raganwald 15y ago

It's true that the little guy has a shot at massive success without an intermediary like an agent, a publisher, and massive marketing. The flip side of this is that there will be more and more and more small, "vanity" books being sold in small quantities. Disintermediation is about the long tail. The little guy still has very little chance of scoring a major success, but lots of people will be able to write and make a few bucks for it. Being a part-time author is now a serious proposition.

LarrySDonald 15y ago
The narrative fits the US hopes and dreams very well, so well in fact that many believe it. I'm not saying people shouldn't be allowed to publish (and in fact they are) but this is a lot like the "I would be a rockstar if someone would just give me a break" story in music. Are we swimming in out-of-nowhere hits now that nearly everyone can buy everything you need to record/publish for less then a four-track recorder? No. The reason people aren't billboard no 1s/NYT bestsellers/directing the next Paramount isn't that the man is holding them down, it's that they suck at it. More cash won't change that much (an editor and a staff helps, but it's not a cure-all either). That said, sure, the concept of books is in serious need of help and e-readers including kindle do help some. I know several people who hadn't read a book since high school but suddenly got used to reading on kindle/nook/their laptop/phone and suddenly trade suggestions and (gasp) purchase actual books. This is a positive, seeing as getting them to sign up for a library card or even giving them (no strings) a physical book to read was usually met with suspicion.