4 ms·
Apparently the general idea is that because publishers and retailers compete less on price, the price for bestsellers can stay high, the income of which is supp
by warp 14y ago
Apparently the general idea is that because publishers and retailers compete less on price, the price for bestsellers can stay high, the income of which is supposed to be used by publishers to fund the publishing of less profitable books.
So, the goal of the fixed price is to ensure a variety and diversity of published books which do not all necessarily have to be profitable.
Personally I think the system is completely insane, and that we shouldn't treat books different from other cultural works (music, video games, movies, etc..).
EDIT: The Netherlands also has a fixed-price for books system, and that is what I was talking about above. Presumably the goal in France is similar, but I am not familiar with their implementation of this idea.
- jlgreco 14y agoSeems like a better system might involve placing large taxes on books (or ideally, all forms of media. Don't want to drive people away from books..), the proceeds of which would go towards a patronage system that would support French artists. Trying to drive up profits of publishing corporations to enact the change you want to see seems oddly... American.
- Iv 14y agoIt used to be sensible, when having a profusion of publishers was the only way to guarantee the plurality of opinions. Nowadays however, with internet, this necessity disapeared. And just like un music and movies, people who benefit from the statu quo refuse to acknowledge that...