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The same principles apply here as they do to piracy (which is essentially what Google is doing)... If the book is any good people will buy it regardless. I have

The same principles apply here as they do to piracy (which is essentially what Google is doing)... If the book is any good people will buy it regardless. I have several books out that are doing quite well in spite of widespread piracy or appearing on Google. I've surmised that a majority of any book's sales are going to be made by honest people, and therefore any perceived monetary loss from piracy (or Googleiracy) is not in fact loss at all, but just a matter of whether or not the trolls have been fed. In addition to this, having your book pirated/circulated could actually lead to more sales because it'll fall across the eyes of more "honest" readers who will buy the book if it's any good, regardless of whether they found it online. Also see: Libraries.

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eob 17y ago
> Also see: Libraries. Ha :). But the library isn't providing a download link, is it? Regarding a majority of a book's sales being made by honest people, yes, I assume you're right. And perhaps the publicity from being available for free will increase the number of honest people that buy a book. But it is a tricky line to walk. I remember reading about how the Soviets were suspicious of supposed "free markets" being able to stabilize themselves in the Reagan / Thatcher era. They just couldn't believe that things would work out to an equilibrium in the end. Auctions are similarly magical. Perhaps the "give it away, and then let people pay you if they like it" model of the internet is similar from the standpoint of an outsider: sounds impossible the first time you hear it, but it tends to work out in the end.
- jzdziarski 17y ago
  It's not really "give it away, let people pay", it's more, "let people choose whether to pay or steal". Bezos' prediction that e-commerce would "work" when it became easier to buy than to steal has been true now for several years, and I think that's a better principle to go by than trusting soviet economics :)
  - Saavedro 17y ago
    Definitely. Convenience is key for digital goods. I could never bring myself to install iTunes, but I spend -loads- of money on amazon mp3, because it's as convenient as any regular download link, it just happens to charge me money. The downloader for amazon mp3 (which isn't even required for single songs) is also extremely lightweight compared to iTunes.
jgrahamc 17y ago
In the UK libraries pay me a royalty when people borrow my book.

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eob 17y ago

> Also see: Libraries. Ha :). But the library isn't providing a download link, is it? Regarding a majority of a book's sales being made by honest people, yes, I assume you're right. And perhaps the publicity from being available for free will increase the number of honest people that buy a book. But it is a tricky line to walk. I remember reading about how the Soviets were suspicious of supposed "free markets" being able to stabilize themselves in the Reagan / Thatcher era. They just couldn't believe that things would work out to an equilibrium in the end. Auctions are similarly magical. Perhaps the "give it away, and then let people pay you if they like it" model of the internet is similar from the standpoint of an outsider: sounds impossible the first time you hear it, but it tends to work out in the end.

jzdziarski 17y ago
It's not really "give it away, let people pay", it's more, "let people choose whether to pay or steal". Bezos' prediction that e-commerce would "work" when it became easier to buy than to steal has been true now for several years, and I think that's a better principle to go by than trusting soviet economics :)
- Saavedro 17y ago
  Definitely. Convenience is key for digital goods. I could never bring myself to install iTunes, but I spend -loads- of money on amazon mp3, because it's as convenient as any regular download link, it just happens to charge me money. The downloader for amazon mp3 (which isn't even required for single songs) is also extremely lightweight compared to iTunes.

jgrahamc 17y ago

In the UK libraries pay me a royalty when people borrow my book.