O'Reilly eBooks
From Zanecorpwiki
I don't get O'Reilly's eBook strategy at all... the problem is I almost never need technical books, and usually there's no real benefit to me.[notes 1] I do like tech books, however, and would buy them to skim and be happy to read one good chapter, or just see a different take on things.
If I could buy technical eBooks at $5 or even $10 a pop, I'd probably buy one a week. Every weekend, another book. Maybe that price point is low, but what I was floored to find that O'Reilly prices their eBooks at the same price as their print books. Absolutely dumbfounding... to the point of being insulting. eBooks cost so much less to produce and distribute, and those costs are significant. Even more important, the marketing and messaging of a book is totally different. You price print books for prestige, eBooks have prestige if there is a print book available.
I know there aren't many people that would buy a book a week, but I gotta think O'Reilly is just being plain dumb about this. If they're not careful, I'm certain they'll be knocked off by a high quality eBook publisher. Of that I have no doubt at all.
Notes
- ↑ There's lots of stuff I don't know, but there are very few... and I mean fewer than a dozen in total advanced books in general circulation. Essentially all tech books are at what I would consider the beginner to intermediate level.
