Comments on: The E-volution of Magazines and Reading http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/ the 26th Story Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:48:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: RichardNash http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/comment-page-1/#comment-1391 RichardNash Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:23:16 +0000 http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/#comment-1391 Yup, Sarah, here's just the latest example: http://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/ Yup, Sarah, here’s just the latest example:
http://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/

]]> By: Sarah http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/comment-page-1/#comment-1392 Sarah Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:13:43 +0000 http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/#comment-1392 You bring up a good point, Richard. I think the key is to make a transaction of buying an e-book an easy one - people will pay for ease. But if you try to keep something locked away, they will spend countless hours trying to unlock it. You bring up a good point, Richard. I think the key is to make a transaction of buying an e-book an easy one – people will pay for ease. But if you try to keep something locked away, they will spend countless hours trying to unlock it.

]]> By: Richard Nash http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/comment-page-1/#comment-1393 Richard Nash Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:40:06 +0000 http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/#comment-1393 The horse bolted the stable a long time ago on DRM. People can hack printed books very simply, through OCR scanning. The question isn't whether to use DRM—the answer is of course not, all the data from other media indicates it's worse than useless—but can we achieve a reasonable level of friendliness in term of pricing and usability vis-a-vis the customer/reader that piracy will remain as marginal as it currently is. How we treat the legitimate customer will determine piracy, if we treat them like a potential thief, some of them will act that way. The horse bolted the stable a long time ago on DRM. People can hack printed books very simply, through OCR scanning. The question isn’t whether to use DRM—the answer is of course not, all the data from other media indicates it’s worse than useless—but can we achieve a reasonable level of friendliness in term of pricing and usability vis-a-vis the customer/reader that piracy will remain as marginal as it currently is. How we treat the legitimate customer will determine piracy, if we treat them like a potential thief, some of them will act that way.

]]> By: Sarah http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/comment-page-1/#comment-1394 Sarah Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:30:07 +0000 http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/#comment-1394 Susan, I think your desire to keep an iron fist on your work is a common one. After all, you've put so much into creating your work, letting it go so that people can play with it is a lot like letting your first born go off into the world. But I agree that for those writers not ready to let go of DRM, there are other ways to let people "play" with works through widgets. Contests, even allowing select pieces of a work out, are good options. I think we have an interesting road ahead of us - I'm eager to see which fork publishers and authors take when it comes to DRM. - Sarah Susan,
I think your desire to keep an iron fist on your work is a common one. After all, you’ve put so much into creating your work, letting it go so that people can play with it is a lot like letting your first born go off into the world. But I agree that for those writers not ready to let go of DRM, there are other ways to let people “play” with works through widgets. Contests, even allowing select pieces of a work out, are good options. I think we have an interesting road ahead of us – I’m eager to see which fork publishers and authors take when it comes to DRM.
- Sarah

]]> By: Sarah http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/comment-page-1/#comment-1395 Sarah Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:25:39 +0000 http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/#comment-1395 Lee, I think the manuscript-to-film transition is an interesting take on the idea of playing with a work. It's something that most readers and writers are accustomed to. So why is it that playing with a work in a way that might not hit the big screen is so scary? Are they really that different? In terms of writers finding new ways to profit from their work, that brings up a new challenge. A recent op-ed from Paul Krugman addressed this too (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/opinion/06krugman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin). He says it much better than I can. All good things to think about. - Sarah Lee,
I think the manuscript-to-film transition is an interesting take on the idea of playing with a work. It’s something that most readers and writers are accustomed to. So why is it that playing with a work in a way that might not hit the big screen is so scary? Are they really that different?
In terms of writers finding new ways to profit from their work, that brings up a new challenge. A recent op-ed from Paul Krugman addressed this too (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/opinion/06krugman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin). He says it much better than I can.
All good things to think about.
- Sarah

]]> By: Lee http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/comment-page-1/#comment-1396 Lee Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:03:33 +0000 http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/#comment-1396 Play away! I've been watching one of my short stories undergo metamorphosis into a film, and I think it's fascinating - and not just very different than, but in many ways superior to the original. Why should I mind? Once I've made something public, it no longer belongs to me - if ever it did - but enters the general culture. Everyone still retains the choice of which version they prefer to enjoy. Which of course means that writers need to find new income-generating models. The old ones based on copyright are doomed. Play away!

I’ve been watching one of my short stories undergo metamorphosis into a film, and I think it’s fascinating – and not just very different than, but in many ways superior to the original. Why should I mind? Once I’ve made something public, it no longer belongs to me – if ever it did – but enters the general culture. Everyone still retains the choice of which version they prefer to enjoy.

Which of course means that writers need to find new income-generating models. The old ones based on copyright are doomed.

]]> By: Susan http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/comment-page-1/#comment-1397 Susan Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:14:45 +0000 http://theharperstudio.com/2008/09/the-e-volution-of-magazines-and-reading/#comment-1397 EEK, what a question. The writer in me wants an iron grip on anything I create, but then, I look at how fan fiction sometimes takes an original work to whole new levels (thinking of the hundreds of Star Trek paperbacks published in the past few decades, for instance). So I agree with you, that if people can *play* with your idea, not just read about it, you're on to something. Caroline Smailes gifted her readers with her Black Boxes widget which is fun to play with and generates hits to player's websites (not always her own), and is free to take, yet at the same time, it's creating a buzz for her...this 'ad' for her book is being put in blog sidebars everywhere, on blogs that don't post ads. That's had me thinking about publicity in new ways. Interesting! EEK, what a question.

The writer in me wants an iron grip on anything I create, but then, I look at how fan fiction sometimes takes an original work to whole new levels (thinking of the hundreds of Star Trek paperbacks published in the past few decades, for instance).

So I agree with you, that if people can *play* with your idea, not just read about it, you’re on to something. Caroline Smailes gifted her readers with her Black Boxes widget which is fun to play with and generates hits to player’s websites (not always her own), and is free to take, yet at the same time, it’s creating a buzz for her…this ‘ad’ for her book is being put in blog sidebars everywhere, on blogs that don’t post ads. That’s had me thinking about publicity in new ways.

Interesting!

]]>