myliblog: Publishers ask for business models and don't know what a library is - 0 views
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I recently conducted a focus group with local authors, and put this proposition to them: * Would you consider DONATING a single copy of your ebook file to the library if we agree to... * Preserve, review, recommend, and digitally display it; * Buy an extra copy for every four people who are waiting for it; * Put a "click here to buy" button in our catalog, with the understanding that you'll share in the revenue of the sale (say, we take 10% AND YOU GET 90%). Guess what? They said, "Yes." Are we talking to the right people?
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Since ALA President Maureen Sullivan threw down the proverbial gauntlet to publishers and they've picked it up, there's been a lot of inspired responses. Jamie LaRue has a radical one himself-- circumvent the publishers, and ask the authors how they'd like their electronic books to be distributed. It's a bold proposition (posing the question, "Are publishers necessary?"), but certainly a way for libraries to work with authors to maximize their profits.
