Comments for Tom McCluskey http://www.tom-mccluskey.com Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:38:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 Comment on About by Thad McIlroy http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/about/#comment-65 Thad McIlroy Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:37:25 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?page_id=2#comment-65 You may enjoy my website: www.thefutureofpublishing.com Thad You may enjoy my website: http://www.thefutureofpublishing.com

Thad

]]> Comment on The Fallacy of “Nimbleness” by What a week « Quon’s Viral Marketing for Ooligan Press http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/2009/03/the-fallacy-of-nimbleness/#comment-61 What a week « Quon’s Viral Marketing for Ooligan Press Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:53:12 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?p=101#comment-61 [...] technology because they are more “nimble.” I still hold to that point of view but this post has given me more to think [...] [...] technology because they are more “nimble.” I still hold to that point of view but this post has given me more to think [...]

]]> Comment on About by Lisa Chan http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/about/#comment-56 Lisa Chan Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:20:27 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?page_id=2#comment-56 Thanks so much for your previous coverage of Indigo Books & Music’s Shortcovers, the new digital destination for finding your next great read on the mobile device you already own. We are officially launching tomorrow, February 26th. Couple updates: Shortcovers will be launching on iPhone, Blackberry and Android The service will be available globally, but launching with US and Canadian currencies Shortcovers will have 200,000 first chapters of books, 50,000 full books at launch, but adding much more content in the coming weeks from top publishers such as Random House, Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins. Shortcovers’ eBooks will cheaper than their hardcopy counterparts – ranging in the $4.99-$19.99 range. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me and be sure to visit www.shortcovers.com tomorrow to check it out! Thanks so much for your previous coverage of Indigo Books & Music’s Shortcovers, the new digital destination for finding your next great read on the mobile device you already own. We are officially launching tomorrow, February 26th.

Couple updates:

Shortcovers will be launching on iPhone, Blackberry and Android
The service will be available globally, but launching with US and Canadian currencies
Shortcovers will have 200,000 first chapters of books, 50,000 full books at launch, but adding much more content in the coming weeks from top publishers such as Random House, Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins.
Shortcovers’ eBooks will cheaper than their hardcopy counterparts – ranging in the $4.99-$19.99 range.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me and be sure to visit http://www.shortcovers.com tomorrow to check it out!

]]> Comment on On ebook pricing by Tom http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/2008/10/on-ebook-pricing/#comment-55 Tom Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:30:04 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?p=21#comment-55 I agree with you that ebooks are priced a bit high at the moment; they ought to cost less than a paperback edition, and in many cases they cost more. I'd have to disagree about ebooks being essentially free to publishers, however. It may well be the case that most books published in the last ten or fifteen years are already in electronic format, but not all formats are created equal, and it can take a not insignificant amount of time to convert from Quark to .epub and proof the whole thing to ensure that no errors were introduced in the conversion. Still, materials costs are minimal to nonexistant, as are shipping and warehousing costs. The price of readers is one good reason why I think mobile devices such as cell phones will become the dominant platform for ebook reading--people don't want to carry around a half-dozen devices, they want one devices that does a half-dozen things. I agree with you that ebooks are priced a bit high at the moment; they ought to cost less than a paperback edition, and in many cases they cost more. I’d have to disagree about ebooks being essentially free to publishers, however. It may well be the case that most books published in the last ten or fifteen years are already in electronic format, but not all formats are created equal, and it can take a not insignificant amount of time to convert from Quark to .epub and proof the whole thing to ensure that no errors were introduced in the conversion. Still, materials costs are minimal to nonexistant, as are shipping and warehousing costs.

The price of readers is one good reason why I think mobile devices such as cell phones will become the dominant platform for ebook reading–people don’t want to carry around a half-dozen devices, they want one devices that does a half-dozen things.

]]> Comment on On ebook pricing by Vy http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/2008/10/on-ebook-pricing/#comment-54 Vy Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:41:29 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?p=21#comment-54 Why would they "scan books"? They are not hand written, so the soft copy exists somewhere... I find the price of ebooks outrageous. With all the cost saved from production , logistics and storage, the price should be way lower. In many instances I have noticed that ebook were sold at the same price as the paperback version. Any additional ebook sold does not cost anything to the producer. Also the reader alone cost at least $300 which is a fair bit already. I was considering buying such a reader but I just realised I have to buy hundreds of books before to get a good ROI... That's a bit disappointing I found. Why would they “scan books”? They are not hand written, so the soft copy exists somewhere…

I find the price of ebooks outrageous. With all the cost saved from production , logistics and storage, the price should be way lower. In many instances I have noticed that ebook were sold at the same price as the paperback version.

Any additional ebook sold does not cost anything to the producer.

Also the reader alone cost at least $300 which is a fair bit already. I was considering buying such a reader but I just realised I have to buy hundreds of books before to get a good ROI…

That’s a bit disappointing I found.

]]> Comment on TOC day one: XML, XML, and some XML by bk http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/2009/02/toc-day-one-xml-xml-and-some-xml/#comment-53 bk Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:24:12 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?p=87#comment-53 my jealousy boileth over... my jealousy boileth over…

]]> Comment on Questions about giving it all away for free by Tom http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/2009/02/questions-about-giving-it-all-away-for-free/#comment-52 Tom Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:09:45 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?p=85#comment-52 Oh, I definitely agree that giving away added our value material is a great way to market. I was mostly just playing devil's advocate for the idea that maybe giving your base content away for free won't work so well for people who aren't already known. Oh, I definitely agree that giving away added our value material is a great way to market. I was mostly just playing devil’s advocate for the idea that maybe giving your base content away for free won’t work so well for people who aren’t already known.

]]> Comment on Questions about giving it all away for free by bk http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/2009/02/questions-about-giving-it-all-away-for-free/#comment-51 bk Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:36:10 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?p=85#comment-51 I think that some of it has to do with what the goals of the IP in question are. Granted a famous person or group giving away some stuff could actually drive sales for existing well-known products, but what about using free stuff to promote lesser-known services? What about a fantasy or sci-fi book that has a lot of supplemental material that the author made while writing. I'm thinking of the vast notebooks that an author would have detailing the 30 year war that happened prior to the storyline, history of races, spellbooks, whatever. These things could be used to build up readership with the ultimate goal being the release of a book. Additionally, ebooks could be free, but the book could contain more material, be printed exquisitely (for the book-o-phile), or just be plain badass. I do agree though that as the technology gets more widespread and embedded in every day life the nature of giveaways will change slightly. But I think that there will be more chapter giveaways (a la Itunes), and hence, more 1 and 2 chapter hooks, further changing the structure of the "successful" book. I think that some of it has to do with what the goals of the IP in question are. Granted a famous person or group giving away some stuff could actually drive sales for existing well-known products, but what about using free stuff to promote lesser-known services? What about a fantasy or sci-fi book that has a lot of supplemental material that the author made while writing. I’m thinking of the vast notebooks that an author would have detailing the 30 year war that happened prior to the storyline, history of races, spellbooks, whatever. These things could be used to build up readership with the ultimate goal being the release of a book. Additionally, ebooks could be free, but the book could contain more material, be printed exquisitely (for the book-o-phile), or just be plain badass.
I do agree though that as the technology gets more widespread and embedded in every day life the nature of giveaways will change slightly. But I think that there will be more chapter giveaways (a la Itunes), and hence, more 1 and 2 chapter hooks, further changing the structure of the “successful” book.

]]> Comment on The difference between fantasy and sci fi by bk http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/2009/01/the-difference-between-fantasy-and-sci-fi/#comment-39 bk Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:03:58 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?p=68#comment-39 I could see that, but it seems like there are plenty exceptions to the rule. Lord of the Rings, with its (accidental?) commentary on war and the use of power, Star Wars and Luke's personal growth. (Mind you I'm talking about the original Star Wars, not the social commentary of the new ones) I wonder if it has to do with our relationship with technology and society at large. For instance, if you go to a lot of Cons and have a bunch of friends that you know that you all get together and dress up like mages and paladins and whatnot, would you be able to see more social commentary in works of fantasy? Or if you have two lego AT-ATs in your living room, would you identify more easily with characters in Sci-Fi, making them seem more personal? And where oh where do we place steampunk? -bk I could see that, but it seems like there are plenty exceptions to the rule. Lord of the Rings, with its (accidental?) commentary on war and the use of power, Star Wars and Luke’s personal growth. (Mind you I’m talking about the original Star Wars, not the social commentary of the new ones) I wonder if it has to do with our relationship with technology and society at large. For instance, if you go to a lot of Cons and have a bunch of friends that you know that you all get together and dress up like mages and paladins and whatnot, would you be able to see more social commentary in works of fantasy? Or if you have two lego AT-ATs in your living room, would you identify more easily with characters in Sci-Fi, making them seem more personal?
And where oh where do we place steampunk?

-bk

]]> Comment on Written by a genuine person! by bk http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/2008/11/written-by-a-genuine-person/#comment-29 bk Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:50:26 +0000 http://www.tom-mccluskey.com/?p=60#comment-29 wow. first there were robot bartenders and now this. pretty soon blogs will be just another stream of content that the machines will use to tell us what to believe and think. why am i so excited? wow. first there were robot bartenders and now this. pretty soon blogs will be just another stream of content that the machines will use to tell us what to believe and think. why am i so excited?

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