The Sum Of All Fears?

News item:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2013/09/05/oyster-launches-netflix-for-books/

So a start up called Oyster is working on a Netflix model for eBooks. A big deal or not?

Only time will tell of course, but in a world where convenience is king and ease of use trumps nearly everything else, the folks at Oyster may just be about to disrupt one of this biggest changes that have been rolling through libraries in a very long time, the eBook.

Some of my colleagues have looked at their as yet somewhat meager offerings and limited platform support, at the moment only Apple's iOS, not Android, and declared that they will continue to get their eBooks from other sources, including the good old public library. That's all well and good, but I fear they may be somewhat short sighted in their view of what library users want and are willing to put up with, just to get free content. 

When Netflix started it served a niche market of movie aficionados seeking titles that the big box video stores typically didn’t carry. Remember those big stores pushed aside the local video club stores of a decade earlier. Ultimately Netflix grew and grew until it finally pushed even those big video stores out of business—think Blockbuster. Right now Oyster is at that very beginning stage like Netflix was several years ago.

Avid library users consult a variety of sources such as Wowbrary, Novelist, Goodreads, and LibraryThing seeking out good things to read. All of these point out the difficulty a busy reader faces. This tidbit here, that waiting list there. Perhaps the reader can get that title free for the Library, but will have to buy that one from Amazon, or BN.com, or Apple  or GooglePlay etc. Meijer and Wal-Mart grew to their current size, because shoppers value their time and one stop shopping where they can get it all. Sure the mall still probably provides more overall selection, but how often do you go there vs. a single stop at the Mega-Mart?

To the average, dare I say uninformed consumer, the Library is still about physical books. They don’t know, and don’t think to ask if we have eBooks. Top that off with the restrictions placed on us by the publishers; the hoops the users have to go through to get a free Library eBook, and so forth, it’s just too difficult. Certainly it’s too hard for a consumer of a certain level of available time and disposable income who will prefer ease of use and a wide selection of the most popular titles, read that manufactured best sellers, not necessarily available to the Library eBook market from the publisher.

I’ve argued long and hard to make the Library, The Digital Filling Station. Bring us, virtually, your device and we’ll fill it up with content, for FREE. We’ve achieved that goal to a degree, but now it seems we’re only allowed to pump regular, not Ethyl because some of the publishers still refuse to sell us Ethyl at any price, and some grossly overcharge us for mid-grade.

As is exists right now Oyster is a curious little experiment. Given the outcome of the Apple eBook pricing trial, perhaps the DOJ will slap them down and bar them from growing into a serious service, but I doubt it. The subscription library model has served Netflix very well, and with the rise of the all connected tablet, I see this as the next big thing in eReading, ease of use without ownership. It sure seems to work for streaming video, and the publishers sure seem to like it when you can’t “own” their stuff so they can sell it again and again and again.

Just my thoughts, and why I think this is a big deal.

The coming eReader BOOM

Since February Apple has introduced a new iPad, Barnes and Noble has debuted a new touch screen e-ink Nook, Kobo has also updated their eReader, and of course Amazon has given the world an eReader complete with advertising.

The 2010 holiday gift season provided librarians with a seemingly endless supply of new eReader users all clamoring for free content. When Amazon and Overdrive finally complete their deal "real soon now" the libraries on the receiving end won't know what hit them. Not a day goes by when I'm on the information desk that someone doesn't ask some question relating to eReading and the many devices that enable such activities.

Librarians attend countless training sessions, seminars, webinars, conferences, and meetings learning about and discussing the realm of eReading. I even teach some them. After having spent much of the last 15 years being involved in the eBook field as it relates to public libraries, I'm often asked; "Where is it all going?" Here are my top ten predictions for what we'll encounter in the remainder of 2011 in the eReading field.

10. Barnes and Noble will crack the $100 price point with the eInk Nook.

9. Amazon will also lower the price of the ad carrying Kindle to below the magic $100 figure.

8. Apple will not offer a cheaper iPad, but may throw in some free space in the new iCloud storage service.

7. Kobo will continue just fine even after Borders closes the doors for the last time.

6. There will be a continued proliferation of web tablets all trying to be the next or cheaper iPad. Only a few them will even make a real dent in the retail space, but for bargain hunters, there will be opportunities to get a portable device capable of functioning as an eReader cheaply.

5. People buying these bargain devices will quickly tire of them and buy a higher quality eReader or tablet when the opportunity presents itself.

4. Rumors of Amazon and/or Barnes and Noble giving their lowest price eReader to their best member/customers will come true in what may be an overall disappointing holiday sales season for retailers.

3. Despite the ongoing economic malaise, eReaders and tablets will sell well this holiday season.

2. We will not see a color eInk device in 2011. (I hope I'm wrong on this one.)

1. Between the Overdrive-Kindle deal and strong eReader sales in 2011, Libraries will see surging demands for eBooks in 2012.

The HarperCollins eBook Saga

I understand HarperCollins point from a business perspective. Essentially they want us to have to buy a new book after 25 circs. Realistically, most pop fiction books are pretty well used up after that many circs, and we’d be buying a new copy if it was something we wanted to keep around. In my opinion there aren’t that many non-fiction titles that even achieve 25 circs during a reasonable period of time before they’re just plain out of date. So I don’t think they’re that far off in their numbers. Their whole problem is that e-Books don’t wear out like paper books.

As a Librarian I hate that any publisher would stoop to that level of anti-library activity. As it is now if we can somehow keep a copy in circulation with 100 circs then we do, as long as it remains popular, relevant, and in good condition. In the real world where I work, that’s mighty tough to do in most cases.

They’re wrong, but not unreasonably wrong. Remember the old Div-x DVDS that expired after they were played a few times. A reasonable idea from the publisher’s perspective, but not one that worked for the consumer, and they died in the free marketplace. In this case as in that old one, the market economy will ultimately decide.

Just my thoughts,
Mike

Of Kindles, Nooks, and iPads Oh My!

The year of the eBook reader is upon us. With the launch of the Apple iPad, followed by a price skirmish, if not an all out war, between Amazon, Borders and Barnes & Noble it seems the popularization of the consumer eBook reader lforecast long ago is now finally at hand.

Last week the 'Lectric Librarian got to spend some quality time with both a Kindle and an iPad side by side. In terms of sheer readability in bright sunlight and battery life the Kindle is the clear winner. In all other categories the iPad wins. Apple's own iBooks while perhaps the slickest presentation of the eBook yet, doen't have the depth of titles that Amazon brings to the Kindle. However because of Apps that allow content from Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble to be read on the iPad it is the overall winner. Zinio as well as custom magazine and newspaper apps bring additional content to the iPad and allow publishers to present information in interactive ways only a few publications are yet able to grasp.

For a great and now less expensice eReader the Kindle is a fantastic device. Credit goes to the Nook from breaking down the $200 price wall with an equally great e-Ink screen. The Apple iPad while more expensive provides the user more options for content and a gorgeous Color touch screen display that signals a new paradigm in truly personal computing. 2010 is the year of the eBook and will be remembered as the year personal computing changed the most since 1984.

Digital Filling Station

In a world of electronic books and other content, the Public Library should become the digital filling station. It's been a long journey and it's far from finished. A Universal format is key. As long as competing devices require different formats, the library is placed in the untenable position of choosing to support this device or that one, or purchasing the same title in multiple formats. In an era of shrinking budgets it is simply not possible to buy everything patrons want in every variant format. The issue of proprietary formats and devices like the Kindle is another matter entirely and the subject of a future post.

The 'Lectric Librarian