Legacy vs. legacy

Digital Book World reports: "Barnes & Noble is pushing publishers for better terms, higher marketing funds and cutting back on their initial orders of books. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times both recently reported that B&N and corporate publisher Simon & Schuster are feuding." In my opinion this situation is a red herring. This is a perfect example of legacy companies fighting for legacy victories. Neither is a winner. The future of selling books will not be a battle for shelf space at a superstore bookstore or a mom and pop book store. The future of selling books is digital. That's where people will first read a book; where the word of mouth will begin; and where the momentum for sales will begin. Once the value or appeal of a book has been established, getting the book will take the path of least resistance, past whatever is sitting out on shelves.

Read first, buy later

As the virtual world joins the physical world, different habits grow. Take buying books or newspapers or magazines, or any media. The physical model is to "buy first, read later"; the vitual model is to "read first, buy later". The former would be considered legacy or a remnant model; the latter the new media model. And now there is a oompany, launching in mid-March, Total Boox (pronounced “books”) which believes the legacy or remnant model distorts the market for authors, hampers discoverability, stalls distribution and reduces reading. With Total Boox a reader no longer has to purchase a book upfront. Instead he or she downloads the book into his tablet device and pays for the portion he actually reads, when he or she reads it.