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Print vs. Ebooks: the Dark Side
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Nah unless you are a big time publisher then may be you could have access to that sort of data.As a reader I'd prefer a print book.
I wouldn't be surprised if these metrics were eventually offered to self-published authors, rather than just the big publishers. I would revise the question to authors a bit: "As an author, how do you like the idea of being able to have access to that information, even though most readers likely don't know it's being collected?" They probably aren't reading the Terms of Use as thoroughly as they read your book.As a reader, I take steps to avoid being spied on. I will not go into detail, but I will assure authors that I do, in fact, acquire books normally and legally. I don't download from... those places. It's what I do with them after buying them that severs the connection to the retailer servers, and I also keep my Sony e-reader in offline mode at all times.
It's not so much to do with worrying about them collecting that data about my reading, and more to do with the fact that I'm contrary by nature. Also, my solution ensures that I am not tied to one brand of ereader, and I have a usable backup of my books in the event that a retailer or DRM provider should go out of business. Which, I should note, has already happened more than once so it's not just an exercise in "what ifs".
Christa wrote: "I wouldn't be surprised if these metrics were eventually offered to self-published authors, rather than just the big publishers. I would revise the question to authors a bit: "As an author, how do ..."Thank you very much for your constructive comments (as usual). I have changed the question accordingly. You were right, that is what matters. I would like to access that information, but only if the readers have agreed explicitly to provide the data. I concur, it may already be implicit (or explicit) in the Terms of Use (the small print nobody reads).
You're welcome, A. :) I think if this sort of data does become more available to self-pub / small-pub authors, it could have even greater implications. From the linked article:
"To protect consumer privacy, user data is aggregated and anonymized. An author or publisher cannot see what an individual did, what the correlation might be between, say, writing a review on Goodreads and tweeting about the book. A lot of valuable marketing information remains out of view."
"Anonymous aggregate data" sounds great when you're talking about the latest Patterson novel that loads of people are reading. But if an author has a book that has sold ten copies, and 8 people have marked it as "read" on Goodreads... Not very anonymous at that point. The biggest hazard isn't what the data shows, but rather what an author might think it shows. Very tempting to make connections, accurate or otherwise, that Data Point A come from Reader X. Add in a lack of restraint that some humans possess, and we could end up with another internet crapstorm.
I don't know about you, but I've seen enough reader / author drama for one lifetime. Though it might be hilarious if I got a comment, "But you didn't even read it!" and I can cackle evilly and reply, "Oh, but I have. You just can't see me! Your spies have been defeated!" :D
Christa wrote: "You're welcome, A. :) I think if this sort of data does become more available to self-pub / small-pub authors, it could have even greater implications. From the linked article:
"To protect consum..."
You are completely right, any "statistical" analysis of small samples (say < 100 readers) is just an exercise of wishful thinking. You cannot draw any reliable conclusions and any strategies based on small samples may do more harm than good. Small samples have always been the "dark side" of statistics.
I'll stick with my print books. How would SP authors be able to interpret this kind of data without the proper back ground education. Random data requires professional statistical analysis with all variables considered. Yeah - that'll happen!Just another way to alienate readers - like there hasn't been enough intrusions and general irritation.
As an author, I have enough on my plate. I can't imagine wasting time tracking what time of day readers pick up my books or how far they read before putting them down. If (big if) I somehow discovered that every reader ditched the book at page 100, I would want to improve my writing to prevent that. Otherwise, meh.As a reader, there are many reasons why I prefer print books. In fact, I like e-books only in preference to mass-market paperbacks—which, let's face it, are no prettier and sometimes cost more. And in general I prefer to be tracked less rather than more. But I have a hard time believing that all these data can really say much about me. Does the program know that I put book X down because someone called me on the phone, or because I had a rough day and couldn't concentrate? Even if I put it down because I didn't like it, so what? Lots of other people may.
So personally I wouldn't worry about this too much. Raw numbers are just that. They say far less than one might think.
C.P. I agree. Unless readers are tossing the ereader across the room at the same point, I am unsure what use these metrics might have to offer. Of course, if readers "cannot put it down after page 150" that would be useful, but at what cost? I would really have to be absolutely sure readers were cool with that information being collected before I was comfortable using it. Sacred bond and all.I know, some will say this is just commerce, just business, but I try to put people willing to read my work on a bit of a higher pedestal that that. I owe them respect.
Just one writer's opinion.
I think there is a time and place for everything. Personally, I like paper books . . . you know, the real deal but, I know a few people that like to read on holidays and they tell me EBooks are perfect to take with them as they can take many books with them as space and weight come at a premium... Especially on a plane. But that's just what I hear.
Paul, you hear correctly. And yes, of course, print books are "the perfect machine" to quote Stephen King. But eReaders do not chance the message, just the delivery system. The question becomes, can print and digital co-exist or is the convenience of the latter going to destroy the former?
Christopher wrote: "Paul, you hear correctly. And yes, of course, print books are "the perfect machine" to quote Stephen King. But eReaders do not chance the message, just the delivery system. The question becomes, c..."
I've come to prefer e-books since a bad fall landed me in the hospital 4 years ago. I can read them on my iPod Apps in bed at night and on-the-go in my wheelchair. Print books are heavy, bulky and awkward to carry. I'm on a huge writers' listserv where many don't bother with Print any more. However, my own book sold 5 times as many Print copies as e-copies. I think both are here to stay.
I hope you are correct because I love both.
C.P. wrote: " ... I have a hard time believing that all these data can really say much about me. Does the program know that I put book X down because someone called me on the phone, or because I had a rough day and couldn't concentrate? Even if I put it down because I didn't like it, so what? Lots of other people may...."These digital gizmos and the superfluous data they generate are mainly just distractions from the only things that matter: the words on the page, the images in the reader's mind, how the reader feels about what he's reading, what the reader thinks about what she's read.
Sometimes I suspect eReaders are really popular right now because they're a new toy. I wonder if most readers really prefer reading on them or just like playing around with the gadget itself.
I've had a Kindle since they came out. I do prefer reading print, but for traveling the Kindle is the only practical way of reading for someone who reads quickly and has a husband who prefers trains where you have to get your own baggage on and off the train. Have also reluctantly switched to doing most reading at home on the Kindle for pure reasons of space. Ebooks do not take up space on shelves. It was rapidly getting to the stage where, like Virginia and Leonard Woolf, I would have to stack books up the side of the stairway. The people I live with found that unacceptable.
I recently purchased a kindle. While I love the convenience of the e-book just as you mentioned, and since it does not take up space; I think e-book is here to stay. That being said I really enjoy a hardback book. Crystal Clary
Beppie wrote: "I've had a Kindle since they came out. I do prefer reading print, but for traveling the Kindle is the only practical way of reading for someone who reads quickly and has a husband who prefers train..."I could have written this! Travel and space...both big considerations.
Beppie wrote: "I've had a Kindle since they came out. I do prefer reading print, but for traveling the Kindle is the only practical way of reading for someone who reads quickly and has a husband who prefers train..."Beppie and Nadine, I so agree! As a reader/author I was dragged into the digital age of publication and put my nose up at the little tablets people started to carry on the commuter bus and train. I thought, "Oh that will NEVER be me. I must stay true to my art! The paper and ink of a book will never be replaced!" And then I received my first Nook. It wasn't a Damascene conversion but I soon realized that in terms of the environment and space, it was a logical transformation. The traditional book will be with us always as will the e-reader. Many of the books I read are histories, Bibles, commentaries and reference books. It's so much easier to work with them now that they are available in digital format and I'm not carrying around an extra 25 pounds. I've switched to the Kindle for commuter reading, though.
A. wrote: ""Reading apps and e-reading device software can record virtually every user interaction—when a book is opened, when a page is turned, at what time of day a book is read, when it is abandoned and mu..."I don't bother with this. Every time I push the 'On' button on my laptop my information goes out into the ether. I don't sit about worrying when a person stopped reading a book of mine or deleted it from their device, or if they even like my work. It's the craft of writing that is my passion. I'm not a writer to win popularity contests. I'm an author. I'm already used to negativity and rejection.
My children gave me a Nook for Mothers Day a couple years ago. It was convenient & came with a few free downloads already installed, one of which I really, really enjoyed - & went looking for more work by that author (which of course was the material point). I have really, really dry skin and believe it or not, holding a paper book necessitates keeping a jar of hand cream handy because the paper draws what little moisture there is out of my skin & eventually the tips of my fingers catch & tear on the paper. So there are little oily places on the pages of books I own. For this reason I try to use my Nook, esp in the winter when dryness is even more of a problem. However, as an avowed Luddite there is enough to annoy me about the subtle invasiveness of constant marketing ploys, and control of my books that I have legitimately purchased. Take side-loading, for example. It should be a simple file transfer from device to device if it's a file I legitimately own. But B&N in all their wisdom recently fixed that by making everything go thru their online storage they've so happily provided for you at their store. I gave the Nook to my Mom; the 100 or so books on it should provide her with some hours of pleasant reading. But after that - well, someone tweeted a photo of a Kindle being used as a bookmark. I eschew Amazon for many market-related reasons, worse than B&N, so this amused me greatly. I also recently figured out a way to read print books with less physical touching, so I'm still a happy reader.
Well, now I know what I'll have a nightmare about tonight.
Yet another unexpected side effect, drop in library late fees:Libraries Experience Challenges with Generating Revenue from e-Books
Hehehe..those library got to make money somehow :)
Should Authors and Publishers Spy on Readers?
gives some interesting food for thought. In summary: ebooks tell all (at least potentially) but physical books tell nothing about the reader.
As an author, how do you like the idea of being able to have access to that information, even though most readers likely don't know it's being collected?
As a reader of ebooks, do you feel spied upon by distributors/publishers/authors? or, perhaps, you don't really care.