Abstract
The migration from print books to ebooks is more than a change of format; it is also the first step in an ongoing process, whose final outcome is hard to predict. Ebooks are likely to lead to a restructuring of the industry by enabling cross-border commerce. This in turn is likely to lead to difficult disputes over territorial rights. It appears probable that these disputes will be resolved by an assertion of the dominance of the American market and the publishers that already serve it well, as authors are likely to place their rights with practitioners in the largest markets. This in turn will lead to the acquisition of many smaller “national” publishers, which cannot compete on a world stage with truly global publishers. But rather than simply becoming sources of editorial product for American-based global marketing machines, smaller publishers operating in different regions will respond through innovation, both in product design (attempting to do electronically what cannot be done in print) and in developing new marketing plans that the giant publishers would be indisposed to pursue.
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Notes
http://www.bit.ly/aUjQAv. Liblicense is a service of the Yale University libraries and is moderated by Ann Okerson.
http://www.lostbooksales.com. "Jane Litte" is the pseudonym of Jennifer Gerrish-Lampe and the spirit behind the immensely popular blog on Romance literature at http://www.dearauthor.com.
One can get a flavor for much of this debate in the consumer market at Mike Shatzkin's Idealog Web site: http://www.bit.ly/bzUBHP.
Eoin Purcell develops this argument quite nicely with specific reference to the Irish market: http://www.bit.ly/drTX7G.
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An earlier and briefer version of this essay appeared on the Scholarly Kitchen blog: http://www.bit.ly/bxKb2S.
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Esposito, J.J. One World Publishing, Brought to You by the Internet. Pub Res Q 27, 13–18 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-010-9189-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-010-9189-9