Just as Google is making it even more obvious how their book scanning project is helping publishers by helping them sell more books, it appears that at least one publisher doesn’t seem to understand the difference between helping more people find your books and theft. Apparently the CEO of Macmillan Publishers decided to swipe two Google laptops from Google’s booth at BookExpo America, wait for Google employees to notice the missing laptops (took about an hour) and then claim that he was just giving Google “a taste of their own medicine.” Let’s see. One is taking an expensive scarce item. The other is building an index so more people can find books. If Macmillan’s CEO really thinks that’s the same medicine, than someone ought to check what medication he’s taking.
[Techdirt]
OK… I’ll admit I’m just a reader, I do own thousands of books, but that’s it. I have one friend who have been writing a book (a pretty good one) and I very much doubt that he’d care that his book was index, once it was published. Provided that the same abilities to go out and buy his book remain.
As a reader, my biggest issue has been the cost of the books. I mean there are many writers out there, and in some cases their quality has gone down as they have been forced to write more often, or get their books pout faster. And the cost of the books continue to increase. I used to buy hardbacks for about $15 each, and as that went up (last I saw they are about $30-50), I switched to paperbacks for a bit under $5. Now as the paperbacks are hitting $10 a book (I’ve seen higher). I’m saying screw it, and buying them used. I appreciate what he authors are doing… but the publishers are doing a little raping in my mind.
So what the CEO of Macmillan Publishers did is both idiotic and stupid. I can’t believe he did something so juvenile. Its been proven that Google has helped many publishers sell books. But they don’t want to open their libraries to Google, that’s their prerogative, and their loss. But stealing a couple laptops doesn’t “teach them a lesson”. It just makes you look like an idiot.
Tags: Books, Business, Interesting, News
