I think I’d rather enable the average person to afford a book at the cost of making a lot of money. Regarding special editions, as a reader I’d be disappointed if there weren’t a cheaper alternative to the high-priced versions. Of course I prefer a tangible copy of a book, and I think I always will, though the e-formats are worth tapping into as many readers use those exclusively.

Plenty of options for all, and high royalties (40%) for authors.

Scribd is an eBook publisher that lets ANYONE publish anything. You set the price and keep 80% of the revenue. Magcloud is similar: they print your “zine” to order, meaning there’s a one time set up fee, then you set the price (on top of their printing costs, which is all they keep). The best part is they only print copies when someone orders your zine, keeping your mom’s basement/the dump free of unwanted bulk copies of whatever you’re printing.

When I talk to people in publishing, it confuses the fuck out of me that they don’t leap all over e-publishing. They are submitting gorgeous and meticulously crafted PDF’s to far-away printers, anyway. All they need to do to get their quarterlies and novels and zines on every smartphone e-reader is email said PDF one more address.

Without the printing/natural resources overhead, the cost per unit is negligible, which means the price can (and should) be lower. I’m not proposing we give up on cherishing physical things. I’m saying we admit it’s possible to cherish a well designed digital copy of something. It’s certainly easier to share, cheaper to obtain and create, and more accessible as an entry point for people who might not have the wherewithal to buy books with $20 cover prices.