The Internet makes possible the instantaneous transmission and retrieval of digital text. It is widely assumed that this capacity will lead to the displacement of printed books by digitized books that are read mainly on computer screens or handheld electronic devices. But it is more likely, I believe, that most digital files includes even those books that, under traditional publishing assumptions, would have been designated “out of print.”
Also, the digital publication of a book online involves no physical inventory, thereby eliminating the costs of warehousing, shipping books to wholesalers and to retail stores, displaying physical books in retail stores, and returning unsold books to publishers. This would make digital publishing much less expensive than traditional publishing. Given the economic digitized books becomes large enough to justify investment in book printing machines at numerous regional sites.
Moreover, the elimination of whole categories of expense means that under the digital publishing model, authors would be responsible for a greater proportion of the value of the final product and would therefore, according to literary agents, be entitled to a larger share of the proceeds. Currently a large percentage of publishers’ and may help explain the caution with which today’s publishing conglomerates are approaching the digital future.
What this question is testing
Topic
The author is making a prediction about how digital publishing will reshape the book business — and especially how it'll change what authors get paid.
Framework
Predictive Argument.
Main Point
The simpler version: most people think digital publishing means everyone reads on screens. The author thinks the bigger story is print-on-demand — physical books printed when ordered, with no warehouse and no shipping costs. That kills off huge chunks of what publishing currently spends money on. Once those costs are gone, authors deserve and will demand a bigger cut. Upstart digital publishers will lead the way; traditional publishers will be forced to follow or lose their authors.
P1: The contrarian prediction
Most assume digital = screens. The author predicts: most digital files will get printed on demand at the store, indistinguishable from factory-made books, with limitless catalog including "out of print" titles.
P2: The cost story
Digital publishing eliminates warehouses, wholesale shipping, retail shipping, in-store display, and unsold-book returns. That's a huge chunk of traditional publishing cost.
P3: How that hits authors
If those costs are gone, the publisher is doing less work for the value of the final book. So authors deserve more. Agents will push for bigger royalty shares. Big publishers will resist — they have all that old infrastructure to defend. So upstart digital firms will outbid them for new manuscripts. To keep their authors, traditional publishers will have to cut redundant work and pay higher royalties.
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