The Long Tail can also be the Economy Class ride, but not always. It's mostly just the items closer to the head that get cheaper, due to economies of scale.
For instance, I hate buying single-issue comics and prefer waiting for the convienient (and less expensive) trade paperbacks. With smaller publishers and less-popular series, those trades may never come. Buying single issues as back issues can be cheap, but if you lack a decent comics shop (as I do) and have to get get things from online sources, you'll pay more in postage.
Those single issues may also increase in price, making it cheaper to buy them new. The same can be said of novels, DVDs, and any items subject to the geek collector's market: potentially cheaper to buy it new. It's a gamble.
Where I like the Economy Class ride of the Long Tail is discovering lost gems. For that $26, how many paperbacks could you get at a used bookstore? Older things you may not have noticed before get your attention because you're looking for fun on a budget. They're still new to you, and as I've pointed out, thanks to the internet you can always find reviews and discussions regardless of the book's publication date.
And all of this may or may not help Peter Hamilton, for example. Buying a bunch of his other titles used gains him no money and doesn't let his publisher know there are people reading him. Buying his new book does. Discovering those overlookd authors via the used market, on the other hand, may inspire you to buy newer books from those authors and boost their popularity.
Tue, 08/01/2006 - 2:10am
The Long Tail can also be the Economy Class ride, but not always. It's mostly just the items closer to the head that get cheaper, due to economies of scale.
For instance, I hate buying single-issue comics and prefer waiting for the convienient (and less expensive) trade paperbacks. With smaller publishers and less-popular series, those trades may never come. Buying single issues as back issues can be cheap, but if you lack a decent comics shop (as I do) and have to get get things from online sources, you'll pay more in postage.
Those single issues may also increase in price, making it cheaper to buy them new. The same can be said of novels, DVDs, and any items subject to the geek collector's market: potentially cheaper to buy it new. It's a gamble.
Where I like the Economy Class ride of the Long Tail is discovering lost gems. For that $26, how many paperbacks could you get at a used bookstore? Older things you may not have noticed before get your attention because you're looking for fun on a budget. They're still new to you, and as I've pointed out, thanks to the internet you can always find reviews and discussions regardless of the book's publication date.
And all of this may or may not help Peter Hamilton, for example. Buying a bunch of his other titles used gains him no money and doesn't let his publisher know there are people reading him. Buying his new book does. Discovering those overlookd authors via the used market, on the other hand, may inspire you to buy newer books from those authors and boost their popularity.
Darn you, you've got me monologuing again.
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