Comments on: Cory Doctorow’s great experiment http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/10/cory-doctorows-great-experiment/ Designed in Brisbane by Tim Kastelle & John Steen Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:15:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: splitting and lumping « Aggregate « Innovation Leadership Network http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/10/cory-doctorows-great-experiment/comment-page-1/#comment-1700 splitting and lumping « Aggregate « Innovation Leadership Network Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:08:57 +0000 http://timkastelle.org/blog/?p=630#comment-1700 [...] a splitter as a birder, in business I’ve become much more of a lumper. In response to the post on Cory Doctorow’s book pricing experiment, I’ve been having some discussions with a friend of mine in the publishing business. In the [...] [...] a splitter as a birder, in business I’ve become much more of a lumper. In response to the post on Cory Doctorow’s book pricing experiment, I’ve been having some discussions with a friend of mine in the publishing business. In the [...]

]]> By: Tim http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/10/cory-doctorows-great-experiment/comment-page-1/#comment-1654 Tim Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:14:16 +0000 http://timkastelle.org/blog/?p=630#comment-1654 Alex, I think those are very good points. The only thing is, Doctorow has done this for every book he's published. Every single one - so a large part of why he is 'the famous Cory Doctorow that can get away with giving away books because he's famous' is that he's been doing this exact thing all the way along. As he points out in the article, when he was unknown everyone told him that the strategy only worked because he was unknown. It's unquestionably easier to get people to look at stuff when you've got a name, but there's something else that also plays a role (at least as big I think) in how well this route works. Tapping into the vibe ingeniously may well be that other thing, or at least a part of it... Alex, I think those are very good points. The only thing is, Doctorow has done this for every book he’s published. Every single one – so a large part of why he is ‘the famous Cory Doctorow that can get away with giving away books because he’s famous’ is that he’s been doing this exact thing all the way along. As he points out in the article, when he was unknown everyone told him that the strategy only worked because he was unknown. It’s unquestionably easier to get people to look at stuff when you’ve got a name, but there’s something else that also plays a role (at least as big I think) in how well this route works. Tapping into the vibe ingeniously may well be that other thing, or at least a part of it…

]]> By: Alex Maisey http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/10/cory-doctorows-great-experiment/comment-page-1/#comment-1648 Alex Maisey Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:39:27 +0000 http://timkastelle.org/blog/?p=630#comment-1648 Surely though, it's easier to give stuff away when you're already rich or have successful band. it strikes me that people want free stuff, but people also want "free stuff that they might otherwise have paid for" because everyone likes the feeling of getting something for nothing. It's Ok for Radiohead to say "pay what you want for this CD" because they already have a legio of dedicated fans that love them so much that they'll pay to support the band. Ditto Cory Doctorow. if on the other hand I were to write a novel that was maybe amazing (maybe rubbish, but let's not go there...) and I put it on the internet for free etc it'd be a struggle just to get people to look at it. I'd still need to spend time, effort and money marketing the book and that would probably necessitite print copies, waterstones, critics and the usual routes... or somehow ingeniously tapping into the vibe of an upand coming community like ScottSigler did http://www.scottsigler.com/ I'm not trying to undercut your point so much as hopefully add to it - I think that free will only be free when it's readily embraced by the whole system and not just a one off product/experiment that happens to be given away by an already successful author/artist. I mean, I think that these are proof of something... that the world is changing in biazarre ways we didn't expect... Surely though, it’s easier to give stuff away when you’re already rich or have successful band. it strikes me that people want free stuff, but people also want “free stuff that they might otherwise have paid for” because everyone likes the feeling of getting something for nothing. It’s Ok for Radiohead to say “pay what you want for this CD” because they already have a legio of dedicated fans that love them so much that they’ll pay to support the band. Ditto Cory Doctorow.

if on the other hand I were to write a novel that was maybe amazing (maybe rubbish, but let’s not go there…) and I put it on the internet for free etc it’d be a struggle just to get people to look at it. I’d still need to spend time, effort and money marketing the book and that would probably necessitite print copies, waterstones, critics and the usual routes… or somehow ingeniously tapping into the vibe of an upand coming community like ScottSigler did http://www.scottsigler.com/

I’m not trying to undercut your point so much as hopefully add to it – I think that free will only be free when it’s readily embraced by the whole system and not just a one off product/experiment that happens to be given away by an already successful author/artist. I mean, I think that these are proof of something… that the world is changing in biazarre ways we didn’t expect…

]]> By: Tim http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/10/cory-doctorows-great-experiment/comment-page-1/#comment-1646 Tim Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:25:02 +0000 http://timkastelle.org/blog/?p=630#comment-1646 Agreed Sam! Also, it will be great to see some actual data on this - so it's cool that he's going to share that all the way through. Agreed Sam! Also, it will be great to see some actual data on this – so it’s cool that he’s going to share that all the way through.

]]> By: Sam MacAulay http://timkastelle.org/blog/2009/10/cory-doctorows-great-experiment/comment-page-1/#comment-1645 Sam MacAulay Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:14:06 +0000 http://timkastelle.org/blog/?p=630#comment-1645 Gotta respect him putting his free where his mouth is! Gotta respect him putting his free where his mouth is!

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