Advertising in eBooks

jhempel24 · 08-25-2010, 07:19 AM

Okay, now that eBooks are really taking off, what do you all think?

I for see a future where publishers will sell ad-space, and with it being a technological item, I can see it being relevant (like a book from 40 yrs ago not selling you Topps Baseball Cards for .05).

I know publishers shy away because it takes away from the reading experience in a physical book, but with digital media, I'm thinking that a 10 second ad being put at the start of the book when you open it might be coming in the next few years.

What are your thoughts?

eric11210 · 08-25-2010, 07:26 AM

Maybe on an "enhanced" book, like one which has videos and whatnot, but I think people reading a regular text novel will find it a huge turn off. Unless there is some other benefit, like you get the book for a nice discount in exchange for having to view an ad before you can read it.

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-25-2010, 07:27 AM

Shhhh! Don't give them ideas!

brecklundin · 08-25-2010, 08:28 AM

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...&highlight=ads

jhempel24 · 08-25-2010, 08:37 AM

Wow, the fact that there was a thread over a year ago that was pulled up is mind boggling LOL, didn't know there was one.

I personally wouldn't contribute to the publishers that put ads there, and I'm talking about text w/pics and such.)

But for some reason I can see it coming now that these things are seriously taking off and are now being sold at prices that the average consumer can purchase at will.

kcmay · 08-25-2010, 08:43 AM

Can you imagine if the ads could turn on text-to-speech and/or music and start blaring at you when you turned the page? UGH!!

DixieGal · 08-25-2010, 08:50 AM

If it resulted in lower book prices, I would happily agree to it. It would seem that print ads instead of commercials would be the way to go, because I don't think e-ink could manage an iTunes type ad. I don't know enough about that technology to say for sure.

I can imagine it being like magazines, which have lots of ads, but nobody really is bothered by them.

It would hurt writers, unless they got a portion of advertising income.

Patricia Ryan · 08-25-2010, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Shhhh! Don't give them ideas!

Exactly!

I used to think there would never be commercials at movie theaters, but look what's happened--you pay $8 or $10 to see a film and you still have to sit through that first. And there have been ads in books for years, so it probably is just a matter of time. But I hope when it happens, it's not too in-your-face.

DixieGal · 08-25-2010, 09:02 AM

Before there was an Internet, books had a couple of pages at the back of the book. One would be an order form for more books by the same author, and the other would be an order form for similar books by different authors. We tore out the pages and mailed them in with paper checks, and in 3 or 4 weeks, the books arrived.

It was a way to find new writers and books. That would certainly be user friendly advertising to put in ebooks, IMO.

ardeegee · 08-25-2010, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhempel24

I know publishers shy away because it takes away from the reading experience in a physical book, but with digital media, I'm thinking that a 10 second ad being put at the start of the book when you open it might be coming in the next few years.

What are your thoughts?

For me, at least, it would ensure that I would never again purchase an ebook, and would from then on get every book from the "darknet", where it will be available with all that garbage stripped off days or hours after publication.

Intrusive ads do two things-- they inconvenience legal users, and they drive even more people to piracy-- said pirates getting a nice, clean, superior product.

Moejoe · 08-25-2010, 09:16 AM

If they put ads in ebooks someone will program an 'adblock' ebook version where you can turn them off.

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-25-2010, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardeegee

For me, at least, it would ensure that I would never again purchase an ebook, and would from then on get every book from the "darknet", where it will be available with all that garbage stripped off days or hours after publication.

Intrusive ads do two things-- they inconvenience legal users, and they drive even more people to piracy-- said pirates getting a nice, clean, superior product.

Actually, three things. Several years ago, I read an article about a new technique that allowed merely rolling over a "button" would allow it to be activated. The writer waxed poetic over the wonderful opportunities that would introduce. Sure enough, within a year, pop-up ads triggered by rolling over the ad or even a word in the text of an article, whatever, would trigger a pop-up.

I don't have a problem with ads on a website; after all they pay for the site and inform me of new products and services. I draw the line at intrusive ads, though. I have quit using sites, after telling the site users why, because the ads became so obnoxiously intrusive. I also will not use products or services of companies that use intrusive ads. Netflix has been the overall worst of the lot.

Solicitous · 08-25-2010, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Before there was an Internet, books had a couple of pages at the back of the book. One would be an order form for more books by the same author, and the other would be an order form for similar books by different authors. We tore out the pages and mailed them in with paper checks, and in 3 or 4 weeks, the books arrived.

It was a way to find new writers and books. That would certainly be user friendly advertising to put in ebooks, IMO.

Ah but they were at the end of the book and didn't bother you at all. I personally find the ebooks I've downloaded from Feedbooks to be good, at the end of the book there is a list and a blurb of a few similar books you might be interested in reading. To me that works very well. Its there if you want it, but doesn't get in the way.

When I hear about advertising in ebooks for some reason I get the feeling that you'll buy an ebook and every 8 pages or so an ad for incontinence pads or discount voucher for some store will appear interrupting your reading (much like TV ads, to this day I still detest a TV show being broken up to feed us advertising, even get it on payTV).

I think people should be more worried about advertising in free apps for tablet PCs (like the iPad and Android tablets) than ebooks. A tablet PC can display an ad and the user can click and follow the ad to an official website, simple. Ereaders would require the user to go out of their way and follow up the ad (very few have effective web browsers or internet connectivity), kind of removes all impulses the user might experience.

Kali Yuga · 08-25-2010, 09:38 AM

Yep, this topic was thoroughly explored a year or so ago. Apparently Amazon or someone else filed a patent that made a bunch of pundits proclaim that "ads in ebooks" were imminent, much hay was made, etc etc

I still seriously doubt we'll see ads in books, though it is possible. When you pull up a title in Google Books, there are a couple of unobtrusive ads on the left side -- small enough that you can easily miss it.

That said, there is almost no chance we'll see ad-supported or subsidized ebooks. For example, a typical cost per impression (i.e. one person looking at one web ad) is $0.004. If you have a 250 page book, and an ad on every page, that nets $1 per book. Even at $2 or $3 per book, that's a pretty disruptive experience that will put off a lot of readers. It's certainly not going to generate enough revenues to make an ebook free.

I concur though you might see a return of advertising for other books at the end of an ebook.

GeoffC · 08-25-2010, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Before there was an Internet, books had a couple of pages at the back of the book. One would be an order form for more books by the same author, and the other would be an order form for similar books by different authors. We tore out the pages and mailed them in with paper checks, and in 3 or 4 weeks, the books arrived.

It was a way to find new writers and books. That would certainly be user friendly advertising to put in ebooks, IMO.

and even in ebooks that is where they should stay, except the order form will be a website link ....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moejoe

If they put ads in ebooks someone will program an 'adblock' ebook version where you can turn them off.

what! even on a iPad ?

08-25-2010, 07:19 AM	#1
jhempel24 Wizard Posts: 2,157 Karma: 7068605 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, B&N Nook Colro	Advertising in eBooks Okay, now that eBooks are really taking off, what do you all think? I for see a future where publishers will sell ad-space, and with it being a technological item, I can see it being relevant (like a book from 40 yrs ago not selling you Topps Baseball Cards for .05). I know publishers shy away because it takes away from the reading experience in a physical book, but with digital media, I'm thinking that a 10 second ad being put at the start of the book when you open it might be coming in the next few years. What are your thoughts?

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08-25-2010, 07:26 AM	#2
eric11210 Addict Posts: 295 Karma: 400001 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Sony Reader PRS-600	Maybe on an "enhanced" book, like one which has videos and whatnot, but I think people reading a regular text novel will find it a huge turn off. Unless there is some other benefit, like you get the book for a nice discount in exchange for having to view an ad before you can read it.

08-25-2010, 07:27 AM	#3
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	Shhhh! Don't give them ideas!

08-25-2010, 08:28 AM	#4
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...&highlight=ads

08-25-2010, 08:37 AM	#5
jhempel24 Wizard Posts: 2,157 Karma: 7068605 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, B&N Nook Colro	Wow, the fact that there was a thread over a year ago that was pulled up is mind boggling LOL, didn't know there was one. I personally wouldn't contribute to the publishers that put ads there, and I'm talking about text w/pics and such.) But for some reason I can see it coming now that these things are seriously taking off and are now being sold at prices that the average consumer can purchase at will.

08-25-2010, 08:43 AM	#6
kcmay Addict Posts: 363 Karma: 500001 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Georgia, USA Device: Kindle2	Can you imagine if the ads could turn on text-to-speech and/or music and start blaring at you when you turned the page? UGH!!

08-25-2010, 08:50 AM	#7
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	If it resulted in lower book prices, I would happily agree to it. It would seem that print ads instead of commercials would be the way to go, because I don't think e-ink could manage an iTunes type ad. I don't know enough about that technology to say for sure. I can imagine it being like magazines, which have lots of ads, but nobody really is bothered by them. It would hurt writers, unless they got a portion of advertising income.

08-25-2010, 09:02 AM	#9
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Before there was an Internet, books had a couple of pages at the back of the book. One would be an order form for more books by the same author, and the other would be an order form for similar books by different authors. We tore out the pages and mailed them in with paper checks, and in 3 or 4 weeks, the books arrived. It was a way to find new writers and books. That would certainly be user friendly advertising to put in ebooks, IMO.

08-25-2010, 09:16 AM	#11
Moejoe Banned Posts: 5,100 Karma: 72193 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: South of the Border Device: Coffin	If they put ads in ebooks someone will program an 'adblock' ebook version where you can turn them off.

08-25-2010, 09:38 AM	#14
Kali Yuga Professional Contrarian Posts: 2,045 Karma: 3289631 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 4 No Touchie	Yep, this topic was thoroughly explored a year or so ago. Apparently Amazon or someone else filed a patent that made a bunch of pundits proclaim that "ads in ebooks" were imminent, much hay was made, etc etc I still seriously doubt we'll see ads in books, though it is possible. When you pull up a title in Google Books, there are a couple of unobtrusive ads on the left side -- small enough that you can easily miss it. That said, there is almost no chance we'll see ad-supported or subsidized ebooks. For example, a typical cost per impression (i.e. one person looking at one web ad) is $0.004. If you have a 250 page book, and an ad on every page, that nets $1 per book. Even at $2 or $3 per book, that's a pretty disruptive experience that will put off a lot of readers. It's certainly not going to generate enough revenues to make an ebook free. I concur though you might see a return of advertising for other books at the end of an ebook.

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