An open letter to Neil Gaiman
UPDATE: Neil’s response answers (via twitter) added in.
A little over two weeks ago, we sent this same (or, mostly the same) series of questions to Cat Mihos, as per the neilgaiman.com FAQ. We know Mr. Gaiman is incredibly busy and that responding to an interview request from a website he’s probably never heard of isn’t at the top — or even the bottom — of his list of priorities. Still, we think these are important questions, so we wanted to get them out there.
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As a follower of Neil’s blog for a couple years now, I’ve always been particularly interested in his thoughts when it comes to digital media and technology. I remember Neil’s testimonial video back when Amazon first launched the Kindle, for example, and I suspect all of those celebrity clips played a role in the growing success of not only the Kindle, but also the Nook and various other readers. Neil’s advocacy was certainly one of the first times I thought that it might be feasible to read (and enjoy) a book in a digital format.
I’m also interested in Neil’s take on book lending. There’s an oft-repeated story in which he asks a group of people to raise their hand if they discovered their favorite author by borrowing a book, and we often see that exchange cited when Lendle and the issue of Kindle (or Nook) lending comes up. We’re not quite sure if Neil is being taken out of context, though.
We’d love the debate surrounding lending restrictions to see more play, but we’re not sure how that can happen if authors don’t start weighing in. At this point, it seems as though the booksellers and the publishing industry are dictating the terms. Consumers don’t seem to have much of a voice and even library groups are left in the dark.
We have a few questions that we think will be of interest to our users:
Q: We’re familiar with your past remarks on piracy and lending, but we also recognize the inherent difference between lending amongst friends and lending an ebook, potentially hundreds of times, to a series of complete strangers. Does the more open nature of digital editions change your perspective, at all?
Neil: Not really.
Q: Both the Kindle and the Nook impose DRM restrictions on lending. (Lendable books can only be lent one time, ever, and lends are restricted to fourteen days.) Jeff Bezos famously dismissed Nook lending as “extremely limited” not long before announcing an identical model for the Kindle. Do you think these are reasonable or helpful restrictions? Should lending be restricted at all?
Neil: No.
Q: Lendle is a crowd-sourced lending site which aims to foster a sense of fun and community around reading. We think this ultimately leads to purchases that benefit authors and publishers. We operate within Amazon’s restrictions, but we also know that we’ve opened up lending to a wider audience than publishers may have envisioned. Do you think there’s a saturation point where lending becomes or could become harmful to authors?
Neil: Possibly.
Q: Tim O’Reilly says that “obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy.” If, as some people would prefer, lending were completely open — books could be lent out an unlimited number of times — could authors still make money selling digital books?
Neal: Yes, under certain models.
Q: It’s rare to see popular titles that are lending-enabled. (As of right now, none of your books can be lent out. Stieg Larson’s books are a universal no, as are books by Tolkien, Salinger, and George R.R. Martin.) At the same time, both Amazon and Barnes and Noble tout “lending” as a major feature of their devices. Publishers are clearly circling the digital age, and some don’t allow lending at all. Would you prefer your books to be lending-enabled?
Neil: Yes.
Q: Do authors have any say when it comes to the question of whether their books will be lendable?
Neil: It depends.
Q: Does the publishing industry need an overwhelming market leader to drive change? Apple eventually forced the hand of the music industry with the iPod, iTunes, and a critical mass of consumers. It looks as though the Kindle is shaping up to be “the iPod of e-reading” but Amazon seems more interested in standing up to the music labels than in a fight with the publishing industry. Who needs to step up and advocate for readers?
Neil: I don’t know.
Q: Building on that, is there a perceived lack of glamour in publishing that means these issues won’t get the attention that the movie and music industries see?
Neil: Ditto.
Q: We get a lot of really positive feedback about the service we provide (librarians seem to love us) but, to some, Lendle will eventually kill the publishing industry and is even “stealing” money from authors. As an author, have you been affected in any way by the the growing popularity of digital books?
Neil: I sell more books.
Q: Is there a lending model that you think would work better for publishers, authors, and consumers?
Neil: I’m sure there is.
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We plan to tweet this to the attention of Mr. Gaiman’s twitter account: @neilhimself
Perhaps enough retweets will bring our questions to his attention, or convince him that this is something that is of interest to his fans. (Neil was gracious enough to respond via twitter.) As always, we’re hoping to create a discussion with those in a position to really make a difference. We’re asking Mr. Gaiman not to single him out or make him look bad, but because we really respect his work* and because his past remarks point to an interest in the subject of lending.
*Not to mention his recent turn writing a Doctor Who episode which finally breathed a spark of whimsy and life into Matt Smith’s Doctor!
