If the e-book stores had framed their business as a super digital lending library (with prices to match) I might be an avid customer by now. Instead, by saying I am buying the book, and charging prices that are a delta on the cover price rather than a delta on the cost of a lending library, they draw my attention increasingly to all the things I can’t do – lend, share, resell, bequeath – and I usually order the paper version. Perhaps it’s time for some reframing? Maybe for app stores too?

Simon is in much the same mindset I am here, and it really makes me wonder how much money the publishers are leaving on the table because they don’t understand that ebooks are to books as radio is to records, at least as implemented.

Time to make these things actually property, so I can lend, resell, and donate. Or change the pricing to rental pricing.