In a previous post I mentioned that Lessig’s book, Free Culture, was being made available free online, while the physical book could be purchased through the normal channels. This is a view of the potential future of publishing. Unfortunately, many people and organisations like the CRIA, don’t seem to understand the new medium. Creative Commons now reports that Lessig’s book has gone into its third printing. Making digital content freely available actually increases the sale of the physical product. If you don’t understand this, start with The Cluetrain Manifesto.
Commerce is accelerated by spreading ideas and encouraging openness. Innovation comes from the edges, not the centre, so ideas and content must get out to the edges. Many of those 180,000 downloads of Free Culture were made by people who would not have bought the book anyway. But now they are talking about the book, and that is accelerating its purchase. I had read much of The Cluetrain Manifesto online, and when I saw a copy at an airport bookshop, I immediately bought it for my own library.
