Read this: The Free Culture AudioBook Project
Let’s say you’ve written a book. A big book. A book that is worth publishing. Let’s say you’ve got a publisher for your book. A big publisher. A publisher that people have heard of. What happens when you convince your publisher to give your book away, for free, to anyone who wants it?
You should read the article. I know I tend to harp on about this a bit, but this is a well thought-out piece about the Lawrence Lessig Free Culture AudioBook project I became involved with not so long ago. The ideas are important, and go far beyond the US boundaries and laws that contextualise the book. It’s one of those big picture issues – and I’m finding it difficult to find people who can discuss it at length.
This is important stuff. More important than LPFM stations treading on each others’ toes, more important than CanWest’s alleged tax trickery, more important even than the fact that I’m getting a 160-gig hard drive, and I’m abandoning the cool, flash AAC format for the more pedestrian and tested mp3 (though I dispute Richard Phelps’ findings on the matter).
My own recorded chapter is here, if you were inclined to listen…
A while back I encouraged my students to record a class version. Some have done it, some got part way and then stopped – others are getting to it. I think there’ll be movement on this over the break.
No marks attached, you see… it’s tough getting something for nothing.
