PediaPress, VDM Publishing, Making money off Wikipedians' work? Options Rating

[HRIP7]

Interesting thread on the Foundation list.

What with about 150,000 Wikipedia books out by the Alphascript and Betasricpt imprints of VDM Publishing (nudging towards 10% of the 2 million book titles that amazon offers), Pediapress keeping 90% of the proceeds they make off the Wikipedia book feature in the left sidebar, the issue of who makes money off Wikipedians' work (while the Foundation asks the public for donations) will no doubt gain in importance over the coming years.

Isn't it funny that all these companies are German? I wonder who in Wikimedia Germany has a finger in those pies.

This issue has a greater potential for killing Wikipedia than poor administration, porn scandals and BLP disasters taken together. The moment "teh community" realises they work their butts off to make some fat cat fatter, the air will go out of the balloon.

[BelovedFox]

Interesting thread on the Foundation list.

What with about 150,000 Wikipedia books out by the Alphascript and Betasricpt imprints of VDM Publishing (nudging towards 10% of the 2 million book titles that amazon offers), Pediapress keeping 90% of the proceeds they make off the Wikipedia book feature in the left sidebar, the issue of who makes money off Wikipedians' work (while the Foundation asks the public for donations) will no doubt gain in importance over the coming years.

Isn't it funny that all these companies are German? I wonder who in Wikimedia Germany has a finger in those pies.

This issue has a greater potential for killing Wikipedia than poor administration, porn scandals and BLP disasters taken together. The moment "teh community" realises they work their butts off to make some fat cat fatter, the air will go out of the balloon.

Given that these are essentially computer-generated books with obviously poor production values, I seriously doubt they are making anyone seriously rich.

[HRIP7]

Interesting thread on the Foundation list.

What with about 150,000 Wikipedia books out by the Alphascript and Betasricpt imprints of VDM Publishing (nudging towards 10% of the 2 million book titles that amazon offers), Pediapress keeping 90% of the proceeds they make off the Wikipedia book feature in the left sidebar, the issue of who makes money off Wikipedians' work (while the Foundation asks the public for donations) will no doubt gain in importance over the coming years.

Isn't it funny that all these companies are German? I wonder who in Wikimedia Germany has a finger in those pies.

This issue has a greater potential for killing Wikipedia than poor administration, porn scandals and BLP disasters taken together. The moment "teh community" realises they work their butts off to make some fat cat fatter, the air will go out of the balloon.

Given that these are essentially computer-generated books with obviously poor production values, I seriously doubt they are making anyone seriously rich.

Oh, I don't know. If you leaf through the European Union one, for example, it looks like it might be kind of useful.

Current catalog of books available.

Of course, there is also the vanity market for Wikipedians. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/tongue.gif) Written a few FAs? Hey, you can have a book of them. In colour and all.

[NuclearWarfare]

Oh, I don't know. If you leaf through the European Union one, for example, it looks like it might be kind of useful.

Current catalog of books available.

Would you spend $100 on that?

I would be interested to know how many people have actually bought something off of PediaPress, as opposed to just making a Book.

[HRIP7]

Oh, I don't know. If you leaf through the European Union one, for example, it looks like it might be kind of useful.

Current catalog of books available.

Would you spend $100 on that?

I would be interested to know how many people have actually bought something off of PediaPress, as opposed to just making a Book.

No, I wouldn't. Erik Möller sez PediaPress sell about 8,000 books per annum. Assuming an average price of $50, that would make $400,000, and (at most) $40,000 for the Foundation, which I guess is small change.

The pdf feature is used to create 85,000 PDF files per day.