Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have given honest feedback to my friend

30 replies

Moknicker · 06/11/2011 20:28

He asked for it. Said he was starting a business to sell non-fiction books over the web by the page and wanted to know if I thought it was a good idea. I said i didnt think so (i explained the reasons but prob not relevant here ). Now his wife has called up to say that I had no cause to be so negative etc etc and that he is depressed and down.

A bit of history - this guy is being made redundant. having trouble finding a job and hence looking to start something on his own.

Everyone (DH, Sis) etc are putting the guilt trip - AIBU to have been honest?

OP posts:
LindyHemming · 06/11/2011 20:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gordyslovesheep · 06/11/2011 20:30

YANBU - you would a rubbish friend if you let him invest time and money in something that sounds daft - and he sounds a bit odd getting his wife to call you!

Backtobedlam · 06/11/2011 20:32

As a friend I think you did the right thing giving your honest opinion. Surely it's worse to let him put money into the idea, work at it, and then be unsuccessful. Besides, it's your opinion...if he thinks it's a good idea and is commited to making it work he'll go ahead anyway. YANBU

Whatmeworry · 06/11/2011 20:35

If he can't deal with a friend telling him the problems how the hell will he deal with the (probably many) people who are sceptics out there. This is exactly the sort of thing he needs answers for.

Original poster
Moknicker · 06/11/2011 20:37

Yes i too thought it was a daft idea Gordy and the reason his wife called me is because she is my original friend.

OP posts:
MeconiumHappens · 06/11/2011 23:12

Sounds like a crap idea. Best he find that out now before investing time and money in it. Thats what friends are for.

Toplistmaker · 06/11/2011 23:14

YANBU, it sounds a very bad business idea.

ChippingInNeedsSleep · 06/11/2011 23:20

YADNBU - you were being a good friend. It's a shame he's depressed and down but that's about the whole situation not what you said. If everyone just says it's a fab idea to keep him happy then what happens when it all goes tits up? Your friend is being ridiculous, but I'd cut her some slack as she's probably really worried about him & their finances. Can you talk to her about it all?

wannaBe · 06/11/2011 23:22

no yanbu. if he didn't want honest feedback then he shouldn't ask for it.

Towndon · 06/11/2011 23:24

YANBU, as long as the "reasons" you gave weren't insults!

madeupstuff · 06/11/2011 23:26

YANBU - but what was the idea really, selling books 'by the page' ?!... as in buying pages of a book that would then be posted to you? Have I missed the point?

"Can I please have p17 of...." ?!

PartyPooperz · 06/11/2011 23:46

YANBU - did you explain to your friend (his wife) that you would have been being a bad friend to encourage him to invest time and money in something you didn't think was a runner?

SamWidgiz · 06/11/2011 23:50

Plus his idea does sound a bit rubbish...

Who would buy a book by the page?

thepollydoll · 07/11/2011 00:00

YANBU - He sought your opinion, you gave it. (assuming, of course, you politely gave your opinion and not told him "what a ridiculous idea you idiot" or something equally blunt/rude Wink !!!)

TheBrideofFrankenstein · 07/11/2011 00:06

I don't think the idea is that bad. Say you only want/need a chapter of a non-fiction book that costs £40 but you can have the chapter for £3. I can see a demand. However, I can also see massive issues with copyright etc.and not sure how you'd get around it. There's also the issue of if it's such a good idea, why isn't someone already doing it? That's the acid test I think,

I guess what I'm saying is that whilst I can see that someone might think it's a good idea, there are probably really good reasons why it isn't if you know about the sector, and that is all part of being a successful entrepreneur - being prepared to bin ideas based on informed feedback/ your own research.

YANBU- he might be wrong, you might be wrong, but at least he should take your opinions on board and do more research/ get another opinion.

Original poster
Moknicker · 07/11/2011 10:14

Madeupstuff - i think the basic idea is like thebride said - you can buy a book by page(s), chapter etc i.e. you can get the parts that you want and pay only for the bit you want and you can read it in your online account or print it off.

My response was not rude or anything - I just cant see much demand for it thats all and spent the better part of our lunch trying to justify and the remainder feeling bad.

OP posts:
Whatmeworry · 07/11/2011 10:22

I think it may work, but it would be quite specialised - and dealing with a friendly sceptic's objections is all a part of crafting one's story and winnowing the thinking. Better it comes from you, now.

Original poster
Moknicker · 07/11/2011 10:36

Yes - whatmeworry - quite specialised is right. He said for eg, people might want to buy the Kamasutra by the relevant pages!!

OP posts:
TheBrideofFrankenstein · 07/11/2011 10:41

I can see it appealing to students but the problem is that they are

1 skint

  1. the group of people with arguably the best access to libraries.

Also

  1. cheap scanners have been the game changer- you don't even have to spend money on photocopying chunks of book anymore- you can just borrow the book from the library and scan the relevant pages into your computer.

The other big flaw I can see with his plan is that it's impossible to protect, so if it works, someone like Amazon will just jump on the bandwagon.......and actually, why haven't Amazon already thought of this, as they are now officially masters of the e-book universe and have the whole publishing sector over a barrel?

ZacharyQuack · 07/11/2011 10:42

Would he be able to get the rights to sell books by the chapter?

If, for example, he sold individual pages or chapters of a Lonely Planet book, wouldn't Lonely Planet sue his arse off? Or make him pay full price for each book partially sold?

It's not in the copyright holder's best interest to sell part of a book for a lesser price than selling the whole book.

TheBrideofFrankenstein · 07/11/2011 10:46

I'm pretty sure you can just google karmasutra

Original poster
Moknicker · 07/11/2011 11:02

Zachquack - I think hes got some agreement with some publishers for some text books cookery books etc.

OP posts:
Whatmeworry · 07/11/2011 11:18

Id see it more about getting rare but valuable information, eg research stuff, that often sits behind a paywall of several thousand dollars.

Snorbs · 07/11/2011 11:24

I agree. There's little market value in such an idea, not least because Google is already doing it more or less the same thing, for free, as part of Google Books. How can you hope to compete against free?

learningtofly · 07/11/2011 11:25

Well it could work but it sounds more of something you could do on the side rather than a full time business

Swipe left for the next trending thread