if you’re a reader or a writer, and you’ve been on the net over the last few days, then you’re no doubt aware of the Amazon / Macmillan stoush. There’s been plenty written about it on blogs and websites, but the best two blogs I’ve come across were by the ever practical John Scalzi, and Charles Stross. For my part, I think it comes down to one thing–choice.
The publishers want you to have it. Amazon don’t.
Yeah, yeah, Amazon would have you believe that it’s all about the money and the price of books, and that the publishers are the big bads wanting to over price books, but let’s be realistic here. Amazon want to corner the market. They want to make themselves THE place to get ebooks. That’s what the Kindle and the 9.99 price point is all about. Amazon lose money selling ebooks at that price, but they don’t care because to get that price, you, the reader, have to buy a kindle. And guess what? They make lots of lovely money on the kindle.
Personally, I’m glad Apple decided to step into the ring with its IPad. It once again opens the field and gives the marketplace another option. Up until that point, Amazon and it’s kindle was looking like the only viable option in town when it came to easy-to-get ebooks–and tell me, since when has a company achieving a monopoly ever resulted in cheaper prices?
Anyway, enough of that. Onto the writing update:
Story–Dark Angels
New pages – 10 (over the weekend)
Current page count – 363
Intriguing things – The bad guys kidnapped one of Risa’s friends. Bad, bad move.
Annoyances – Muse would rather watch Supernatural!
Music – Eco Zen 2
Taking care of Keri – dieting, exercising, crap like that. lol
Muse food – promising the muse a supernatural season 5 blitz once this story is finished!
February 7th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
This whole fight is going to cost only one party in the end…the reader/buyer. I am going to pay for this! No one has asked my opinion? No one has asked what platform (which ebook, or format or paper book) I prefer? No one asked what price I believe is fair for a book?
I waited to chose buying a Kindle. I liked the set up and the ease of buying books. I am a Budget Analyst and did the “math” to determine if I felt the price was worth it for me.
The Kindle has changed my reading habits and my purchasing habits. I have purchased more new books in the last 9 months than in the last 5 years. I read so much that I had begun only buying at a Used Bookstore in my town. I rarely when to Borders to buy something new unless I just could not wait for a copy to show up at the used bookstore.
No one asked me if I wanted to buy an iPad (which is a dumb name to begin with). I do not want a device that can go to the moon and read an ebook too. I don’t want my book in color with videos and COMMERCIALS from the publishers. I love the Kindle.
I will be looking into taking up more knitting in the future it would appear.
February 8th, 2010 at 7:00 am
Teresa, if Amazon and its kindle get a lion’s share of the market, do you really think they’ll leave the price that low? As a said, Amazon are making a loss by selling at that point. If they do grab the market share, and do force publishers to meet their demands price wise, who do you think will be the loser then? Not Amazon, but publishers and authors AND readers. Publishers and authors because they need to make money to stay in business and readers because in the end there will be less choice, and a restricted marketplace always leads to higher prices. If not in the ebooks, then in print books. WHich won\’t bother you, but authors can’t live on earnings from ebooks, and despite the upsurge in sales, probably won\’t be able to for some time yet.
I agree that the IPad is a sucky name, but at least with Apple signing an agreement with five of the six major publishers, it provides another option to the kindle–one that doesn’t restrict the format you can read books in.
I don’t have a problem with the kindle itself, or Amazon offering ebooks for the kindle. I do object to them basically telling publishers they will do what they are told, or else we’ll pull all your books from our site. Which is exactly what they did to Macmillan. Where they thinking of the buying public when they pulled the buy button from every single Macmillan book ? Not likely.
February 9th, 2010 at 6:43 am
I agree with you about choice. My mom got me a sony reader that I really love. I have to download to my computer first but I can buy books anywhere. They have also come out with a new version this year that is wireless.It has also changed my reading patterns. I have bought more books this year than in any past. I am finding new authors from promotions sony has done on its site. I absolutly love Riley and your books and can’t wait to find out what happens to her and start to read Risa’s story. All the best
February 9th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
HI Linda
I’ve heard really great things about the Sony. If the powers that be could sort out the copyright problems and allow those of us outside the US to download any book we want easily, I’d get one of those in an instant over the Kindle or the IPAd
February 14th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Hi Keri,
I’m just hearing all about this kerfufle, but here’s what I wonder: Why on earth should any ebook, regardless of platform, cost the same or more than a print book? If there is no paper, no ink, no machines, no storing, no shipping, and no labor for those things, why is ebook pricing even dependent on physical book pricing? One electronic file is created, and then it’s sold over and over and over. eBooks SHOULD be cheaper.
As a consumer, I WANT a lower priced book, and at the same time I’d like to see my beloved authors get more than .49 per paperback sold. Sounds to me like there needs to be an entirely new model for the ebook industry, wouldn’t ya think??
February 15th, 2010 at 9:44 am
I know my question has nothing to do with your post, but I was wondering about the release date of “Mercy Burns
Book 2 of the Myth and Magic series”.
On your homepage it says that it will be release in May 2010, but since I have never “read” you talking about it, I was wondering if the release date is still correct.
Thanks!
February 16th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Jennifer, while its true that once an electronic file (e-book) is created, it can be sold over & over again, the same amount of work goes into creating that file as did the printed version, simply because they are one and the same. The same amount of editing, line editing, art work, publicity, & printing (whether that be preparing it for print to paper or electronic file). And then, of course, they need to pay us authors.
So e-books are never going to be as cheap as the reading public might want. If they were, then the system would probably collapse (as evidenced by the number of e-book publishers who have gone out of business over the last fews years. Quite simply, there just isn’t enough e-book readers out there yet) So basically, publishers need to set a price that isn’t going to destroy their main revenue stream (which is still printed books).
Market forces will in the end dictate what the price will be–and I personally doubt that the prices will remain so high.
February 16th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Hi Meike, the release date on the website it wrong (haven’t updated it). It’s coming out Jan 2011. The last Riley — Moon Sworn — is coming out in May instead.
March 5th, 2010 at 1:01 am
I will always vote for the good ole fashion way of reading… book in hand.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Amazon is also having a tax war with Colorado and are now refusing to send anything to anyone who lives there. I can’t buy your books from them anymore and it was the easiet place to find them too.
March 16th, 2010 at 11:17 am
While I don’t know much about the topic of this post it was interesting to read…. and I love the fact I have found another “Supernatural” fan out there… I live where they film and have a friend who got me a personal signed pic of J & J. Hope to meet them for real one day!! I’m currently flying through the seasons right from the beginning… love, love, love it!!!
Keep up the good work….