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A different perspective on Amazon
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Interesting. That's the third article I've seen in the last two days mentioning that while Amazon's being painted to be the Big Bad here, that's not necessarily the case. Like you said, there's been a lot of Amazon bashing, but it looks like people are starting to question it.
Whatever happens with Amazon and Hachette, it's going to set the bar for the other big publishers when they come to renegotiate. I think everyone in the book industry is going to be watching this closely.
FYI:
These were the others:
http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/20...
http://dmediamom.com/2014/05/24/amazo...
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It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.
I will read the other articles.
Tickles me. The TV providers have been doing this for years. Pulling network programming when that network wants more money to renew their contract. And it works. Networks give in, programming is restored, bill stays down, whole process repeats the next contract year. All we lose is a few days of our favorite shows. Worth it to save years of higher prices.Sometimes it is the network that pulls their own programming from the provider to "force" a higher priced contract. That fails just as spectacularly.
Either way, the consumer wins. This is a good thing right?
There is a dark side to Amazon, apart from/or as well as ebooks - 1. they don't pay taxes and 2. they treat their staff very badly. As a consequence of not paying taxes they can sell goods competitively - which has the knock on effect that the High Street shops can't compete. Perhaps they should hide their profits as well as Amazon to level the field, and then the government will drift deeper into debt and blame everyone but themselves. Sorry - cynical. Amazon should shut shop in the UK. In the long run it's to our advantage.
Ah yes. I forgot about that because I'm in a state where Amazon has a distribution center and therefore a "physical" presence. Amazon does pay taxes in this state though they did get a 2 year free ride first. And I pay my share whenever I make a purchase. It is a step in the right direction but not the norm. There are plenty of states that demand taxes based on Amazon affiliates meeting the standards for "physical" presence. Slick idea but Amazon quickly countered. No one in those states can be an Amazon affiliate anymore. Problem solved.
I think the whole thing is ridiculous. I don't care how popular a book is, I'm never paying 12.99 much less 14.99 for an ebook.
Shari wrote: "Ah yes. I forgot about that because I'm in a state where Amazon has a distribution center and therefore a "physical" presence. Amazon does pay taxes in this state though they did get a 2 year free ..."I agree - ebooks are very cost effective fr an author as there is no paper cost and that is substantial normally
I too am in a state where Amazon pays taxes because they have a physical presence and pay sales taxes myself with every purchase including e-books. Plus anyone who purchases and ships anything in to my state as gift from Amazon even if they are not one of the states that pays taxes for online purchases will pay my state's sales tax which is ridiculously close to 10% because we don't have state income tax. So no unfair competitive advantage here concerning that.
Anne Rice was quite vocal and bashing on Amazon about a month ago.Also, Amazon claims to be firm and stern when it comes to resolving issues and cracking down on problems but sometimes they are far from it. Taking their sweet time or not even getting involved in matters that need attending. I guess the even the Almighty Amazon has some slouches behind their desks.
Interesting article - thanks for sharing. I'm definitely curious to see where the industry goes - Not just as a result of Amazon, but overall.
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Amazon is not your best friend: Why self-published authors should side with Hachette
http://www.salon.com/2014/06/17/amazo...
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http://flavorwire.com/465416/the-cris...
Amazon's Stancehttp://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,...
Got to say, as a consumer I have to agree. Why are some ebooks so expensive?
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Not ridiculous in all cases. Small publishers and many university presses could not live with the $9.99 model. Their books even at $9.99 don't sell enough copies. But for major trade publishers to set a price above $9.99 may not be fair to the customer or to the author.
I can't resist making one more comment. In nonfiction, especially biography, hardcover outsells ebooks 2 to 1. Example: my biography of Sylvia Plath. The ebook is $8.89, the hardcover twice that price, and yet the hardcover continues to outsell both the paperback and the book. And this is not an anomaly. With fiction it is a different story. Ebook versions of mysteries, for example, do very well and often better than hardcover or paperback. My point is reducing all ebooks to $9.99 or less is not the answer for all titles.
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Here are some other great recent articles on the issue:
Over 900 Authors Lend Their Names To A Letter Backing Hachette http://flip.it/QQLej
Amazon Asks the Internet to Spam Hachette http://flip.it/0WKqi
Amazon Wants You To Fight Its Battle With Hachette http://flip.it/RnIMM
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-...