E-book vs physical books

[Tim]

Will wrote: "Here's a thought for the Kindlers, too.

You do NOT own the books, just the ability to access the text.

In 5 Years time, Amazon brings out a new platform. All new releases are for both platforms,..."

It's just not an issue.

Everybody who cares about such things will have future proofed themselves anyway by backing up their books into Calibre or similar. And as we know the only "problem" is with the books that have DRM, and even that isn't really a problem with a little effort.

As you say, we have a licence to access the text, so it's only fair that we take measures to defend that right.

[Michelle]

I back up my entire Kindle library to dropbox every now and then so if anything happened at home I'd still have my backup.

[David]

Patti (baconater) wrote: "Calibre is our friend."

Not only that, the Amazon format is only one format.
The files won't disappear as if by magic if Amazon goes titsup.

The authors still will have the original files - and more importantly - the rights to those files. Well, us indies will anyway.

By then there will be many more ereaders and apps, and perhaps new delivery systems not heard of yet. Other ways, other routes - perhaps even cheaper.

If the unlikely happens, Amazon will learn what the trad publishers are learning now, what matters are the writers and the readers and those that stand between them are unimportant.

[Jim]

Patti (baconater) wrote: "Calibre is our friend.

And I'm surprised with you Will.

You're happy to sell ebooks, right?"

I'm happy to sell firewater and Winchesters to repressed ethnic freedom fighters as well, but it doesn't necessarily make me a bad person :-)

[Tim]

I remember my first Winchester - 5 ¼" full height, and held 20 MEGAbytes! Cost a fortune too!

[Lynne (Tigger's Mum)]

Will does have a point but for me personally I'm not worried. Thinking on those lines its no different to how I read and then pass on paperbacks, I seldom keep or read fiction more than once. Its like a personal library service. The only books I buy to keep are hardbacks usually, gardening and flowers, cookery books and travel books.

[Elaine]

I read both on the kindle and paperbacks, though I prefer the whole idea of having my library with me at all times. I am just a sucker for the 50p paperback shelf in the charity shop though.

[Will]

We didn't stop walking when they invented cars. We didn't stop going to live concerts when they invented CDs.

Mind you we did stop going to HMV when they invented iTunes.

[Tim]

I'll have you know I was in HMV only yesterday, browsing the new release blu rays. Then I went next door to Waterstones, sat in their in-store Costa with a flat white, and ordered it for £5 less on Amazon.

[Patti (baconater)]

That's my boy, Tim.

[Will]

Which is why waterstones have had to deal with the devil, really