Quote:
Originally Posted by GA Russell
Instead of creating a window which will encourage pirating, it would make more sense to me to promptly release eBooks in the formats of the cooperative retailers, and let Amazon hang by their thumbs for four months.
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A good idea but one that won't work if the big publishers have signed contracts with Amazon similar to the contracts I have seen for smaller publishers. The contracts I have seen have a clause that says (paraphrasing) if you make something available to our competitors it must be made available to us.
I think the article may well have hit the target in terms of the rationale for the delay. It certainly makes more sense. Amazon, unlike other booksellers, is a major threat to the publishing industry because it has spread its tentacles into virtually every aspect of the industry. If Amazon continues its growth in the bookworld, those who acclaim it for low prices may well sing a different tune; the more dominant Amazon becomes, the more likely there will be an increase in pricing.