Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyc
Interesting about your bias against Amazon exclusives. Do you hold the same views for the print publishers? For B&N Exclusives? Baen Only books?
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Yes and no. Yes, I do not knowingly buy B&N exclusives either. No, I will buy Baen-only books. I know that seems hypocritical, but I view Baen differently, as I think most ebookers do, than the retailers. More importantly with Baen, at least for me, is that of the Baen authors I read, and there are only a very few, I'm not much into military sci-fi, I always buy the hardcover and I buy it at a local retailer. After I have bought the hardcover, I would, in the past, go to Baen and buy the ebook for $6. Now that they have increased the price by 50%, I'll just read the hardcover.
I think that an author should make his/her book available to anyone who wants to buy it, even if the price is free. I should not have to buy it and then convert it to another format and hope that the conversion went well or spend time cleaning it up just to read a book. I already have hundreds of books to read and there are thousands more I can get without having to convert.
I also do not want to give Amazon the idea that I approve of its desire to be vertically integrated in the book business. I do not want to see the day arrive when the only place I can buy a book is at Amazon. What will happen on that day when Amazon decides that there is more money to be had in only making zombie books available?
I've heard the argument that someone else will pop up and challenge Amazon. The reality is that won't happen and any attempt to do so will take time before Amazon buries the new competitor. Look at what is happening in the UK market where Sony has started the 20p campaign. Amazon is willing to lose millions of dollars in price match. Do you think Books on Board could do the same?
The Sony campaign is really an attempt to make Amazon lose money, not sell more books. Since the campaign has started and Amazon has price matched, most of the 20p books sold have been sold by Amazon, not Sony.
Anyway, I do not want to encourage Amazon or authors to continue exclusive arrangements and so I simply refuse to buy or review such books.