Quote:
Originally Posted by ApK
Nothing would prevent him from distributing a multimedia mobi outside of Amazon, though, correct?
Are there any policy restrictions about, say, including in the KDP version a link to a web site where one could get the multimedia version?
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Hi:
You'd have to ask Amazon. If he puts it in KDP Select, yes, that would violate their policies. If he doesn't, I should think that no, it wouldn't be a problem. What I would personally avoid like the kiss of death, however, is providing tech support to those folks who don't know how to sideload.
I mean, here's a possible issue: I think it's possible that if you use the PDS (Personal Document Service, aka the Kindle email addy) to send your multi-media file to your Fire, say, it could get stripped in the Xfer.
Not that long ago, the PDS still used the old MBPC-method of converting files sent to the device, so even if you had a K8-mobi (say, with fonts), it would come out a .prc file at the device itself. That's been fixed, but it still indicates that a process/publishing workflow of some kind exists, similar to the KDP upload.
IF that is the case, then
you would not be able to 'sideload' by emailing the doc to the device. This means manual transfer, either via USB and/or using a "real" wifi Xfer, *(not the faux, "send to Kindle by wifi," which uses the PDS) like Dooblou.
I can say with some authority that unlike MR'ers, the vast majority of the buying public does NOT KNOW HOW to xfer documents with USB, much less install a Doubloo (sp?) app and use that to transfer books to their Kindle. We spend a massive amount of time here at my company instructing people how to download a file from a browser, or even save a file that was emailed to them for which they do not have an existing program to "launch" it, so trust me, providing download tech support on something like this, assuming that it was intended for the average Kindle user, would have to be offset with very significant price point. The amount of tech support needed is truly mind-blowing.
I have had somewhere around 10 professional clients, companies that are lawfirms, other types of profesional environments, STOP selling any type of ebooks from their own websites because they got their asses handed to them on the costs of the endless phone calls about downloading, saving and launching/opening/sideloading, etc. In fact: I can state that not one single firm that took this on has kept doing it; they are all now THRILLED to pay Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc., their percentage to deal with the tech support.
I know that's not really what you asked, but...thought I should mention it, as I have some not-insignificant experience with that end of it.
Hitch