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Old 12-29-2012, 04:10 AM   #6
Canuck_in_Japan
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Posts: 1,474
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3
Quote:
Originally Posted by Top100EbooksRank View Post
I was curious as to how well the Kindle is doing in Japan. It doesn't look like it is taking off because the major publishers are not providing any popular ebook to the store.


Here's the Top 100 Best Sellers right now on Amazon Kindle Japan

GOOGLE TRANSLATION SO NOT VERY ACCURATE

http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/bestselle.../ref=sv_kinc_2

1. within 32 days # 100
How to make the body does not get tired
Sunny Hisanaga

2. within the top 100 for 11 days
Layman's diary opinions of customers of IT marketing Ichi-seki Nagae not ask
Nagae Ichi-seki

3. within 5 days # 100
1: one business trade swordsman swordsman
Shotaro Ikenami

4. within 50 days # 100
Smart notes that a genius and you
Tsukasa husband Doo Okada

5. within 37 days # 100
Is your writing, unclear why or how the 31 sentences of the expert texts not?
Takuro Yamaguchi

6. within 34 days # 100
Naturally attached to the body! 10 000 English Extensive Reading
HELEN BANNERMAN, NEVILL FORBES, VALERY CARRICK, FLORENCE WHITE WILLIAMS, AHIWIN other

7. within 51 days # 100
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
· K · Philip Dick, Hisashi Asakura, cover design (positron) Hiroaki Doi, Hisashi Asakura



And the bestsellers on Science Fiction are mostly English books
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/bestselle...c_3_2275259051

Same with Mystery & Thrillers
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/bestselle...c_3_2275259051

Pretty much the same with other popular fiction genre too.

Romance
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/bestselle...c_3_2275259051




Imaging how popular (unpopular) the Kindle would be if 95% of the English language publishers refuse to sell ebook to Amazon.....ebook might never take off in the West if they never license it. Or maybe has like 1% market share (instead of the predicted 30-35% today).

Now in Japan, it look like the publishers are thinking of physical book future only. And the best way to ensure this is to kill off the ebook by not licensing.

Without the contents, most Japanese would not buy a Kindle or a Kobo. It looks like Kindle in Japan will struggle unless more publishers get on board and right now, they don't want to.
The reason why you're finding nothing but English SF and Mystery books in the links that you've posted is because you've linked the Kindle洋書 section which is Japanese for "Foreign (ie English) books". Naturally there aren't going to be any Japanese books there. Looking in the actual Japanese section there doesn't seem to even be a Science Fiction section but that's another point altogether.
I agree that Kindle and Kobo are facing an uphill battle to gain acceptance but I'm going to need to see a properly researched article with actual citations rather than simply "look at Amazon.co.jp's bestseller list" before I believe that they're a failure.
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