Hachette Book Group causing major hassles

[tech_au]

The Hachette book group is the cause of the recent BooksonBoard problem as reported by teleread.org.
Check it out at http://www.teleread.org/blog/2009/01...-distributors/

I am thinking of boycotting them as they seem to be causing a lot of problems at the moment.

[HarryT]

If you read the article, it appears that the "blame" is not one-sided. The reason the books were pulled from BoB is that BoB did not implement a mechanism to restrict the sale of certain books according to the location of the customer, as the publisher required. This is a perfectly reasonable requirement - many authors have single-country distribution deals with particular publishers.

[sianon]

Originally Posted by HarryT

If you read the article, it appears that the "blame" is not one-sided. The reason the books were pulled from BoB is that BoB did not implement a mechanism to restrict the sale of certain books according to the location of the customer, as the publisher required. This is a perfectly reasonable requirement - many authors have single-country distribution deals with particular publishers.

This is not a reasonable requirement in an international web based distribution system. I for one will not buy Mobipocket format again. I am able to buy lit format and remove DRM and this will be the track I take from here in. LIT format with DRM removed is working very well on BeBook with the latest firmware, therefore this will be my preferred purchase now.
Up until now I have not been bothered by DRM but with the latest game playing in the industry I am no longer willing to abide by the game playing of these publishers.

I purchase a high number of e-books and therefore put a large amount of money into this industry (approximate 6 - 12 books per month). I find it ridiculous that I can buy an audio version of a book, a print version, but not able to buy an e-book format.

I live in a country where it is legal to format shift files to enable fair usage, therefore I will take this option.

Karen

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by sianon

This is not a reasonable requirement in an international web based distribution system.

Of course it's reasonable. If I sign a US-exclusive distribution deal with a publisher for my book, then that publisher is not permitted to sell my book outside the US, and it's down to a retailer to provide a mechanism for implementing that restriction - most eBook retailers do have such a mechanism in place.

Numerous products are sold "single country". Try buying a Kindle from Amazon if you live outside the US!

[sianon]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Of course it's reasonable. If I sign a US-exclusive distribution deal with a publisher for my book, then that publisher is not permitted to sell my book outside the US, and it's down to a retailer to provide a mechanism for implementing that restriction - most eBook retailers do have such a mechanism in place.

Numerous products are sold "single country". Try buying a Kindle from Amazon if you live outside the US!

Harry, you and I will clearly not agree on this issue. I do not find it reasonable or acceptable for this kind of game playing to occur on an international playing field.

Karen

[Gaurnim]

Originally Posted by sianon

This is not a reasonable requirement in an international web based distribution system.

The problem is that the web distribution is based on the same contracts as the physical distribution (at least that's how I understand it).
It is then subject to the same country restrictions, even if those make much more sense for the physical distribution than for the web distribution.

[HarryT]

Most book publishing deals have geographical restrictions. Very few publishers are permitted to sell a book world-wide. A specific example: the majority of books have different publishers in the UK and US, for example. In that situation, there is obviously a requirement that the US publisher not be permitted to sell to the UK (and vice versa) since that damages the sales of the "correct" publisher for that country.

You may not like it, but that is the way that the publishing industry works, and it's not going to change in a hurry.

[sianon]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Most book publishing deals have geographical restrictions. Very few publishers are permitted to sell a book world-wide. A specific example: the majority of books have different publishers in the UK and US, for example. In that situation, there is obviously a requirement that the US publisher not be permitted to sell to the UK (and vice versa) since that damages the sales of the "correct" publisher for that country.

You may not like it, but that is the way that the publishing industry works, and it's not going to change in a hurry.

That may be the case Harry, but there are a number of ways to work around it, some of which are legal in my country and I will take those avenues.

Karen

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Most book publishing deals have geographical restrictions. Very few publishers are permitted to sell a book world-wide. A specific example: the majority of books have different publishers in the UK and US, for example. In that situation, there is obviously a requirement that the US publisher not be permitted to sell to the UK (and vice versa) since that damages the sales of the "correct" publisher for that country.

Can't you buy US editions at amazon.com from the UK? I know I can buy buy books without problems at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk from Spain...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Jellby

Can't you buy US editions at amazon.com from the UK? I know I can buy buy books without problems at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk from Spain...

It's a different arrangement. With Amazon (or any other physical bookstore), Amazon buy the book from the publisher and can then sell it on to whomsoever they wish. With an eBook, you're getting the book directly from the publisher - the web site is simply providing a "portal" for you to do so. eBook stores don't "buy" books from the publisher in advance and then re-sell them to you - if they did, the problem wouldn't arise. Amazon's e-Books are single-country - you can't buy them unless you have a US credit card.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Jellby

Can't you buy US editions at amazon.com from the UK? I know I can buy buy books without problems at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk from Spain...

Some bookshops in London sells US versions of sf books. I do not see anything rational in that I am not going to be able to buy an English language ebook not available in Sweden from were I want since I can do that with paper books. Just another reason to buy the paper book and download the ebook.

[sianon]

Originally Posted by Gaurnim

The problem is that the web distribution is based on the same contracts as the physical distribution (at least that's how I understand it).
It is then subject to the same country restrictions, even if those make much more sense for the physical distribution than for the web distribution.

However I can log onto Amazon and buy a paper book regardless of where I live and have it posted to me. Why should the e-book world work in a different manner. These tactics are only going to delay adoption of e-book technology.
Karen

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by sianon

However I can log onto Amazon and buy a paper book regardless of where I live and have it posted to me. Why should the e-book world work in a different manner.

I've explained what the difference is in message #10 above.

[sianon]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've explained what the difference is in message #10 above.

Yes Harry, you have and I don't accept it. As I said earlier, you and I will not agree on this topic. The interesting aspect of all of this is that the affected books on Books on Board are still available in LIT format whcih is far easier to circumvent the DRM than any other format.

Karen

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's a different arrangement. With Amazon (or any other physical bookstore), Amazon buy the book from the publisher and can then sell it on to whomsoever they wish. With an eBook, you're getting the book directly from the publisher - the web site is simply providing a "portal" for you to do so. eBook stores don't "buy" books from the publisher in advance and then re-sell them to you - if they did, the problem wouldn't arise. Amazon's e-Books are single-country - you can't buy them unless you have a US credit card.

It's not a different arrangement.

Amazon or a physical bookstore buys books from a distributor (Amazon is its own distributor, actually). BooksonBoard also bought ebooks from distributors: Ingram Digital, Overdrive, and Mobipocket.

There is no reason BoB shouldn't have the same rights as any other retailer. If Hatchette had tried the same thing with paper books, I wonder if it would be legal in the US?