10-15-2010, 09:42 PM | #1 |
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Borders launches its self-publishing service
But it's service with a fee: $89.99 or $199.99.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...g-service.html Jan |
10-17-2010, 09:10 PM | #2 |
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Wow, this is a white-hot thread, huh? If I were Borders, I'd be looking at the total non-response to their announcement with more than a bit of worry.
My own reaction is: I can self-publish on the #1 bookseller's site for free, and on the #2 bookseller's site for free, and on Smashwords with distribution to B&N, Kobobooks, Diesel, Apple and the Sony store for free. Yet Borders wants ninety bucks for distribution through Borders and...not sure who else. I really have to wonder what a Borders business meeting looks like. It's like a business run from the Bizarro planet. |
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10-17-2010, 09:32 PM | #3 | |
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I found the comment below the article to be interesting.
Quote:
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10-17-2010, 10:15 PM | #4 |
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Sounds to me like the kind of thing you do when you want people to think you can serve self-publishers, but you really, really don't want to.
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10-17-2010, 11:23 PM | #5 |
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My opinion is that this is little more than Vanity Press for eBooks. An article recently went on to say (endorsed by Borders) that you can "simply, with one click download your blog and turn it into an ebook).
And they'll simply charge you 90 bucks for doing that - disgraceful attempt. Whoever came up with this stupidity has either been on a very long holiday somewhere really quiet with no media - or they're actually an Employee of Amazon on a mission ... |
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10-18-2010, 06:45 AM | #6 |
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10-19-2010, 01:50 AM | #7 |
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I played around with this thing for a while this evening. I get the impression "BookBrewer" isn't actually a Borders product, but maybe I'm wrong. It felt as though it was a totally separate company which Borders had contracted with to handle their entry into the self-publishing ebook market. I say that because the BookBrewer site refers to making your ebook available at multiple ebook sellers, without ever mentioning Borders by name.
Unfortunately, it's a terrible model, since, as pointed out above, there are several options ebook authors have that are completely free...and not brand-new, untested BETA software that's full of errors. This stuff is totally not ready for prime time, and even when it does run, all it does is turn your formatted file back into a plain jane text file with double-spacing between paragraphs--bleah! Who thought this was a good business move? Why not just accept pre-formed epub or mobi files? Duh! --Maria |
10-19-2010, 03:20 PM | #8 |
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Seems to me that Borders was in bankruptcy? Or headed there?
As others have said above, with both Amazon and B&N offering excellent deals, it seems to me that only the foolish who go with such an offer. I would suggest that Borders needs to jump on the emerging model train and offer a 79% deal. |
10-19-2010, 10:49 PM | #9 |
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Honestly, I don't think that Borders is capable of saving itself. I'm not happy about this, as I would dearly love for them to succeed, but absolutely nothing they're doing shows me that anyone in management has a clue about how to buoy up this sinking ship.
Borders is the only retailer in the USA of the Kobo reader, which I love. So it saddens me to see the Kindle, sponsored by the #1 bookseller in America, also available at Target and Best Buy and Staples, while the Kobo's future is tied to that of Borders, which is failing fast. This is a bad sign for epub and open standards in general. |
10-20-2010, 12:55 PM | #10 |
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10-20-2010, 01:26 PM | #11 |
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Not only is charging the $90 fee for distribution a bad idea (making it a vanity press), but the $199 it's charging to create (but not distribute) e-books far exceeds what other e-book producers cost ($50-$100). Borders doesn't seem likely to survive. Which is too bad, because my local Borders is the only bookstore that has really supported me as an author.
L.J. The Sex Club is now $.99! |
10-20-2010, 05:03 PM | #12 | |
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Quote:
Raise your hand if you think their execs did any market research on this topic before jumping in... |
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10-20-2010, 08:13 PM | #13 |
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the news is constantly reporting that ebooks are killing stores like borders and barnes and noble, as well as publishers, when in reality they're doing a fine job of finding ways to damage their businesses all by themselves.
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10-23-2010, 11:43 PM | #14 |
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Huh, Sex Club - and an Oregon author - for 99 cents. How can I resist.
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