Mike Shatzkin weighs in on Pottermore and what options it now creates for the publishing industry.
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The nub:
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Without DRM, as Berlucchi explained, anybody can sell ebooks that can be read on a Kindle. Once Pottermore decided they could live without DRM, they faced Amazon with a very difficult choice. The ebooks were going to go on Kindle devices whether Amazon wanted them there or not. Either they could ignore them or they could play along. I am sure the “play along” deal includes compensation to Amazon for the sales they refer (as it does B&N and, according to a quote from Redmayne, other distribution relations and affiliations will be enabled going forward.)
In other words, in a refreshing change from recent history, the content owner was able to present Amazon with a “take it or leave it” proposition. They decided to “take it”. They were wise. The game was changing either way.
The $64 million question is how the Big Six executives and strategists are viewing these developments. There is no author in the world with the power of J.K. Rowling to do this; she’s the Beatles. But, how about a big publisher? What would happen if Random House or HarperCollins (or one or more of the other four) told Amazon, “we’re taking off the DRM and we’re going to serve all our ebooks ourselves; you’re welcome to continue to sell our books on a referral basis”?
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Could this work? I know the anti DRMists would be cheering on any Big 6 publisher if they tried this, but it would be a big risk. In the comments, Shatzkin details what a publisher would have to do:
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Let's first see whether any of the Big Six a) has the guts to sell without DRM, b) can persuade all the agents for the authors they represent that it is okay, and c) can build a platform that will really work and then d) can make the right deal with Amazon. Or maybe Bookish can become a factor.
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Every one of these is a tough ask, and Amazon won't be sitting still for this, either.
What do you all think?