Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
I would not find the prospect of Amazon leaving the eBook market for good to be bad. In fact, I'd find it to be quite good.
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Although I do not like Amazon, do not buy from Amazon, and worry about Amazon's market power, I disagree, Jon, that it would be good if Amazon quit the ebook market. In fact, I think it would be bad.
If Amazon left the hardware market, that would be OK; it's the ebook market that would be problematic because it would send the message to publishers that ebooks are not a viable market. After all, the one thing Amazon has done correctly over the years is identify and build markets -- even eBay is changing its strategy and emphasis because of Amazon's success.
Publishers were previously reluctant to pursue the ebook market for lots of reasons, but one I heard repeatedly from my publishing clients was that if it was such a great market Amazon would be in it. I haven't heard that one in quite some time. But should Amazon now abandon the ebook market, I think you would see a halt to the progress ebooks are making. I do not think this would be true should Amazon abandon the hardware market, i.e., stop producing and selling Kindles, but I do fear it would occur if Amazon abandoned the ebook part.