Quote:
Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks
...I'm not entirely convinced that the big publishers are going to hand over their new and popular books.
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They shouldn't. Not enmasse.
Subscription services, if done right, are supplements to sales channels, not replacements. On both the music and video sides there are restrictions, windows, and limits designed to prevent cannibalization while still offering value to consumers. In general, the video guys have done a better job of carving out a revenue-enhancing niche alongside the older distribution systems than the music guys but they also have an easier job; they started with a stable well-structured system and hadn't sat still for two decades milking one format.
I'll be wanting to see what terms Amazon cooks up on both ends of the service to balance out both reader and publisher interests but the second thing that caught my eye in the promo video is the exploration/discovery angle. Unlike other services, who actually *hope* to cannibalize sales as much as possible, Amazon has a vested interest in using KU to boost sales so their focus and terms are likely to be geared to getting readers acquainted with new authors (and genres) to build up their followers. In other words, make it a marketting tool, first and foremost.
Just a sweetly appealing one where even frogs might get a chance to get kissed.
