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Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg
Amazon is trying to suck the oxygen out of the market for lower-priced literature by pushing down the prices of brand name imprints so they will more often compete with the indie product.
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Implicit in your statement is the premise that "brand name imprints" should not have to compete with Indies and the like, simply because they are "brand name imprints". Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe your objection is based on the "devaluing ebooks by discounting" argument. That is, Amazon, by its discounting, is destroying an existing perception that "brand name imprints" are superior to and not competing with the Indies. I would suggest to you that ebooks should compete on the basis of their quality as perceived by the market. "Brand name imprints", if in fact of superior quality, should sell more copies and in fact, according to Amazon, achieve optimal revenue at $9.99, well above the price of most Indies. If, of course, the perception I refer to above is incorrect ........
Your formulation of what Amazon is trying to do may well be correct. The common portrayal of Amazon as engaged in a price race to the bottom is simplistic and inaccurate. Amazon's strategy, not of course explicitly disclosed anywhere, can only be discerned from their actions and statements they have made. But I think we can safely say that they have implemented a long term strategy. I also think we can safely say that their long term goal is to dominate and control not only the retail book market but also the publishing market. This may lead to problems further down the track, depending on how well they succeed in achieving their goals, and how they choose to deal with their position of dominance. It is unlikely in my view that Amazon's success would result in a worse position for either readers or the vast majority of authors than we had with BWM publishers.
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I have no sure way to know, but suppose it is true that most big publishing executives have a snobbish attitude towards books with the phrase "a penniless young beauty," and that Jeff Bezos has a tolerant one. So what? Objectively, Amazon is trying to suck the oxygen out of the market for lower-priced literature by pushing down the prices of brand name imprints so they will more often compete with the indie product. It doesn't matter whether or not Amazon executives are looking down on someone while harming them.
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No. Of course not. Actions speak louder than words.
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As for the OP talk about letting into the conversation those who can't afford the high price of brand new books, the big missing piece is the role of libraries. Random House, Harper Collins, Hachette -- eBooks mostly in the library. Thomas & Mercer -- I've never found one library eBook. Amazon won't let Overdrive touch the James Bond titles for which it owns American rights. Aren't they part of said conversation?
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Let them eat cake?