[hardcastle]

I haven't seen any reporting done on this outside of the ruckus the usuals have created (Streitfeld and co in their various newspapers). Typically, I prefer reporting, but I think this is good news. The report is absolutely horrendous.

What amuses me the most is that everything the report complains about, either it's their fault or it's a good thing.

They say: Amazon limited the sale of our books once, redirecting users to others and turning off features like pre-orders! (Actual Quote) "In all, Amazon’s sanctions drove down the sales of these books on Amazon.com by fifty to ninety percent in all formats, according to sales figures obtained by Authors United."

I'd say: Because you refused to make an agreement with them to sell your books. What were they supposed to do, take it on good faith you'd still provide the books? I wouldn't trust someone that complains about me so bitterly all the time. This was your own fault, not Amazon's.

They say: (Actual Quote) "By the time the Amazon and Hachette settled their dispute eight months later, tens of millions of books that would have otherwise been sold were not."

I'd say: Other books sold instead. Create a void, something else fills it. You are not necessary. I'd be more sympathetic to Hachette if they had offered an alternative way for its customers to buy books so that the authors didn't lose out. But they did nothing.

They say: Amazon is a monopoly!

I'd say: It isn't. It's the market leader, and the preferred choice for many. There's also Apple, Google, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, Oyster, dozens of DRM-free marketplaces, and more. Why not just double down on those bookstores? Partner with them to bolster their image?

They say: Amazon has too much control over the book market!

I'd say: And you let them by letting your consumers go there instead of offering a different option for several decades. But even still - it's about golly dang time there was a market leader who attempted to do anything in book market. Take it away from the big five publishers, because they've been driving us into the ground with terrible prices, less and less selection, and a complete lack of digital quality and presence. Sorry if Amazon's busy carving out your market for you. I mean, there's room if you want it, still.

They say: Amazon would charge me money to advertise and bolster my book on their pages over their exclusive deals!

I'd say: Yeah, that makes sense. It's an exclusive deal, isn't it? Amazon's been defending itself against the big publishers for how many years? It only makes sense they'd want to prioritize their own books over you guys, who seem to love complaining so much and might walk away some day. Or die, like you constantly threaten you might.

They say: (Actual quote) "As Amazon extracts an ever larger share of revenue from booksales, the publishers’ shrinking revenue base is already curtailing the diversity and quality of carefully written, well-edited books available to the public."

I'd say: As Amazon continues to offer indie authors a better and better deal for striking it out on their own, offering a better royalty and effective advertising deals that no publisher seems willing to negotiate with Amazon or an ad agency, the publishers' shrinking revenue base is already making eBook marketplaces all that sweeter, with flourishing creativity in every genre, allowing every author's voice to be heard. If the book publishers' market plan is unsustainable, so be it.

From the consumer's side, there's no negative. When the content is the same, I prefer an indie book over a big publisher book. The indie books are under five dollars, long, well edited, with nice cover art, better typesetting, more eReader features, less typos, and more reader engagement.

They'd rather complain to the DOJ and wail about injustice than do basically anything else (up to and including make an actual legal appeal that holds up to the most casual of readers like myself). There's so much more to be done on an aggressive book market push, like better advertising, better contracts for authors, better eBook prices, and perhaps even a new eBook marketplace that provides tangible upgrades for Kindle users.

As an appeal to the readers, this letter makes me unsympathetic. I don't love Amazon and I find many faults in them. But I'm given no alternative by the publishers, no juicy new way to read books that makes me want to move away from Amazon. The publishers offer no solution, and they have tried nothing else to prevent their own demise.

If they die, they die by their own inaction.