Quote:
Originally Posted by ottdmk
My problem with Amazon (in the ebooks market) is two-fold:
1) I don't like lock-in. Given that ebooks are glorified text files there is no reason for them to be locked to a particular platform. The whole thing came about because publishers were idiots and played into Amazon's hands. I prefer an approach like Kobo's. Although I'd prefer no DRM or social DRM at least all my Kobo books are compatible with any device that buys into Adobe's tech.
2) Amazon doesn't care about the Canadian market. We still don't have the Voyage, for example. They won't bother work with Overdrive to get library loans working here. Etc.
So Howey's tale irritates me. I understand his reasoning. But it means that should I want to read his work in my preferred format (e-ink) I need to do business with a company that created an ecosystem I don't like and which doesn't care about me as a consumer. And then I need to covert the files myself, when at the supplier side that's a task that can be done once for everyone and exist for eternity.
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I hate to break the news, but Hugh Howey is undoubtedly correct in his assessment. So far as customer experience is concerned it is Amazon first and daylight second. And the new KU is great for both authors and readers. I think many Indie authors will follow Hugh's lead and go exclusive.
As eschwartz posted, "The fact that the Adobe platform spans multiple manufacturer devices does not mean there is no lock-in." Conversion is a trivial matter once properly set-up, as is liberation of the ebook from its Digital Restrictions Management. Given the history of online stores selling ebooks the very first thing you should be doing on purchasing an ebook is to make a backup and if not illegal in your jurisdiction removing the drm. I have found the best way to do one or both is via Calibre and Apprentice Alf. Though I would like to buy from Kobo, I find I am buying or borrowing just about all of my books from Amazon these days. I read the KU titles on my Paperwhite 2. Other titles I generally convert to EPub and read on my Kobo H2O. However, I find that I am reading an increasing number of KU titles. Given my expectations for KU I may well consider replacing my Peperwhite 2 with a Voyage when the next model comes out, subject to the integration of the new .kfx format with Calibre and Apprentice Alf.
I have edited this post to draw your attention to something you may have missed. If you buy Hugh's books on Amazon they are DRM free. So you don't even need Apprentice Alf!