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Originally Posted by pwalker8
Gee grandpa, you want me to get off your lawn? Is your old black and white TV with 5 channels good enough and you can't understand why someone might want a 4K smart TV and streaming video?
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I've no idea what the "grandpa" stuff is all about. I'm the one embracing the new reality. You're the one wanting all the self-published dreck off your lawn.
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Originally Posted by pwalker8
I can remember back in the old days where I had to visit a number of book stores to find the full array of books. The shopping mall stores didn't carry much in any one genre, so I drove long distances to specialty stores. Part of the reason that B&N and Boarders were initially successful is they had room for a much larger selection. I also remember when each book seller had a copy of Books in Print, and would pull it out if you asked for a specific book or author. Maybe you think we should go back to those days.
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Also .. no.
Those days were awful. Did you even read my post? I think we have it way, way, way better and easier with today's system.
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Originally Posted by pwalker8
There are two different issues to be addressed. First is finding new authors. That's what you are talking about. That's always been a case of word of mouth. Sites like this site and Goodreads make it easier to find new authors.
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Yep. In complete agreement. But that's not ONLY what I was talking about. Remember "go the the publishers websites" and "go to favorite author's websites"? That's not just about finding new authors.
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Originally Posted by pwalker8
The second is finding out when specific authors put out new books and make back list available. That is mostly what I'm talking about.
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It is?! "Wading through oceans of dreck" and wanting retailers to overhaul their stores is about you having hard time figuring out when specific authors (authors you already know the names of) put out new books and make their backlist available? Heck, that stuff's easy to find out. Do a Google search.
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Originally Posted by pwalker8
My specific frustration is I know what is possible and I know what I want. There are a lot of things that can be done, but aren't because Amazon doesn't see it as in their interest. As I mentioned, Authoralerts was a pretty decent tool for notification until Amazon shut them down. It wasn't perfect, but it got the job done. Heck, if Amazon's author notifications actually worked, that would solve problems.
But when you control the market, there is little incentive to innovate and make things work. That's why I think that publishers should put together a consortium to build and maintain a database of available books and make that database available for innovators to access. People like the creators of authoralerts could hook into it. They might need to figure out a different monetization method, but I'm sure people would figure it out.
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Your specific frustration with Amazon doesn't interest me. I don't limit myself to any one site for locating, browsing, researching, or buying new books/authors. Why would I when almost every resource available is at my disposal?