Survey says: Publishers may sell eBooks direct

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But then there goes the Kindle experience.

No, it does not.

[Kymmmm]

I wouldn't mind a rent to buy option. Rent for a week, read it and then if it is good enough to want to keep, convert to buy with appropriate discount for the rent paid. No DRM, no ads.

I reread all my books eventually and some have been read every year for decades.

Kym

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Kymmmm

I wouldn't mind a rent to buy option. Rent for a week, read it and then if it is good enough to want to keep, convert to buy with appropriate discount for the rent paid. No DRM, no ads.

Sounds kinda like DIVX (the Circuit City one).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

No, it does not.

Say the agency 6 decided to sell direct instead of at other eBook stores. How would that not impact the Kindle experience?

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Say the agency 6 decided to sell direct instead of at other eBook stores. How would that not impact the Kindle experience?

Well it'd sure impact Agency 6 sales since a whole lot of them come through Amazon.

[kjk]

Interesting, but I think convenient digital distribution is a vastly underrated issue, as many other industries (music, movies, magazines, etc.) have found out so far. It really doesn't get much more convenient than Amazon for books (or Apple for music, for that matter).

[Andrew H.]

If big publishers tried to do this, they would fail miserably. Most customers won't check 10 different websites looking for books. Which is why, IIRC, Harper Collins (or one of the big 6) just closed its website.

And of course if you undercut Amazon or B&N, they will have no incentive to carry your products, and probably won't. That's why Amazon doesn't sell its Kindle cheaper than Target, and why Apple doesn't sell it's products cheaper than Walmart.

Now small publishers with defined product lines are different, and may have some success skipping Amazon and B&N and selling directly. But a publisher like HC, which publishes 80,000 titles per year, isn't particularly identified with anything.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Say the agency 6 decided to sell direct instead of at other eBook stores. How would that not impact the Kindle experience?

Two options:

1. Baen lets you have your purchases emailed to your Kindle. The a6 would probably let you do the same.

2. Amazon would make software that imported your downloads directly into your Kindle software and then up to your device...just like their music goes directly into your iTunes library.

[tponzo]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

If big publishers tried to do this, they would fail miserably. Most customers won't check 10 different websites looking for books. Which is why, IIRC, Harper Collins (or one of the big 6) just closed its website.

And of course if you undercut Amazon or B&N, they will have no incentive to carry your products, and probably won't. That's why Amazon doesn't sell its Kindle cheaper than Target, and why Apple doesn't sell it's products cheaper than Walmart.

Now small publishers with defined product lines are different, and may have some success skipping Amazon and B&N and selling directly. But a publisher like HC, which publishes 80,000 titles per year, isn't particularly identified with anything.

I would have to agree. Even people who only read one or two books a month aren't going to want to have to find out who the publisher is so they can order direct. I know HC publishes some of my favorite authors but couldn't tell you which ones. Factor in subsidiaries and imprints and authors switching publishers it becomes a consumer nightmare.

That's partly why I don't understand why Amazon & BN etc caved on agency pricing.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

i'm one of those people who breeze through the first reading out of excitement and reread it again in the future, so a subscription model wouldn't work for me :P

Unless you did it on the eMusic.com model. With them, you pay a monthly subscription that lets you download X amount of MP3's, and they're yours to keep forever. If you didn't use all of the download credits for the month, you lose them (much like cellphone minutes for most carriers). I believe Audible.com has something similar for Audio books, where your subscription gives you credits to buy audiobooks. The subscription for credits model works.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

Two options:

1. Baen lets you have your purchases emailed to your Kindle. The a6 would probably let you do the same.

2. Amazon would make software that imported your downloads directly into your Kindle software and then up to your device...just like their music goes directly into your iTunes library.

2. Doubt it. And if they sold with DRM, that would leave the Kindle out of this as only Amazon has access to the DRM servers for the Kindle DRM.

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Unfortunately, that survey taker is not taking referrals, so there is no way I can recommend those interested to the eBook survey.

However, you may be interested in this survey taker which pays cash in five dollar increments promptly (in my experience). Surveys pay $1.00-$2.00 each.

http://mindfieldonline.com/referral/0766b39f

Here is another survey taker who has sent me an email today that they are looking for more survey takers.

http://www1.globaltestmarket.com/red...d&cid=20874125

[tponzo]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Here is another survey taker who has sent me an email today that they are looking for more survey takers.

http://www1.globaltestmarket.com/red...d&cid=20874125

thanks for the info GA

[JSWolf]

URL is broken.

[GA Russell]

Thanks Jon. I'll respond to their email and see if they will give me a new one.