Kindle Book Availability Deceit?

kgian · 11-28-2007, 03:03 AM

Check out this blog. Is it true?
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007...ther-oddities/

montsnmags · 11-28-2007, 05:12 AM

I'm trying to understand what the "deceit" is? Is it that the catalogue is not the 88,000 they claim? Is it that the DRM that is somehow seen as deceitful? Is it that the books in the catalogue are also available elsewhere and to other ebook devices?

I'm having difficulty seeing the deceit. Can you highlight where the deceit is supposed to be?

Cheers,
Marc

azog · 11-28-2007, 08:28 AM

A lot of that posting is FUD ("fear, uncertainty, and doubt"). I'm amazed at how many people pick up on the "spying" aspect of the Kindle. The people who post that stuff have no clue. You can turn off the wireless and use it fine. I downloaded one book directly to the Kindle, and have since had the wireless turned off. As near as I can tell, you never even need to use the wireless. You can buy books online, download them to your computer, and transfer them over USB.

wallcraft · 11-28-2007, 09:33 AM

The title sucks, but the article itself was balanced and informative.

It is interesting that Amazon's big push to get new e-books has apparently largely resulted in many more non-fiction titles than before. Most are not in principle exclusive to the Kindle, but I wonder how many other e-book sellers will pick them up.

Since Amazon does not have exclusive rights, it is possible that they are responsible for more fiction e-books being available these days too. This might be the case if there has been a surge in new titles over the last 6 months or so, in anticipation of the Kindle. I don't know if there has been a recent up-tick in new releases or not.

delphidb96 · 11-28-2007, 12:16 PM

I am ambivalent about the article. Yes, it appears to be factually accurate. And there's no doubt in my mind that Amazon has the same or fewer *NOVELS* available than one can find at Fictionwise, Mobipocket or Booksonboard. Ditto that the Amazon Kindle prices are a tad higher.

However, I do believe Amazon has the 80,000+ available Kindle titles - just not all of those titles being novels. To those of us who primarily use our ebook readers as a method for enjoying fiction, not finding 80,000+ novels in Kindle format appears to be a 'bait and switch' tactic. However, many people want a dedicated ebook reader *and* non-fiction titles. Here is where the difference is made up; and I can understand why Amazon chose to ensure a large number of non-fiction titles are available. They want to entice the non-fiction reader to the Kindle.

Deceit? To a fiction enthusiast, sure. To a non-fiction newcomer, it's more of a Welcome mat, IMO.

Derek

NatCh · 11-28-2007, 12:36 PM

I think it's just more of the same sort of self-disappointment that we see with e-bookstores in general.

What I mean is that when I (for example) hear that Sony has 24k titles, or that Amazon has 88k titles part of my mind unconsciously assumes that all of those titles are ones I would like to read. If I stop and think about that, I know it's silly and unrealistic. Even so, like most folks, I might not think about it, get all excited, dive right into the listings and discover that the number of available e-books which I want read (and haven't already) is actually pretty small. The natural reaction to that is disappointment, and a tendency to think I've been mislead.

The truth in that situation is that I have been mislead, not by the vendor but rather by my own unconsidered expectations.

It's perfectly natural, but it's still a mental trap, and when the sting is fresh, the likelihood of examining the situation critically is pretty small, so most folks never realize they essentially "baited and switched" themselves.

When I answer the question of how many books are available for "that thing," I try to make sure that folks think ahead of time about the fact that most of the X number of thousands of books in whatever store are unlikely to interest them, as they doubtless have their own tastes and don't just love whatever book they encounter. My hope is to try to let folks take what they find on a level footing, rather than badly slanted by what they didn't even realize they expected to find.

11-28-2007, 03:03 AM	#1
kgian Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2007 Device: EBW-1150	Kindle Book Availability Deceit? Check out this blog. Is it true? http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007...ther-oddities/

11-28-2007, 12:16 PM	#5
delphidb96 Wizard Posts: 2,999 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Citrus Heights, California Device: TWO Kindle 2s, one each Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS-500, Axim X51V	Deceit? Maybe... I am ambivalent about the article. Yes, it appears to be factually accurate. And there's no doubt in my mind that Amazon has the same or fewer NOVELS available than one can find at Fictionwise, Mobipocket or Booksonboard. Ditto that the Amazon Kindle prices are a tad higher. However, I do believe Amazon has the 80,000+ available Kindle titles - just not all of those titles being novels. To those of us who primarily use our ebook readers as a method for enjoying fiction, not finding 80,000+ novels in Kindle format appears to be a 'bait and switch' tactic. However, many people want a dedicated ebook reader and non-fiction titles. Here is where the difference is made up; and I can understand why Amazon chose to ensure a large number of non-fiction titles are available. They want to entice the non-fiction reader to the Kindle. Deceit? To a fiction enthusiast, sure. To a non-fiction newcomer, it's more of a Welcome mat, IMO. Derek

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11-28-2007, 05:12 AM	#2
montsnmags Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,155 Karma: 4632658 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: none	I'm trying to understand what the "deceit" is? Is it that the catalogue is not the 88,000 they claim? Is it that the DRM that is somehow seen as deceitful? Is it that the books in the catalogue are also available elsewhere and to other ebook devices? I'm having difficulty seeing the deceit. Can you highlight where the deceit is supposed to be? Cheers, Marc

11-28-2007, 08:28 AM	#3
azog Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 33 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Cybook Gen3, Kindle	A lot of that posting is FUD ("fear, uncertainty, and doubt"). I'm amazed at how many people pick up on the "spying" aspect of the Kindle. The people who post that stuff have no clue. You can turn off the wireless and use it fine. I downloaded one book directly to the Kindle, and have since had the wireless turned off. As near as I can tell, you never even need to use the wireless. You can buy books online, download them to your computer, and transfer them over USB.

11-28-2007, 09:33 AM	#4
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The title sucks, but the article itself was balanced and informative. It is interesting that Amazon's big push to get new e-books has apparently largely resulted in many more non-fiction titles than before. Most are not in principle exclusive to the Kindle, but I wonder how many other e-book sellers will pick them up. Since Amazon does not have exclusive rights, it is possible that they are responsible for more fiction e-books being available these days too. This might be the case if there has been a surge in new titles over the last 6 months or so, in anticipation of the Kindle. I don't know if there has been a recent up-tick in new releases or not.

11-28-2007, 12:36 PM	#6
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I think it's just more of the same sort of self-disappointment that we see with e-bookstores in general. What I mean is that when I (for example) hear that Sony has 24k titles, or that Amazon has 88k titles part of my mind unconsciously assumes that all of those titles are ones I would like to read. If I stop and think about that, I know it's silly and unrealistic. Even so, like most folks, I might not think about it, get all excited, dive right into the listings and discover that the number of available e-books which I want read (and haven't already) is actually pretty small. The natural reaction to that is disappointment, and a tendency to think I've been mislead. The truth in that situation is that I have been mislead, not by the vendor but rather by my own unconsidered expectations. It's perfectly natural, but it's still a mental trap, and when the sting is fresh, the likelihood of examining the situation critically is pretty small, so most folks never realize they essentially "baited and switched" themselves. When I answer the question of how many books are available for "that thing," I try to make sure that folks think ahead of time about the fact that most of the X number of thousands of books in whatever store are unlikely to interest them, as they doubtless have their own tastes and don't just love whatever book they encounter. My hope is to try to let folks take what they find on a level footing, rather than badly slanted by what they didn't even realize they expected to find.