Very satisfied with Pottermore experience

[carpetmojo]

Can you still load the HP content onto more than one device ? Via Calibre, for example.

[ProfCrash]

You can load it from Pottermore to your Nook, Sony, Kindle, and download it to your computer. I think there were a few more options as well.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

You can load it from Pottermore to your Nook, Sony, Kindle, and download it to your computer. I think there were a few more options as well.

Yes - including transfer the books to Amazon's cloud

[CallOfCth'reader]

Originally Posted by JoeD

One thing that bugs me price wise though, is since they're selling direct and not losing out x% to a store, they could have listed the books for less imo. But we can argue about pricing all day long and never get everyone to agree

I'm sure that the stores that link to Pottermore take an affiliate cut, and I'd be surprised if they didn't charge for linking to their store accounts.

[Victoria]

[QUOTE=CallOfCth'reader;2021247]I'm sure that the stores that link to Pottermore take an affiliate cut, and I'd be surprised if they didn't charge for linking to their store accounts.[/QUOTE

Yes they must . I wonder if they feel it's a bit like making a deal with a devil, due to the lack of DRM, or if they welcome the approach?

[fjtorres]

Money is money and the only ebookstore that (apparently) felt that having total control of the transaction was more important that being able to offer the books to their users was... Apple.
Everybody else was willing to play ball (and take the affiliate cut, whatever it may be--though it's likely less than 30%).

[Wasgo]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Money is money and the only ebookstore that (apparently) felt that having total control of the transaction was more important that being able to offer the books to their users was... Apple.
Everybody else was willing to play ball (and take the affiliate cut, whatever it may be--though it's likely less than 30%).

It's not on Apple or Kobo, but both of those take straight ePubs so it doesn't really matter.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

JoeD: All of what you posted is true and accurate. Do you really think that is going to matter if something happens to Pottermore and people are not able to get to their downloads? The negative press is going to be huge.

Whether we like it or not, cloud computing is being sold to the public and most people are buying into it hook, line, and sinker. They didn't back up their hard drives on their computer 5 years ago and they are not backing up their stuff on the cloud. If Pottermore were to crash and people could not get to their e-books there will be headlines talking about how poorly the system works and many folks will draw the conclusion that e-books are not safe.

We know it is a silly argument but do you really think what we say and the few comments we are going to post are going to make a world of difference?

Like it or not, cloud computing has been around for decades, data has always been lost at some point, and when it is lost the people who relied upon it entirely not only do not recieve sympathy...they recieve ridicule.

There is nothing wrong with that because they fully earned and deserve the ridicule. Without it they won't learn from their stupidity.

[JoeD]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

I buy audible books for my husband. I was looking at some of the files the other day and noticed that they are marked with my email address...

There are also ways to watermark audio files that can survive the conversion process too as well as quite heavy attempts at removing it.

This is what the movie studios are starting to use on some dvd/bluray and at the cinema, combined with hardware that detects the watermark and disables the audio stream when detected. Idea is, someone pirates a DVD or records a movie at the cinema then try's to play it back on their PS3 it won't work.

Unlike other watermarks it won't be a simple byte comparison to remove either.

[JoeD]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Money is money and the only ebookstore that (apparently) felt that having total control of the transaction was more important that being able to offer the books to their users was... Apple.
Everybody else was willing to play ball (and take the affiliate cut, whatever it may be--though it's likely less than 30%).

HP is so well known that they don't really need to be on Amazon, B&N and so forth for people to find and buy them, which could suggest they managed to negotiate a low %.

However, they were probably equally aware that people would resist the non-amazon way of downloading the books and in that sense it was important to fit in with the amazon way of delivering the books and be associated with amazon.

One other possible reason though, may be that they want people on the pottermore site for the ebooks in the hopes they'll return and make use of the sites other features as and when they're released? Had they just sold direct via amazon without the pottermore redirect, that may not have occurred.

That said, it may have simply being (and most likely) money and control, but to be quite honest, if I were in their position I think I'd have wanted the same control and set the site up in a similar way. Although I'd have not bothered with the watermark

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Wasgo

It's not on Apple or Kobo, but both of those take straight ePubs so it doesn't really matter.

The report I saw said they tried to get Apple onboard but they "couldn't come to terms".
Kobo is already covered through the Adobe link so they probably haven't talked yet. I suspect that will change.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by JoeD

HP is so well known that they don't really need to be on Amazon, B&N and so forth for people to find and buy them, which could suggest they managed to negotiate a low %.

However, they were probably equally aware that people would resist the non-amazon way of downloading the books and in that sense it was important to fit in with the amazon way of delivering the books and be associated with amazon.

One other possible reason though, may be that they want people on the pottermore site for the ebooks in the hopes they'll return and make use of the sites other features as and when they're released? Had they just sold direct via amazon without the pottermore redirect, that may not have occurred.

That said, it may have simply being (and most likely) money and control, but to be quite honest, if I were in their position I think I'd have wanted the same control and set the site up in a similar way. Although I'd have not bothered with the watermark

All of the above.

If Rowling had done this even two years ago, they could have done it without the storefront links/transfers. But at this point the markets they are launching in are already heavily vested in the various walled gardens. So Pottermore does need the ebookstores as affiliate portals. If nothing else, to tell people that Pottermore is (finally!) open for business.

On the other side, neither Amazon nor the ePub ebookstores could afford *not* to carry the links as long as at least one of their competitors carried it (bragging rights and all that) so odds are the negotiations were probably evenly matched. Whatever the stores are getting as a cut probably covers their DRM licensing costs (for B&N and Adobe clients) and the storage and management costs as well as reasonable affiliate commissions.

I doubt the ebookstores will want too many high-profile authors going this route but they probably aren't too annoyed, either.

The biggest long-term effect is the example it sets for other "brand" writers and the extra leverage they will get in their future ebook royalty negotiations with the BPHs. Rowling *chose* to involve her print publishers and give them a cut of the money but all indications are she is happy in her dealings with them. Other authors (and their agents) that aren't quite as happy now have a stick to wave in front of their print publishers.

I doubt there will be a flood of Brand author sites like this (most have already signed away their ebook rights) but the precedent has been set and sooner or later somebody else will give it a try. With or without publisher involvement.

A worthy experiment, Ms Rowling.

[JoeD]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

I doubt the ebookstores will want too many high-profile authors going this route but they probably aren't too annoyed, either.

Yeah, they'd lose their grip on lock-in if too many authors did it. However, I think retailers still have an ace in that regard. Customer's won't want to have to sign up for lots of author specific sites to buy various books, although they may make exceptions for a favourite author.

If between authors and retailers a system along the lines of the current account linking but with the option of a single sign on such that Amazon customers could log into various author stores with amazon credentials much like google customers can use their google account to sign into various web services.

Amazon would take a cut of any sale that is linked back to their accounts as well as a % for processing the transaction on behalf of the author, customers wouldn't need to sign up to every site and would get the same experience as using their favourite store for book delivery. Authors get more money for direct only sales but can take advantage of the customer base of various retailers but most importantly, they'd have customer lists and could offer additional services on their sites without customers having to make another account, perhaps access to ARC copies etc

Probably a pipe-dream, but never say never

I doubt there will be a flood of Brand author sites like this (most have already signed away their ebook rights) but the precedent has been set and sooner or later somebody else will give it a try. With or without publisher involvement.

I agree. I also think many authors will still prefer to give up X% and just let Amazon/B&N... handle everything. However, it would be good if they had the choice.

[Wasgo]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

The report I saw said they tried to get Apple onboard but they "couldn't come to terms".
Kobo is already covered through the Adobe link so they probably haven't talked yet. I suspect that will change.

I personally don't put a lot of faith in the anonymous reports that come up. Either way, both Kobo and iPad load the same version of the book right now:

Direct download (Including for Apple iBooks, Adobe, Kobo and many others)

While there might be some advantages of having it offered directly through iBooks or as a kePUB, I don't think it matters much.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Wasgo

While there might be some advantages of having it offered directly through iBooks or as a kePUB, I don't think it matters much.

Certainly not enough to give Apple a 30% cut.