Amazon snags Bond

[carpetmojo]

Apprentice Alf has the answer.......

And I find the original Bond books (not the "posthumous" ) rather like the Mclean
works (Guns of Navarone etc..) - some still retain readability, some not.
Unlike, for example, Buchan (39 Steps..) Conan Doyle, Freeman (Thorndyke), etc..... who, I find, still don't date as much as Fleming.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

You do realize that implementing Whispernet on their devices would be suicidal for B&N and Kobo, yes?

B&N and Kobo?
Of course!
Pocketbook? Other hardware-only vendors? Not so obvious.
I suspect the business case won't be too solid but it's not impossible.
But if Amazon is really going to monopolize ebook selling worldwide as the apologist claim...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tompe

Really, what large group are you talking about? Everybody owning a computer can read them. Everybody having a smart phone can read them. Everybody that can buy a cheap Kindle can read them.

The Kindle app is poor for phones. The margins are way too wide.

Not everyone wants to pay Amazon for eBooks. Not everyone wants to use a Kindle app. Not everyone wants to read on a phone or a computer. Not everyone buys a Kindle.

I'm talking about people who bought ePub capable readers and not Kindles. If they wanted a Kindle, they'd have bought a Kindle.

[JoeD]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

The "initially" part *does* suggest a timed exclusive.
But if they are going to offer up ePub versions at some future date--say in 2014--they aren't exactly going to say so in advance.
So for the short term at least it is safest to assume they'll be Kindle exclusive until Amazon says otherwise.

I've no doubt you're correct on that, we'll not find out what they really meant for some time. I was in idle speculation mode that the "initially" seemed to imply at some time in the future they've at least considered the possibility of selling the books in a form compatible with non-kindle devices.

It'd still be exclusive to Amazon of course, but not just exclusive to kindle devices/apps. If they only planned to keep it restricted to the kindle apps/devices, the "initially" would seem an odd thing to say. Of course I/we could be reading too much into a throw away statement.

Anyhow, my thoughts were that _if_ Amazon decided to offer a version for non-kindle devices/apps, they'd only be able to do that if they dropped DRM (I doubt they'd want to setup support for other DRM schemes, hope not anyway). Which led me to question would Amazon really consider a non-DRM version of the bond books.

I can't see them wanting to go that route, but the "initially" comment made me think can there be any other explanation?

[JoeD]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

They have no interest in just selling ebooks a la carte. If that was their goal they would have done it from the start and saved lots of expenses and trouble tying everything into Whispernet.

The Bond books aren't their first exclusives either -- and won't be their last.

So again, your idea is not unreasonable, but it is not going to happen.

If that is the case, how do you explain the "initially" comment when they talked about exclusive to kindle users? If it's only initially exclusive to kindle, that would imply at some later date they'll allow others to buy the books. That's what I was getting at with my original comment.

I agree it doesn't make sense for amazon to lose drm, it's a good lock-in to their ecosystem. I'm just curious why they said "initially".

Even if they sold a la carte though, it would still have made perfect sense to build an additional ecosystem to make amazon the go to place for buying books. I don't see a problem with them selling books to others too though, it's only increasing their sales and exposing non kindle owners to the "extra" features they could get if only they bought fully into the Amazon ecosystem.

[ProfCrash]

NPR had a segment on Amazon getting the Bond novels. BN has said it won't sell the paper versions.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

NPR had a segment on Amazon getting the Bond novels. BN has said it won't sell the paper versions.

Link: http://www.npr.org/2012/04/19/150936...rd-in-business

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by JoeD

If that is the case, how do you explain the "initially" comment when they talked about exclusive to kindle users? If it's only initially exclusive to kindle, that would imply at some later date they'll allow others to buy the books. That's what I was getting at with my original comment.

I agree it doesn't make sense for amazon to lose drm, it's a good lock-in to their ecosystem. I'm just curious why they said "initially".

Even if they sold a la carte though, it would still have made perfect sense to build an additional ecosystem to make amazon the go to place for buying books. I don't see a problem with them selling books to others too though, it's only increasing their sales and exposing non kindle owners to the "extra" features they could get if only they bought fully into the Amazon ecosystem.

Amazon doesn't need to sell the epub from their own ecosystem. Amazon are publishing the ebooks, they can distribute the epub to Kobo or Google or whoever exactly the way all the other publishers do, once they decide to end the Amazon exclusivity.

[JoeD]

Originally Posted by Synamon

Amazon doesn't need to sell the epub from their own ecosystem. Amazon are publishing the ebooks, they can distribute the epub to Kobo or Google or whoever exactly the way all the other publishers do, once they decide to end the Amazon exclusivity.

That's a good point, I'd not considered Amazon acting more like a publisher and offering the books to other stores.

Really can't see many of them accepting such an offer, but I have a feeling what you say may be more likely than amazon offering to sell a multi format, DRM free version.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by JoeD

I agree it doesn't make sense for amazon to lose drm, it's a good lock-in to their ecosystem. I'm just curious why they said "initially".

Maybe it was written by a snot nosed delinquent right out of college who had been taught to include a word like "initially" because "we never know what the future may entail" or similar line of doltish pc. All I'm saying is that it might be wise not to read too much into that statement.

[K. Molen]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

BN has said it won't sell the paper versions.

Has anyone gone to a Barnes & Nobles and tried placing a special order for an Amazon published book?

I grew up in a small town and recall several occasions where I'd go to our small local book store and give them the ISBN of some book they didn't regularly stock, and in a few weeks I'd get a call saying the book was in.

Just wondering if Barnes & Noble would do it then, or if they'd just tell the customer to go elsewhere...

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by K. Molen

Has anyone gone to a Barnes & Nobles and tried placing a special order for an Amazon published book?

It's not 1995 anymore. I doubt people are special ordering books these days.

Anyway, I'd guess these days B&N just uses its own online catalog to special order books, and perhaps even a part of the online system to fulfill those requests. It's not like Ingram sends out microfiches of their catalog to the stores anymore....

[K. Molen]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

...I'd guess these days B&N just uses its own online catalog to special order books...

Hmm. This comment made me do a little test.

I visited Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint catalogue and randomly picked a book, and then went to BN.com and searched on the ISBN for that book... turns out BN.com do sell that book.

This makes me wonder if Barnes & Noble just won't stock these Bond books in their physical stores, but will still offer them online...

Or are they not boycotting ALL Thomas & Mercer books, only a selection?

Not that this helps anyone who wants a non-Kindle e-book edition, but still...

[fjtorres]

B&N's idea of "not-carrying" a book is limited to their B&M storefronts. They do carry them online and they *will* special order them in the stores.
Just like you could do it at home from Amazon.com. (Only not as cheap as Amazon.)

In other words, the one way they could actually offer a service Amazon doesn't is the one way they refuse to sell it. And they make sure everybody knows it, too.

[Greg Anos]

For those who are interested, Ian Fleming goes Public Domain in Life + 50 countries on Jan 1. 2016. (so does E.E.Smith PHD...)