Why this Apple Fan doesn't read iBooks

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

This is true. When I asked the owner of DMR Books why I couldn't buy Renegade Swords III from the site directly as an EPUB, he indicated that he wouldn't be allowed to sell it anywhere other than Amazon if it was on KU, and that even though his cut was bigger when bought directly, the sales of direct purchases were negligible compared to Amazon and Amazon KU revenue. Which is a pity.

You can be on Amazon without being exclusive to them. Otherwise, Amazon would likely have monopoly concerns.

KU is different. The question is how much they are making from there. Though for this book sounds like KU is coming through for them. In that instance, I wonder why they don't release the whole series via KU? But that sort of bean counting is over my head as I am not a publisher.

[Quoth]

My opinion is that both content providers & customers are "tricked" into KU. It cheats both. Amazon pushes it so hard to customers and suppliers because it makes them much more profit and hurts other retailers. It's like pay TV. Providers are not selling books (unlike physical libraries that must buy them) and customers are only borrowing.
The marketing on Amazon of Kindle Unlimited and Audible is dishonest. Prime marketing also uses Dark UI techniques that are actually illegal in some countries.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Quoth

My opinion is that both content providers & customers are "tricked" into KU. It cheats both. ...

How are customers "tricked" and cheated?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by John F

How are customers "tricked" and cheated?

Read up any decent Marketing text on subscription model vs sale of product.
Look at prominent advertising of Free on ebooks and Audible which isn't. Free is large (but needs subscription) and real price is fine print (or on search and ads with links not shown at all.
Checkout has big buttons and sign up to Prime, fine text for real link, and claims sign for Prime for free shipping. Then at shipping page the sign to Prime is again shown and that or premium shipping is checked, but often an unselected option is free. The different delivery speeds may be imaginary where Amazon has a bulk contract or done deliberately by delayed shipping.

Also ALL subscription systems are overcharging low usage customers and subsidizing big consumers. They make massively more profit for the company and favour the growth of biggest companies at expense of smaller. Subscription customers on average buy less elsewhere. Nothing is free on KU, Audible subscription or prime. The customer is paying more on average than ones with no subscription.

Then for suppliers on KDP Select there are are lots of cunning tricks to get people to give Amazon a monopoly.

We could also discuss Amazon's front page, search results, advert system and misleading "Market Place" (Actual Amazon products, products by others bought wholesale and sold by Amazon, 3rd party sellers but Amazon warehousing, selling & shipping where they try to fob off their UK & EU retail obligations to supplier and finally ebay style sales where Amazon only manages payment, but product is actually warehoused, sold & shipped by 3rd party and sometimes source country (like ebay) obfuscated. At least on 3rd party sales Amazon includes any VAT/Customs on imports to EU which is an issue on eBay).
Their return period ignores EU, UK and other laws on physical goods that are defective, not fit for purpose or deceptively sold. They seem to only implement Distance Selling Cooling off period,

No local shop anywhere in EU, UK or many other countries could advertise and sell as Amazon does.
See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ions_by_Amazon
which includes many companies they shouldn't have been allowed to buy even by less strict USA law vs EU.
They are a Global trader and like most such on the Internet think local laws and tax only applies to local companies, or that they can use a subset of USA laws outside the USA.

Subscription offers should not be on the same sales channel as regular retail sales.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Read up any decent Marketing text on subscription model vs sale of product.
Look at prominent advertising of Free on ebooks and Audible which isn't. Free is large (but needs subscription) and real price is fine print (or on search and ads with links not shown at all.
Checkout has big buttons and sign up to Prime, fine text for real link, and claims sign for Prime for free shipping. Then at shipping page the sign to Prime is again shown and that or premium shipping is checked, but often an unselected option is free. The different delivery speeds may be imaginary where Amazon has a bulk contract or done deliberately by delayed shipping.

Also ALL subscription systems are overcharging low usage customers and subsidizing big consumers. They make massively more profit for the company and favour the growth of biggest companies at expense of smaller. Subscription customers on average buy less elsewhere. Nothing is free on KU, Audible subscription or prime. The customer is paying more on average than ones with no subscription.

Then for suppliers on KDP Select there are are lots of cunning tricks to get people to give Amazon a monopoly.

We could also discuss Amazon's front page, search results, advert system and misleading "Market Place" (Actual Amazon products, products by others bought wholesale and sold by Amazon, 3rd party sellers but Amazon warehousing, selling & shipping where they try to fob off their UK & EU retail obligations to supplier and finally ebay style sales where Amazon only manages payment, but product is actually warehoused, sold & shipped by 3rd party and sometimes source country (like ebay) obfuscated. At least on 3rd party sales Amazon includes any VAT/Customs on imports to EU which is an issue on eBay).
Their return period ignores EU, UK and other laws on physical goods that are defective, not fit for purpose or deceptively sold. They seem to only implement Distance Selling Cooling off period,

No local shop anywhere in EU, UK or many other countries could advertise and sell as Amazon does.
See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ions_by_Amazon
which includes many companies they shouldn't have been allowed to buy even by less strict USA law vs EU.
They are a Global trader and like most such on the Internet think local laws and tax only applies to local companies, or that they can use a subset of USA laws outside the USA.

Subscription offers should not be on the same sales channel as regular retail sales.

I asked about KU customers. From your reply, it looks like it is good for some customers and not so good for others, which is true of just about anything.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by John F

it is good for some customers and not so good for others, which is true of just about anything.

No, only for subscriptions like KU, Pay TV, Streaming subs (audio or video) etc.

Bad for the majority because you are only renting and Amazon is making more profit. Only a few high consumption read & abandon readers benefit.
Everyone would benefit if KU didn't exist. The high consumption users would have more choice and time because they'd maybe be more selective.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Quoth

No, only for subscriptions like KU, Pay TV, Streaming subs (audio or video) etc.

Bad for the majority because you are only renting and Amazon is making more profit. Only a few high consumption read & abandon readers benefit.

I don't think your statement holds up. KU has been around for a while, and if a "majority" didn't see a benefit, it wouldn't survive.

Everyone would benefit if KU didn't exist. ...

Again, I don't find this statement very compelling. If current users currently find benefit, getting rid of it for some possible other benefit seems like a stretch.

... The high consumption users would have more choice and time because they'd maybe be more selective.

Again, I don't see your argument here. If they like what is in KU they will subscribe. If not, they will get the books they want another way.

They see a benefit for getting what they'll read. Your "more time" just sounds like your judging what people should read, or they are reading too much. No thank you.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by John F

I don't think your statement holds up. KU has been around for a while, and if a "majority" didn't see a benefit, it wouldn't survive.

Doesn't work like that. It makes Amazon more profit so they promote it cleverly.

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

You can be on Amazon without being exclusive to them. Otherwise, Amazon would likely have monopoly concerns.

KU is different. The question is how much they are making from there. Though for this book sounds like KU is coming through for them. In that instance, I wonder why they don't release the whole series via KU? But that sort of bean counting is over my head as I am not a publisher.

They do.

I had bought the first two via Amazon and stripped them of their DRM. The KindleUnpack tool was producing a subpar MOBI extract file from the source AZW with a broken Table of Contents, so that's when I reached out to the owner to see if I could purchase a native EPUB directly from him.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

They do.

I had bought the first two via Amazon and stripped them of their DRM. The KindleUnpack tool was producing a subpar MOBI extract file from the source AZW with a broken Table of Contents, so that's when I reached out to the owner to see if I could purchase a native EPUB directly from him.

But the ePub could have been not good to start with. Garbage in, garbage out.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

I had bought the first two via Amazon and stripped them of their DRM. The KindleUnpack tool was producing a subpar MOBI extract file from the source AZW with a broken Table of Contents, so that's when I reached out to the owner to see if I could purchase a native EPUB directly from him.

Did you try the EPUB generated by KindleUnpack?

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

They do.

Got you. I was fooled by:

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

When I asked the owner of DMR Books why I couldn't buy Renegade Swords III from the site directly as an EPUB, he indicated that he wouldn't be allowed to sell it anywhere other than Amazon if it was on KU...

Which led me to believe you purchased books one and two there.

The KindleUnpack tool was producing a subpar MOBI extract file from the source AZW with a broken Table of Contents...

You know, I used KindleUnpack for a while, but I noticed many of the resulting ePubs had a broken table of contents.

As Jon said, it is likely the result of the original file uploaded by the publisher. But using Calibre to convert MOBI or AZW to ePub fixes things.

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

You know, I used KindleUnpack for a while, but I noticed many of the resulting ePubs had a broken table of contents.

As Jon said, it is likely the result of the original file uploaded by the publisher. But using Calibre to convert MOBI or AZW to ePub fixes things.

Is the built-in Calibre conversion better these days? Some years back, everyone recommended KindleUnpack over Calibre's stock tool because it didn't add all the calibre watermarks to the CSS, and was supposed to be "closer" to the source document.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

Is the built-in Calibre conversion better these days? Some years back, everyone recommended KindleUnpack over Calibre's stock tool because it didn't add all the calibre watermarks to the CSS, and was supposed to be "closer" to the source document.

I'm no expert, but I believe everything you said is still true. However, if the ePub you get from KindleUnpack sux (like no table of contents and/or the entire book is one file in the ePub, which I've seen in the last two books I read) Calibre conversion is a better choice.

Since there's no way to know ahead of time if the resulting ePub is good or not short of running both to compare, I just use Calibre conversion for most of my stuff.

[JSWolf]

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