Kindle Geographic Restrictions On US Website - Against US Buyers

[CommanderROR]

Indeed...the usual suspects do not have geo-restriction and they do have good prices...

Somebody should explain that to the publishers..but I'm afraid they'd just somehow try to point out that piracy is actually the reason for the geo-restrictions or some hogwash like that...

[ThomasMc]

How Orwellian, THEY will decide who can read which books.
Just another reason NOT to buy a Kindle.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by ThomasMc

How Orwellian, THEY will decide who can read which books.
Just another reason NOT to buy a Kindle.

It's not "them". If you have a Sony or Aztak or whatever the books are still geographically restricted because that's how publishers contracts are.

[dragonbone]

Originally Posted by Striking Claw

The strange thing is that with "traditional" pubishing in paper form there was never a problem to order a book from a US online shop and have them send it to Europe. That's what I did before I had an eBook reader. I never had Amazon decline an order because I wanted it shipped to Europe. In the beginning I also never had a problem with eBooks. All eBooks on Mobipocket and other online shops where available world wide. Over the last couple of months more and more books are restriced to purchase by US and Canadian customers only. What's even stranger is that one eBook my be available to customers outside US at Mobipocket but not at Diesel Books for example, while with an other book ist exactly the oposite.
Publishers complain about piracy problems and create a model where a lot of books would only be available for a lot of customers in some illegal way. For instance I have not found a way to purchase "Orphan's Triumph" by Robert Buettner as an eBook. I could by the paper version from Amazon without a problem. I for myself decided that if a publisher doesn't want my as a customer for his eBook, I sure as hell will not buy the book at all.

My thoughts EXACTLY regarding the buying of pbooks from Amazon but not the ebooks! Well - actually I agree with everything you said.
To go slightly off topic..... I'm a huge audiobook fan and I've been a member at audible for about 7 years now. In the last year or so, I've noticed many, MANY more books 'not available to my geographical location'. Often times half way through a series! In the past - about 1 out of every 20th (plus/minus) book I wanted or was interested in, wasn't available. Now I'd reckon, about 1 in every 5 books. Amazon has recently bought out Audible - so I can't help but make a connection.....

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by dragonbone

My thoughts EXACTLY regarding the buying of pbooks from Amazon but not the ebooks! Well - actually I agree with everything you said.
To go slightly off topic..... I'm a huge audiobook fan and I've been a member at audible for about 7 years now. In the last year or so, I've noticed many, MANY more books 'not available to my geographical location'. Often times half way through a series! In the past - about 1 out of every 20th (plus/minus) book I wanted or was interested in, wasn't available. Now I'd reckon, about 1 in every 5 books. Amazon has recently bought out Audible - so I can't help but make a connection.....

That's because Audio books are more popular than ever and just like ebooks publishers from various regions are starting to pay attention to the rights they hold.

[krischik]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

however the link between increased geo restrictions and increased piracy is likely to be very difficult to prove.

I only started to look into the darknet when I could not buy the books I wanted because of geo restrictions.

Personally I think this will have a profound extreme long term effect - once you did look into danknet you see other stuff as well.

In Gemany we have a proverb about the man who saws off the branch he sits on. I like to point out that you can't glue the branch back on once you fell off.

Originally Posted by Alisa

On a side note, I'm saddened to see so much spite against Americans here. In general, Americans on this board have been against geographical restrictions as much as anyone else.

I am not against Americans - who patronise this board. However - for a while I was very active on the Mobipocket boards. And there you meet a different kind of American. I call them the "Posts: 1 - Kindle owners". The Kindle owners who post on Mobipocket tend to let no harm come to there flawless Amazon-Miracle-Device. Much like Apple-fanboys (here's a critical Mac user speaking).

So unlike aceflor I am full of Schadenfreude - but only against a very specific group of Americans / Kindle owners.

Martin

Clarification: "Post: 1" users in my book are those who never ever make a 2nd post.

[Olympus]

Originally Posted by pieter

Why you guys keep paying these people is beyond me... Though I guess most people don't care about these things unless they directly affect them...

I pay "these people" beceause I want to reward the author for giving me a good time while reading a story.
I am not aware of any indie-authors - give me a site and I'll cut the publishing-house from the chain: author --> consumer

[krischik]

Originally Posted by Olympus

I pay "these people" beceause I want to reward the author for giving me a good time while reading a story.
I am not aware of any indie-authors - give me a site and I'll cut the publishing-house from the chain: author --> consumer

Indie=Independent or Indie=Author from India. For me as a German this is not quite clear.

In case you mean the first: There is one here. Note the Donate button: For those who already got the books.

Martin

[ficbot]

Originally Posted by Olympus

I pay "these people" beceause I want to reward the author for giving me a good time while reading a story.
I am not aware of any indie-authors - give me a site and I'll cut the publishing-house from the chain: author --> consumer

Jim Munroe
http://nomediakings.org/

[DawnFalcon]

Originally Posted by Direct Ebooks

I'd agree that geographic restrictions are crazy, but we have to understand that there will be a transitionary period between traditional and "modern" publishing.

"we"

I understand, sure. Webscriptions is only a decade old, after all (sarcasm? ME?)

But the public, the unwashed masses of purchasers? No, no, they don't "understand" anything. They see high prices, they see restrictions. They turn to the darknet.

You're going to lose them unless you get your ass into gear.


AnemicOak - The only difference is that Baen had one man who could say "do it", and it was done. Its not coincidence that it's small publishers joining Baen on Webscriptions now either, is it? Traditional book publishers are slowly-reacting monoliths. And honestly, I'm very tempted to say "let them burn themselves".

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by DawnFalcon

"we"

I understand, sure. Webscriptions is only a decade old, after all (sarcasm? ME?)

But the public, the unwashed masses of purchasers? No, no, they don't "understand" anything. They see high prices, they see restrictions. They turn to the darknet.

You're going to lose them unless you get your ass into gear.


AnemicOak - The only difference is that Baen had one man who could say "do it", and it was done. Its not coincidence that it's small publishers joining Baen on Webscriptions now either, is it? Traditional book publishers are slowly-reacting monoliths. And honestly, I'm very tempted to say "let them burn themselves".

Interesting eh. Maybe analogous to Microsoft and the Internet. They took forever to catch on and turn the ship, but they are still in the game and a force to be reckoned with....

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

Indeed...the usual suspects do not have geo-restriction and they do have good prices...

Somebody should explain that to the publishers..but I'm afraid they'd just somehow try to point out that piracy is actually the reason for the geo-restrictions or some hogwash like that...

THIS IS NOT THE PUBLISHER'S FAULT.

They have a book distribution contract, which says which countries they have the right to distribute the book in. They cannot ignore that contract.

Yes, contracts need to be renegotiated to reflect eBook sales, but you cannot "blame" the publisher for adhering to the terms of the contract that is currently in place.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

THIS IS NOT THE PUBLISHER'S FAULT.

They have a book distribution contract, which says which countries they have the right to distribute the book in. They cannot ignore that contract.

Yes, contracts need to be renegotiated to reflect eBook sales, but you cannot "blame" the publisher for adhering to the terms of the contract that is currently in place.

Who do you think created this kind of contracts and insisted on them when signing deals with authors? From what I know it was the publishers. So I really do not see how it is not the publishers fault.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by HarryT

THIS IS NOT THE PUBLISHER'S FAULT.

They have a book distribution contract, which says which countries they have the right to distribute the book in. They cannot ignore that contract.

Yes, contracts need to be renegotiated to reflect eBook sales, but you cannot "blame" the publisher for adhering to the terms of the contract that is currently in place.

What he said....we are really just at the beginning of ebook technology and business...

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by tompe

Who do you think created this kind of contracts and insisted on them when signing deals with authors? From what I know it was the publishers. So I really do not see how it is not the publishers fault.

But the contracts distribution clause probably had to do primarily with physical books without much consideration of electronic distribution which is only now coming to the fore.