How can we convince Amazon to sell ePub format?

[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

I'm much too lazy to do the correcting myself (though I have attempted it).

I actually don't correct the text or even the formatting much (though I'll highlight typos to fix later, if I've already done the prelim work); I just like to have flickable chapter marks and a proper TOC on my books, even if I have to do it myself.

Really, the major reading advantage that ePub has is that the embedded fonts can display just about any script. Which makes it great for people who read non-European languages to be able to read their Georgian/Laotian/Devanagari books without having to resort to doing a font hack or being stuck with PDF.

And Kindle could have feature parity with this if only the Topaz format were better and Amazon released tools so that people could make their own.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

I'll pick a Topaz book and post some screen shots but it won't be until tomorrow night, if that's okay.

sure, thanks.

[Steven Lake]

The short answer is, you'll never be able to do it. Amazon fully understands the principles of vendor locking, and just like Microsoft, it'll be a cold day in hell before they ever let go of their forced monopoly. They know that if they do, people will flock away from them to other readers and/or other services. Maybe not now, but it will happen in time. And if that happens, their goal of being the end all, be all of the publishing world will never happen. Oddly though, they'll never get that goal, no matter what they try. Between Google, B&N, the big book publishes, the indie authors, and hundreds of other market forces, they're going to find themselves as the little dog in the pound in the next 2-3 years. The market hates monopolies, and right now Amazon is perceived as exactly that, which means they will get supplanted sooner than later.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

The short answer is, you'll never be able to do it. Amazon fully understands the principles of vendor locking, and just like Microsoft, it'll be a cold day in hell before they ever let go of their forced monopoly.

This is something I've never understood. What monopoly?

They know that if they do, people will flock away from them to other readers and/or other services.

Are you taking into account that Kindle owners actually like/love their Kindles and would buy one no matter who made the device.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

What advantages do feel epub has over mobi? For my reading style it doesn't really matter.

Library books.

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by KenJackson

That's very ironic!

Their current format is totally opaque and useless to me, while epub works just fine as it is.

I can understand Bezos here. The ipdf had been working on a dictionary support for ages.

What advantages do feel epub has over mobi? For my reading style it doesn't really matter.

It's open. It's XML, thus, once rid of drm, editable. And have better formating capabilities.
The publishers in France uses ePub. So if want to read books in my own languages, i need ePub support. Ebook reader easily available in France (ie cybooks, sonys, and the fnacbook) just don't read mobi. And obviously, i'm not going to buy books my reader can't read.

I'm quite happy with buying my books somewhere else. No way i'm downgrading to mobi. Been there, done that. ePub just works better.

[rogue_librarian]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

The publishers in France uses ePub.

As do the ones in Germany. Really everybody but Amazon, I'd say.

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

As do the ones in Germany. Really everybody but Amazon, I'd say.

There some F2b in some countries i think.

[K-Thom]

Yup, Eastern Europe is FB2, so ePub still is far away from being a "standard". It's one of the formats out there, nothing more, nothing less.

Combined all Kindle models, all Windows Smartphone and still-in-use PocketPCs, the "prc-family" still has a very strong market share. And Amazon is in control of it. Why give it up? Or loosen the grip by adding support for ePub?

@ ATDrake: While I fully understand and support your desire to tweak your eBooks to your needs, please keep in mind, that you speak for those 0.1% of consumers who are tinkerers.
As you said yourself, the common end-users simply want to read. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't even know what this whole ePub <> mobi was all about ...

[Freeshadow]

they will learn the hard way as Sony did. lrf? MiniDisc? MemoryStick?
But I won't hold my breath waiting.

[EowynCarter]

Combined all Kindle models, all Windows Smartphone and still-in-use PocketPCs, the "prc-family" still has a very strong market share. And Amazon is in control of it. Why give it up? Or loosen the grip by adding support for ePub?

Increasing the number of people able to buy books from amazon, and thus, sell more book. Sell more kindles in countries where publishers uses others formats.
In France, the average reader want to to read the book from the main French publishers. Without having to mess with de-drming and converting. Thus, people there will go for the easy stuff, aka a reader the reads ePub with adept drm.
Until amazon sell ePub, or get contact to sell frenchs books, we'll see very few kindle here.

[tech_au]

I honestly can't see why Amazon don't sell both azw and epub versions of their ebooks. That way they can sell to everyone ebook owner rather than just the Kindle owners.
Much more profit for them, but I guess they want to protect their hardware sales as well.

[K-Thom]

Increasing the number of people able to buy books from amazon, and thus, sell more book. Sell more kindles in countries where publishers uses others formats.

Let's see ... there are supposed to be 2-3 million Kindle devices out there, about 5 million iPads, a gazillion of iPhones, iPods Touch and Blackberrys. All those are capable of reading Kindle eBooks.

eInk/ePub reading devices sum up to a total of about 1.5-2 millions worldwide, most of them Sony.

Which market would you care about? And still keep control?
And Jeff Bezos seemingly likes Adobe's approach just as much as Steve Jobs. Both seem to live very well without the input of Adobe's products. PDF is an ISO standard by now, so that doesn't count.

[James_Wilde]

Didn't read right through before posting. So I duplicated something everyone else had already said. Edited out everything, but I can't erase the post. Sorry.

[EowynCarter]

Let's see ... there are supposed to be 2-3 million Kindle devices out there, about 5 million iPads, a gazillion of iPhones, iPods Touch and Blackberrys. All those are capable of reading Kindle eBooks.

Much good that does to people not speaking English !
And, save for the kindle, all the rest can read ePub too.

eInk/ePub reading devices sum up to a total of about 1.5-2 millions worldwide, most of them Sony.

And, with the market of e-book in some countries growing, that number is bound to grow, too. In France e-book market is negligible compared to p-books. But, when wandering in shop, you see more readers, people asking questions. It's a fresh market, still to be taken.

As you said yourself, the commen end-users simply want to read. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't even know what this whole ePub <> mobi was all about ...

Yeap. I remember some chat about the fnacbook.
"3g is nice, but can you use a cable to get book from your computer to the reader".
me : "yes, most likely, to get books from other shops".
"oh, yeah, like amazon"
me : "Mmm, no, amazon don't use the same format, won't work"
See the "amazon" reaction. Even in France, "Amazon" and "kindle" still come to mind when speaking e-books. They could grab the French market easily, if they got their act together. But, if they don't react, the place will be taken already.

I'm thinking the fnac. The fnacbook provides the French reader with everything the kindle provides to US reader. Easy access to books everywhere.

But then, we're better off without amazon. One thing I'm happy about the e-book market in France, it's all ePub, with adept drm (or no drm). And hopefully, will stay that way. We don't need an other format. One is just the right number there I don't want the format mess, exclusivity deals that amazon might bring.