UK Ebook startup calls on publishers to "do a Pottermore" - Page 2

AndrewH · 05-12-2012, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

You'd need to enter your payment details seperately with each publisher, and change them all each time your card expired.

PayPal.

Granted the rest of your points are valid, as is the payment for those who don't have or don't want to use PayPal.

stonetools · 05-12-2012, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

You'd need a new account with each publisher. Each probably with slightly different password rules. You'd need to enter your payment details seperately with each publisher, and change them all each time your card expired. You'd have to deal with N different rules about returns, N different customer service departments. You'd need N different gift card balances, and couldn't move money between them.
None of that sounds very appealing as a cutomer.
Amazon have done well expanding into so many different product lines because people like being able to get everything from one place.

Hey, I'm not saying it's easy or even all that desireable. But I 've been listening to people preaching DRM free uber alles for a year now. People have said that there is NOTHING as important as going DRM free.
Well , the likely path to a DRM free ebook world is something like the BPHs doing a Pottermore. If you are willing to accept that trade-off, then putting up with more inconvenience is the price.

MikeB1972 · 05-14-2012, 06:32 AM

Then again, if the publishers come up with that joint site they were talking about, I'd probably be quite interested in it as it would be nice to have a place to go to avoid the ever growing self published books that are flooding anywhere I buy books from.

Forgotten the name of the site, it's been on hold for about a year and is now probably a non starter after the DOJ.

HarryT · 05-14-2012, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Then again, if the publishers come up with that joint site they were talking about, I'd probably be quite interested in it as it would be nice to have a place to go to avoid the ever growing self published books that are flooding anywhere I buy books from.

Given the fact that the major publishers are just coming out of one legal investigation for collusion, another collusion in a book-selling website seems extremely improbable.

MikeB1972 · 05-14-2012, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Given the fact that the major publishers are just coming out of one legal investigation for collusion, another collusion in a book-selling website seems extremely improbable.

Yep, like I said after the DOJ kefuddle not too likely to happen now.

Although, on a more positive (if completely unrelated) note, Kobo's search results have started to bear some relevance to what I type in the box

stonetools · 05-14-2012, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Then again, if the publishers come up with that joint site they were talking about, I'd probably be quite interested in it as it would be nice to have a place to go to avoid the ever growing self published books that are flooding anywhere I buy books from.

Forgotten the name of the site, it's been on hold for about a year and is now probably a non starter after the DOJ.

Its Bookish.com. So long as they are not making agreements on prices, the DoJ probably won't object, but the publishers will have to pass it by the DoJ.

ProfCrash · 05-14-2012, 03:22 PM

This would not just target Amazon but it would target over BN, Waterstones, Kobo and all the other EPub booksellers out there. None of them are going to like this idea. Heck, I want to see the look on the folks at Apples faces when they tell IBook that they are going to have to deal with the different Publishers websites.

elcreative · 05-14-2012, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Buying them from Amazon is easier.

No it isn't... a lot of people don't use Kindles or Kindle Apps so it is most definitely not easier...

whitearrow · 05-14-2012, 03:55 PM

But for those who do it is unquestionably easier.

Both of my parents own Kindles. They are in their late 60's and not overly comfortable with finding different sites on the Internet, signing up, etc. If you told them that's what they'd have to do to get BPH books, they'd go back to buying deeply discounted paper versions at Costco.

I have no problem with the BPH's selling via their own sites, but doing so exclusively would be a nonstarter for a lot of ebook users.

ProfCrash · 05-14-2012, 04:11 PM

I would argue that buying from Kobo or BN or whatever e-bookstore you by from is easier. Amazon is simply one books store. I don't want to have to go looking at 6 or more different stores to buy my books. I don't want to have to worry about getting those books into my Amazon account so I can read them easily on my Kindle. I don't want to have 6 accounts and 6 more people with information that they can use to spam my email account. I am going to guess that most Nook and Kobo readers feel the same way and that most of them buy the majority of their books from BN and Kobo, just like Kindle readers tend to buy their books from Amazon.

And there are plenty of non-Kindle owners who shop at Amazon and simply remove the DRM and convert the files. Why do they shop at Amazon? Because Amazon tends to have what they are looking for and they don't want to have to search a number of different stores to find what they want to read.

Point being, many folks are not going to want to search 6 different stores to find a book to read. Most people like the convience of one stop shopping and will be annoyed if the BPH open their own bookstores and operate like Pottermore.

I did not like Pottermore and was very annoyed that I had to go that route. It was inconvient and annoying.

murraypaul · 05-14-2012, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I did not like Pottermore and was very annoyed that I had to go that route. It was inconvient and annoying.

But for the Harry Potter books, that model could be forced on everybody, and they had to go along. It was being reported a year ago that over 450 million pbook copies had been sold. That is a market Amazon et al couldn't afford to have no part of.
Publishers can't 'do a Pottermore' unless they have something equally massive to sell. If they try and to it for normal books, they will just lose sales.

ProfCrash · 05-14-2012, 04:26 PM

If they moved to a Pottermore type system I can guarentee that I would buy fewer books.

Andrew H. · 05-15-2012, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Publishers can't 'do a Pottermore' unless they have something equally massive to sell. If they try and to it for normal books, they will just lose sales.

If they could do it at all. It's not *easy* to do what Amazon does; it's very hard. That's one reason there's not a lot of competition.

And look at Pottermore - they are only offering 7 books, but even so the website was delayed and delayed and delayed.

Giggleton · 05-15-2012, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

This would be a very poor move from the perspective of the consumer. Amazon is a "one-stop shop" for eBooks; I don't want to have to go to Macmillan's site for Macmillan's books, Penguin's site for Penguin's books, etc.

Eventually we won't be thinking in terms of sites, but in the short term Amazon will probably just end up taking a cut of sales, as an affiliate referral link, or whatever you wish to call that sort of thing.

stonetools · 05-15-2012, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

But for the Harry Potter books, that model could be forced on everybody, and they had to go along. It was being reported a year ago that over 450 million pbook copies had been sold. That is a market Amazon et al couldn't afford to have no part of.
Publishers can't 'do a Pottermore' unless they have something equally massive to sell. If they try and to it for normal books, they will just lose sales.

They may be willing to to do that as a way of diluting Amazon's power. Heck, its the ONLY reason why they would want to risk going DRM free

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05-14-2012, 06:32 AM	#18
MikeB1972 Gnu Posts: 1,222 Karma: 15625359 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: UK Device: BeBook,JetBook Lite,PRS-300-350-505-650,+ran out of space to type	Then again, if the publishers come up with that joint site they were talking about, I'd probably be quite interested in it as it would be nice to have a place to go to avoid the ever growing self published books that are flooding anywhere I buy books from. Forgotten the name of the site, it's been on hold for about a year and is now probably a non starter after the DOJ.

05-14-2012, 03:22 PM	#22
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	This would not just target Amazon but it would target over BN, Waterstones, Kobo and all the other EPub booksellers out there. None of them are going to like this idea. Heck, I want to see the look on the folks at Apples faces when they tell IBook that they are going to have to deal with the different Publishers websites.

05-14-2012, 03:55 PM	#24
whitearrow Guru Posts: 808 Karma: 2260766 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Kindle Oasis 2	But for those who do it is unquestionably easier. Both of my parents own Kindles. They are in their late 60's and not overly comfortable with finding different sites on the Internet, signing up, etc. If you told them that's what they'd have to do to get BPH books, they'd go back to buying deeply discounted paper versions at Costco. I have no problem with the BPH's selling via their own sites, but doing so exclusively would be a nonstarter for a lot of ebook users.

05-14-2012, 04:11 PM	#25
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I would argue that buying from Kobo or BN or whatever e-bookstore you by from is easier. Amazon is simply one books store. I don't want to have to go looking at 6 or more different stores to buy my books. I don't want to have to worry about getting those books into my Amazon account so I can read them easily on my Kindle. I don't want to have 6 accounts and 6 more people with information that they can use to spam my email account. I am going to guess that most Nook and Kobo readers feel the same way and that most of them buy the majority of their books from BN and Kobo, just like Kindle readers tend to buy their books from Amazon. And there are plenty of non-Kindle owners who shop at Amazon and simply remove the DRM and convert the files. Why do they shop at Amazon? Because Amazon tends to have what they are looking for and they don't want to have to search a number of different stores to find what they want to read. Point being, many folks are not going to want to search 6 different stores to find a book to read. Most people like the convience of one stop shopping and will be annoyed if the BPH open their own bookstores and operate like Pottermore. I did not like Pottermore and was very annoyed that I had to go that route. It was inconvient and annoying.

05-14-2012, 04:26 PM	#27
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	If they moved to a Pottermore type system I can guarentee that I would buy fewer books.

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