Why do some authors only offer their ebooks on Amazon?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Sometimes you can find that Kindle eBooks can be not all that good. Self-published can be the worst. For example, all the chapters in one HTML file.

Spent ages this morning fixing terrible formatting/CSS/HTML on a house full of random penguins. There are also well formatted indie books.

The Big publishers seem to think ebooks work like paper and use expensive tools wielded by untrained when free tools work better.

Also why are so many Terry Pratchett Kindle ebooks more expensive than the paperbacks, including shipping?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That only works if you have a Kindle and read it on the Kindle with WiFi on. If you have a Kobo or Pocketbook, you'd have to strip the DRM, convert to ePub and read that way. The author then gets nothing from your read.

KU is a really bad implementation given it's requirements. I have a PW3 and if I was to read a KU eBook, I'd not be giving them any money per page as WiFi is off.

And that would be dishonest, but of course you don’t do that. However, if people are downloading and stripping KU books, that pushes Amazon into more intensive efforts to lock down its system. Do the tools work on KU? I know they don’t on Kindle books from OverDrive.

Originally Posted by Quoth

The KU cheats Authors compared to sales.

An Amazon subscription Library to cheat authors, lock in readers and build a monopoly.

Cheats readers of privacy too.

The rankings thing shows how Amazon games the system to build its monopoly.

I just can’t see how “cheating” is involved if an author opts in and the terms are as described, although I agree about Amazon’s monopolistic aims. However, authors have alternatives and if they choose to throw in with Amazon, so it goes. Similarly, no one has to buy from Amazon.

Originally Posted by Quoth

Also why are so many Terry Pratchett Kindle ebooks more expensive than the paperbacks, including shipping?

Because people are willing to pay the higher price; presumably they value ebooks more. Demand determines prices; costs just set a floor.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by issybird

A
I just can’t see how “cheating” is involved if an author opts in and the terms are as described, although I agree about Amazon’s monopolistic aims.

I think some people don't realise how KDP Select works, especially KU aspect. BUt I agree, no-one MAKES an author/publisher opt-in and legally it's not cheating.

Originally Posted by issybird

However, authors have alternatives and if they choose to throw in with Amazon, so it goes. Similarly, no one has to buy from Amazon.

Absolutely. I don't mind buying occassionally, but I won't sign up to Prime or KU.

Originally Posted by issybird

Because people are willing to pay the higher price; presumably they value ebooks more. Demand determines prices; costs just set a floor.

It's always been "What the Market will bear". Totally agree.
I don't mind paper and prefer to buy on paper if I have a lot of a series or author on paper, unless the Kindle price is dramatically cheap.
I know many people won't even try an ebook on a borrowed decent Kindle/Kobo and others now that won't buy on paper. Choice is good.

For me the over riding reason originally for eink was PD out-of-print books. I was reading them on Laptop from 2001. A Palm PDA or phone (even the Nokia Communicator I had in 2002) seemed madness. Then I found ereader was good in the proof / annotate / edit cycle instead of paper.

I've bought paper books and Amazon ebooks in the last week.

Basically I agree totally with what you are saying. Perhaps I'm just highlighting the negatives.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Quoth

For me the over riding reason originally for eink was PD out-of-print books. I was reading them on Laptop from 2001.

This was exactly me; even the date looks right. I did read on handhelds also at some point in there, but PD got me to take the plunge when the original Nook was released. And then I went whole hog. I almost never read paper now; only when the ebook is unavailable or astronomically expensive and then I’ll borrow, not buy. It’s the clutter aspect if nothing else; I don’t care how cheap the paper copy is. I’m trying to get rid of pbooks, not add to the accumulation.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by issybird

And that would be dishonest, but of course you don’t do that. However, if people are downloading and stripping KU books, that pushes Amazon into more intensive efforts to lock down its system. Do the tools work on KU? I know they don’t on Kindle books from OverDrive.

The tools do work on KU books. With a rather minor change, they will also work on Kindle books from Overdrive.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Spent ages this morning fixing terrible formatting/CSS/HTML on a house full of random penguins. There are also well formatted indie books.

The Big publishers seem to think ebooks work like paper and use expensive tools wielded by untrained when free tools work better.

Also why are so many Terry Pratchett Kindle ebooks more expensive than the paperbacks, including shipping?

Yes, a lot of eBooks from the big publishers can be a mess.

As for Terry Pratchett books, can you post some examples? I'm not seeing this.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

And that would be dishonest, but of course you don’t do that. However, if people are downloading and stripping KU books, that pushes Amazon into more intensive efforts to lock down its system. Do the tools work on KU? I know they don’t on Kindle books from OverDrive.

I don't have a Kindle Unlimited subscription. But if I did, would an author get paid if I downloaded the KF8 version, sided loaded it, read and someday did turn on WiFi?

The tools do work on KU and Overdrive eBooks downloaded from Amazon. So yes, it's possible to game the system if someone wanted.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The tools do work on KU books. With a rather minor change, they will also work on Kindle books from Overdrive.

Minor change? I know the Alf tools worked. Do the NoDRM tools no longer work?

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Minor change? I know the Alf tools worked. Do the NoDRM tools no longer work?

I just tried, and NoDRM removed the DRM from a Kindle library book (from Overdrive).

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I don't have a Kindle Unlimited subscription. But if I did, would an author get paid if I downloaded the KF8 version, sided loaded it, read and someday did turn on WiFi?

Can you even do that? I thought download only applied to PC app, not sideload for KU? Also it's per page. Amazon is "loaning" a book they didn't pay for and using a dodgy method to track consumption and the publisher/author won't know in advance what a page is worth. Also there can be as much work writing 40,000 words as 120,000 words. Books shouldn't be "rented out" per-page read. I suspect plenty of people don't realise that the advantages fo KDP Select are more for Amazon than them. They are giving up ALL sales elsewhere for nebulous extra promotion of actual sales and unknowable income in advance for books "borrowed" (they are not purchased by user or Amazon) via Kindle Unlimited. There is another "lending" system even if not in KDP Select that you can only opt out of by taking less than 1/2 the revenue, yet it earns nothing per loan.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Can you even do that? I thought download only applied to PC app, not sideload for KU?

Well, you can deDRM a book downloaded to the PC app, provided the app is an older version. The author won't get paid, of course, if it's a KU book.

[hildea]

Thanks for the info, everyone! Now I know, at least, that the authors get some advantage, and have, presumably, decided that they'd rather have those advantages than have anti-Amazon curmudgeons like me as customers.

I wonder that this is legal -- I remember Microsoft lost a lawsuit and was forbidden to bundle their browser with the operative system, because the court found that they were using their market dominance to gain an unfair advantage over their competitors. This seems like a lot more blatant example of that.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Minor change? I know the Alf tools worked. Do the NoDRM tools no longer work?

I just checked and it would appear the check in the Alf/Harper version of DeDRM for Kindle has been modified in the NoDRM version to print a warning and then to continue. Not something I really cared about since Amazon format library loans are not available outside of the USA.

The original discussion was on reddit.com

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The KU cheats Authors compared to sales.

An Amazon subscription Library to cheat authors, lock in readers and build a monopoly.

Cheats readers of privacy too.

The rankings thing shows how Amazon games the system to build its monopoly.

Authors seem very willing to be in this "cheating" program. More new authors added all the time. Amazon isn't "cheating" me of privacy. No more than any other retailer.

I love KU. Between it and my local library, I never lack reading material.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

Authors seem very willing to be in this "cheating" program. More new authors added all the time. Amazon isn't "cheating" me of privacy. No more than any other retailer.

I love KU. Between it and my local library, I never lack reading material.

Yep, calling it "cheating" is risible . Calling it "effective" otoh, would be less tinfoil-hat-hysterical and more objective. This shown by the fact that I now get several emails EACH WEEK from Kobo urging me to join their equivalent scheme. I've bought a few books that are available in Kobo Plus and therefore RK has decided I need to reminded at least every other day that they have an "all you can read" scheme. I dislike Amazon for many reasons, but there's nothing unethical or "cheating" about a subscription library, and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then RK is flattering Amazon well.