Geo Restrictions - Page 2

Oldpilot · 09-16-2010, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheKindleWorm

why should the USA store get all the freebies they do (which is a very considerable weekly amount) when we get very few in the UK store.

Free books come in two categories. First, the several thousand public-domain titles (adapted from the Gutenberg Project) that Amazon put on its storefront three years ago so there would be a critical mass of books to entice the first buyers of the then-expensive Kindle device. By the time the Kindle went international, this was much less of a concern.

Second, publishers often offer freebies to launch a new author or (more often) series, in order to build a fan base. Evidently New York publishers are more inclined to do this than their London brethren.

emmad · 09-18-2010, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Geographical restrictions are not always the publisher's fault, Emmad. Some publishers (like my own indie house) hold international rights to all titles, but the big stores look at our registration locations (Canada, USA, soon Australia in our case), and lump us in with those houses that produce country-specific editions ... for the sheer convenience of the third-party retail store itself!

Until Amazon (and other major ebook stores) gets its act together on this vital point, pop into the bookstore section of our own site (link below) and pick out a couple of recent titles offered in Mobi format for Kindle (no DRM), and I'll happily send them over to you with our compliments. Several books there by Australian authors and/or set Down Under.

Just email me on ntmarrATbewrite.net (use the @ sign)

Very best wishes. Neil

Thanks for that offer I'll go have a look

bluemoonjules · 09-18-2010, 06:24 PM

There are more freebies being added all the time in the UK, and not just classics.

lene1949 · 09-18-2010, 10:44 PM

In Australia we no longer pay $2 for free books... They are actually FREE...

wintermute314 · 09-19-2010, 06:40 AM

What troubles me more is that some books are getting more georestricted than the were before on kindle. I do not know if this is related to the opening of the kindle UK store or not. Some examples that were available to non-US, non-UK buyers and that are no longer available for Europe are:
- The Hunger Games by Collins
- Cryptonomicon by Stephenson

This are no obscure titles. My guess is that the digital rights for Europe were turned over to the UK not taking into account that there are more than 300 million Europeans living outside the UK.

I sent a mail to amazon about this but got a stock answer explaining that books sometimes get removed, and that amazon strives to get any title available anywhere.

Does anyone notice similar removals from the international kindle store in the last weeks? Is there a pattern?

Thanks

Bart

neilmarr · 09-19-2010, 12:27 PM

My own wee house's author agreements, Wintermute, always include digital rights. Some authors and agencies retain those rights, though, and market them on a country-specific basis.

We're just now experimenting with our first ebook-only titles, in this case, we're not able to offer print copies in several countries even if we want to (exceptions are usually mainland China and Down Under).

Sometimes, you see, the publisher's hands are tied by contractual obligation to the author and/or agent.

The big new ebook stores -- rather than go to the admin trouble of sorting one from t'other -- tend to impose geographical restrictions even when (as we always do) a publisher has full international rights and neither needs nor wants such padlocks.

And they do the same with DRM imposition, which we stridenly oppose. All we can do is to advise folks to buy from our own site for zero geographical restriction and -- if they buy from a third-party retailer who's slapped DRM on a book of ours -- offer a free non-DRM copy to make up for it and to make our own small protest against this nefarious racket.

Cheers. Neil

neilmarr · 09-19-2010, 12:28 PM

Oh, by the way, I forgot to say that it's good to have your new company, Wintermute. Hope you stick around with us. Cheers. Neil

pboss · 09-19-2010, 07:58 PM

Hehe they just can't charge VAT on nothing!

emmad · 09-19-2010, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lene1949

In Australia we no longer pay $2 for free books... They are actually FREE...

Ohh when did this happen as I would assume you are also part of Asia Pacific on Amazon?

WT Sharpe · 09-19-2010, 08:17 PM

Even in the United States we occasionally run into geographical restrictions. Today I was looking for an ebook copy of a paperback I read a few years ago and found the following message on Amazon: "This title is not available for customers from: United States." The book was Why I am not a Christian: And Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects [Kindle Edition] by Bertrand Russell. Now I ask you, who needs that book more than a U.S. registered voter?

Falcao · 09-19-2010, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Even in the United States we occasionally run into geographical restrictions. Today I was looking for an ebook copy of a paperback I read a few years ago and found the following message on Amazon: "This title is not available for customers from: United States." The book was Why I am not a Christian: And Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects [Kindle Edition] by Bertrand Russell. Now I ask you, who needs that book more than a U.S. registered voter?

Strange. I got this message:

This title is not available for customers from your location in:
Latin Am. & Caribbean

Since Russell was British maybe the book is available in Europe.

WT Sharpe · 09-20-2010, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcao

Strange. I got this message:

This title is not available for customers from your location in:
Latin Am. & Caribbean

Since Russell was British maybe the book is available in Europe.

What's strange is that the book is available in paperback. Why then should the ebook not be available?

desertblues · 09-20-2010, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcao

Strange. I got this message:

This title is not available for customers from your location in:
Latin Am. & Caribbean

Since Russell was British maybe the book is available in Europe.

No, checked it out: not available for customers in Europe. Somebody wants to keeps this book for his/herself.

Bikeridr · 09-20-2010, 07:09 AM

I've been through the whole list. It ain't available for anybody on the planet earh (or may be antarctica, but that is not in the drop-down list)
Meaning, Mr Russell probably want to have it all alone in his grave..?

neilmarr · 09-20-2010, 07:22 AM

Nonsense, innit, when you can quite legally pick up an old copy in pretty well any used book store in the world for a buck or two? And, as far as I recall, this book of Russell's essays (excllent, by the way -- and introducing the notion of the famous Celestial Teapot) has been available for several years in more than one international print edition.

Of course, Russell's original publisher/agency contract would have made no mention of digital rights -- ebooks were a twinkle in very few eyes when it was first published -- so maybe his estate and its lawyers are causing problems.

Best. Neil

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09-18-2010, 06:24 PM	#18
bluemoonjules Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 64 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3G	There are more freebies being added all the time in the UK, and not just classics.

09-18-2010, 10:44 PM	#19
lene1949 Wizard Posts: 1,952 Karma: 213930 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Middelfart, Denmark Device: Kindle paper white	In Australia we no longer pay $2 for free books... They are actually FREE...

09-19-2010, 06:40 AM	#20
wintermute314 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: kindle 3, kindle 2	What troubles me more is that some books are getting more georestricted than the were before on kindle. I do not know if this is related to the opening of the kindle UK store or not. Some examples that were available to non-US, non-UK buyers and that are no longer available for Europe are: - The Hunger Games by Collins - Cryptonomicon by Stephenson This are no obscure titles. My guess is that the digital rights for Europe were turned over to the UK not taking into account that there are more than 300 million Europeans living outside the UK. I sent a mail to amazon about this but got a stock answer explaining that books sometimes get removed, and that amazon strives to get any title available anywhere. Does anyone notice similar removals from the international kindle store in the last weeks? Is there a pattern? Thanks Bart

09-19-2010, 12:27 PM	#21
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	My own wee house's author agreements, Wintermute, always include digital rights. Some authors and agencies retain those rights, though, and market them on a country-specific basis. We're just now experimenting with our first ebook-only titles, in this case, we're not able to offer print copies in several countries even if we want to (exceptions are usually mainland China and Down Under). Sometimes, you see, the publisher's hands are tied by contractual obligation to the author and/or agent. The big new ebook stores -- rather than go to the admin trouble of sorting one from t'other -- tend to impose geographical restrictions even when (as we always do) a publisher has full international rights and neither needs nor wants such padlocks. And they do the same with DRM imposition, which we stridenly oppose. All we can do is to advise folks to buy from our own site for zero geographical restriction and -- if they buy from a third-party retailer who's slapped DRM on a book of ours -- offer a free non-DRM copy to make up for it and to make our own small protest against this nefarious racket. Cheers. Neil

09-19-2010, 12:28 PM	#22
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Oh, by the way, I forgot to say that it's good to have your new company, Wintermute. Hope you stick around with us. Cheers. Neil

09-19-2010, 07:58 PM	#23
pboss Evangelist Posts: 408 Karma: 646 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: none	Hehe they just can't charge VAT on nothing!

09-19-2010, 08:17 PM	#25
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	Even in the United States we occasionally run into geographical restrictions. Today I was looking for an ebook copy of a paperback I read a few years ago and found the following message on Amazon: "This title is not available for customers from: United States." The book was *Why I am not a Christian: And Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects* [Kindle Edition] by Bertrand Russell. Now I ask you, who needs that book more than a U.S. registered voter?

09-20-2010, 07:09 AM	#29
Bikeridr Information Acquirer Posts: 436 Karma: 4265156 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Latvia, Rigas Rajons Device: Kindle 3 International, Pocketbook Color	I've been through the whole list. It ain't available for anybody on the planet earh (or may be antarctica, but that is not in the drop-down list) Meaning, Mr Russell probably want to have it all alone in his grave..?

09-20-2010, 07:22 AM	#30
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Nonsense, innit, when you can quite legally pick up an old copy in pretty well any used book store in the world for a buck or two? And, as far as I recall, this book of Russell's essays (excllent, by the way -- and introducing the notion of the famous Celestial Teapot) has been available for several years in more than one international print edition. Of course, Russell's original publisher/agency contract would have made no mention of digital rights -- ebooks were a twinkle in very few eyes when it was first published -- so maybe his estate and its lawyers are causing problems. Best. Neil

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