How many digital bookstores are needed?

[wizwor]

I don't want to shop for books at a book store. I want to click links at expert/interest/bargain sites. Books are part of a train of thought not something distinct from everything else.

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by wizwor

I don't want to shop for books at a book store. I want to click links at expert/interest/bargain sites. Books are part of a train of thought not something distinct from everything else.

By clicking links, I assume you mean access information, specific portions of non-fictional texts?

We are having trouble figuring out how to sell entire books to people, trying to sell them chapters or paragraphs should be fun.

[wizwor]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

By clicking links, I assume you mean access information, specific portions of non-fictional texts?

We are having trouble figuring out how to sell entire books to people, trying to sell them chapters or paragraphs should be fun.

No. I mean that I need a book store no more than I need a sock store.

I don't go to amazon.com to browse books -- when I visit the bookstore, I usually know what I want. My interest comes from a recommendation, a requirement, personal experience, or research. Purchasing is just the last step in the process. If price is always the same, why not buy the product from the entity that brought you to the dance?

It's a paradigm shift, but I think it's underway. If I am listening to an interview on my ride home and want to buy the author's book, I can go to the radio station's site and purchase the book. When I'm looking for snippets of code, the source of the code is occasionally referenced in the article, turorial, or forum post. Artists link their products in web pages.

A couple weeks ago, I was looking for CISSP books. I started at amazon because I wanted something I could load on my kindle. Once I got my list, I was off to google to research each one. Who did the selling? Amazon? Google? Or the reviewers who helped me choose the best options?

As bookstores go, Amazon is pretty good. In addition to good prices and format options, they allow for reviews, link to similar products, and often include a preview of the book. Amazon accepts returns. This is much better than walking into a brick and mortar bookstore. If there were only bookstore, I'd choose amazon, but I'm not sure I need a bookstore at all.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by wizwor

No. I mean that I need a book store no more than I need a sock store.

Interesting view...
Basically you distinguish between "selling" you on the product, convincing you to buy it, and transacting the delivery.

What you're describing is the google books business model where indie bookstore web sites receive a commission to feed the google books fullfilment site for payment and delivery. And long-term customer support.

Hmm, I never saw much of a future for the indies in that model, since the bulk of money goes to Google and they (and Adobe) control the long-term customer relationship; re-downloads, authentication, etc.

Definitely treats ebook suppliers as commodity vendors that offer no added value beyond the transaction. Things could get interesting if that approach prevails.

The way I see it, with ebooks the long-term relationship between ebook supplier and the customer is where the money lies. Choosing a reading device/app is choosing a preferred supplier, which makes it a deeper commitment than a simple one-time transaction.
(Like buying/leasing a photo-copier for a business; you're committing to a specific supplier for consumables and service and support and *that* is where the real money lies.)

The reason Amazon offers up reviews, discussion forums, etc is precisely to make themselves the first (and last) stop in the shopping process for as many consumers as they can entice. So they can control the entire shopping experience and keep the customer satisfied in the monogamous relationship.

It's more of a "marriage" than a series of one-night stands.

[Giggleton]

So the choices should have been 0,1,Infinite Amount.

[grumbles]

And why would I want to buy my books from an American dealer? A recurring problem seems to be that Americans tend to think that what might be good for them is also good for the rest of the world. Now if what the poll really means or what Giggleton wants is "Should Americans have only one source for digital media?" I don't have a problem. In fact, since I can't buy epubs from Amazon and B&N won't sell to me, the problem is moot.

I try to avoid buying from American sources as much as possible. The truth is that there is no protection of privacy in the United States. I don't trust my government. I trust the U.S. even less.

That said, I do buy book from Baen from time to time. On the otherhand, I am not planning on flying over the US any time soon.

I would have liked to be able to say that I shop Canadian but since Indigo is selling Kobo to a Japanese outfit I expect that Homeland (in)Security will be vetting my reading list at some time in the future.

This is also the reason why I have an anonymous registration with Adobe Digital Editions. It is also the reason why I MUST strip DRM to move downloaded books to my readers.

[6charlong]

Originally Posted by grumbles

And why would I want to buy my books from an American dealer? A recurring problem seems to be that Americans tend to think that what might be good for them is also good for the rest of the world. Now if what the poll really means or what Giggleton wants is "Should Americans have only one source for digital media?" I don't have a problem. In fact, since I can't buy epubs from Amazon and B&N won't sell to me, the problem is moot.

I try to avoid buying from American sources as much as possible. The truth is that there is no protection of privacy in the United States. I don't trust my government. I trust the U.S. even less.

That said, I do buy book from Baen from time to time. On the otherhand, I am not planning on flying over the US any time soon.

I would have liked to be able to say that I shop Canadian but since Indigo is selling Kobo to a Japanese outfit I expect that Homeland (in)Security will be vetting my reading list at some time in the future.

This is also the reason why I have an anonymous registration with Adobe Digital Editions. It is also the reason why I MUST strip DRM to move downloaded books to my readers.

There independent bookstores in Canada. You can find one nearest to you through IndieBound. Only a portion of the purchase goes to a local Canadian shop and part to Google and part to Adobe for the DRM.

The discussion seems to go in the direction that independent bookstores provide nothing except a link to download from. Not always true. Many of them host book clubs, book readings, signings and friendly staff to help you find books you will like.

If nothing else, it keeps part of the profit in your own community. Isn't that better than keeping none of the profit in your community?

[scrapking]

Originally Posted by grumbles

I would have liked to be able to say that I shop Canadian but since Indigo is selling Kobo to a Japanese outfit I expect that Homeland (in)Security will be vetting my reading list at some time in the future.

You are arguably still shopping Canadian if you buy from Kobo. While Rakuten is now Kobo's owner, Kobo is still a Canadian company that's headquartered in Toronto, and Rakuten has said that's not likely to change (they didn't change the headquarters for Buy.com, or Play.com, yet either).

To answer the broader question, I want as much competition as possible. Having a Kobo Vox, I do enjoy being able to shop and consume content from multiple stores on the same device, without side-loading, jailbreaking, or anything else. I just downloaded the Kindle app, and it was pre-loaded with the Kobo app, and those two have me well covered. There are additional options to those two if I ever want them. I mostly buy from Kobo, buying from Amazon only as a last resort, because I always prefer to buy from the underdog and to enhance competition where I can.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by grumbles

Now if what the poll really means or what Giggleton wants is "Should Americans have only one source for digital media?" I don't have a problem.

Inasmuch as the US currently consumes 80% of the ebooks and readers sold on the planet there isn't going to be much statistical difference regardless of the phrasing.

It will probably change at some point. Just not yet, apparently.
You'll just have to endure until such a change happens.

[scrapking]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Inasmuch as the US currently consumes 80% of the ebooks and readers sold on the planet there isn't going to be much statistical difference regardless of the phrasing.

It will probably change at some point. Just not yet, apparently.
You'll just have to endure until such a change happens.

Are there statistics to back up this claim? I had no idea it might be that one-sided.

[grumbles]

My point wasn't that there are no independent stores in Canada, it was the assumption that we just need one big online source of books period. And if we did, whose would it be? Branch plants of American companies are still American companies.

Kobo is Rakuten's presence in Canada. Kobo is now a foreign owned company. It remains to be seen what impact this may have.

I find the 80% figure VERY suspicious. I would believe that Amazon has 80% of the US market. I do not believe that the US represents 80% of the global market.

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by grumbles

My point wasn't that there are no independent stores in Canada, it was the assumption that we just need one big online source of books period. And if we did, whose would it be? Branch plants of American companies are still American companies.

The only real reason I can see for multiple servers distributing the same content is for backup purposes.

I suppose if you must have an owner, that owner would be the taxpayer.