08-22-2008, 06:42 PM | #61 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,698
Karma: 4748723
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Kindle Paperwhite
|
Sorry for those non-Kindle folks that won't be able to read his books, at least for now. But, I think it was a smart move on Amazon's part. They found a popular author who wasn't releasing ebooks at all, showed him a Kindle (the may have given him one for all I know), and got him to sign an exclusive deal.
Like it or not, that's good business, and exactly the way I would have done it. Amazon isn't in the business of making Sony or iLiad or Gen3 owners (or anyone else) happy. They're in the business of selling Kindles and Kindle ebooks. Sony is no different, and if they had gotten there first (and the could have - Sony had a year lead) I don't think a lot of you folks would be complaining. |
08-22-2008, 06:49 PM | #62 | |
Holy S**T!!!
Posts: 5,213
Karma: 108401
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: San Diego, California!!
Device: Kindle and iPad
|
Quote:
|
|
Advert | |
|
08-22-2008, 06:54 PM | #63 | |
Wizard
Posts: 2,698
Karma: 4748723
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Kindle Paperwhite
|
Quote:
|
|
08-22-2008, 07:08 PM | #64 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,229
Karma: 543210
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Device: Kindles: Paperwhite Signature Ed., Oasis 2, Voyage
|
|
08-22-2008, 07:12 PM | #65 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,698
Karma: 4748723
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Kindle Paperwhite
|
|
Advert | |
|
08-22-2008, 07:21 PM | #66 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,531
Karma: 8059866
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Canada
Device: Kobo H2O / Aura HD / Glo / iPad3
|
I think the "exclusive deal" thing will backfire on Amazon.
The idea of this type of promotion is that you better buy a Kindle because we have content that others e-book readers don't. It's likely to scare away more potential electronic reader buyers then it will convince to purchase a Kindle. Some will decide that I better hold off on buying one of these devices until the winner is decided. Others will think, "Do I really want to be tied to getting all my content through Amazon? Sure today I can buy my books from other online stores but if they start doing exclusive deals will I be able to tomorrow? What will the books cost of they don't have any competition?" Hopefully there will be a lot of backlash and they will realize... OK that was stupid. For the people that asked about Terry Goodkind. This is a very good book and I would recommend it. I read most of the series in hardcover first release and loved the first few books in the series. (I have them sitting in a box in my garage waiting to be donated to a charity). I gave up on the series though because IMO it became the worst kind of fantasy series. Repeat the same story over and over again without advancing the plot and sell #14 in the series. It still doesn't stop me from recommending the first books in the series. |
08-22-2008, 07:37 PM | #67 | |
I'm Super Kindle-icious
Posts: 6,734
Karma: 2434103
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia
Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis
|
Quote:
Now if exclusive deals started popping up all over the place, one author for this reader another for that one, then I would pause and maybe decide to bypass the whole ebook deal altogether. On the whole, I don't think the most people will care. Some of the folks on Goodkind's own boards weren't even aware of the issues. |
|
08-22-2008, 08:12 PM | #68 | |
Actively passive.
Posts: 2,042
Karma: 478376
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: US
Device: Sony PRS-505/LC
|
Quote:
No one... well, scratch that... *I* am not claiming this was evil or unscrupulous on Amazon's part. I think it was a bad move on Terry Goodkind's publisher's and agent's part. If you're going to enter the e-book market, it would probably be best not to do so in a manner calculated to piss off a whole lot of e-book buyers. Good business on Amazon's part, but bad move on Goodkind's. Last edited by Taylor514ce; 08-22-2008 at 08:14 PM. |
|
08-22-2008, 08:24 PM | #69 | |
Wizard
Posts: 2,698
Karma: 4748723
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Kindle Paperwhite
|
Quote:
I also disagree that it's a bad decision for TG. I'm guessing (and just guessing) that he got a special royalty rate for releasing exclusively for the Kindle. TG obviously believes the positives outweigh the negatives, or he wouldn't have gone with a Kindle exclusive release. What is actually interesting, is what happens next. Will sales justify subsequent Kindle only releases, will he go multi-format for future books or will he exit the eBook market completely? |
|
08-22-2008, 08:33 PM | #70 | |
Holy S**T!!!
Posts: 5,213
Karma: 108401
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: San Diego, California!!
Device: Kindle and iPad
|
Quote:
|
|
08-22-2008, 08:36 PM | #71 | |
Actively passive.
Posts: 2,042
Karma: 478376
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: US
Device: Sony PRS-505/LC
|
Quote:
|
|
08-22-2008, 08:59 PM | #72 | ||
fruminous edugeek
Posts: 6,745
Karma: 551260
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Northeast US
Device: iPad, eBw 1150
|
Quote:
Quote:
I wonder if they're sending a free Kindle to J.K. Rowling now? They probably have a bit of an "in" with her, after bidding fairly high on her charity auction and then convincing her to do these special editions of Beedle the Bard for charity. I could just see them negotiating for the rights to sell a special Kindle edition (Red with the Gryffindor Lion or Green with the Slytherin Snake) with all 7 books plus the 3 charity titles pre-loaded-- with some percentage of proceeds to go to charity. Rowling was quite keen to endorse the "Ancient Forest Friendly" recycled books I bought from Canada. If someone could convince her that the Kindle is the right platform, pointing to Goodkind as an example, perhaps, it would be quite a coup for Amazon. |
||
08-22-2008, 11:07 PM | #73 | |
Resident Curmudgeon
Posts: 75,917
Karma: 134368292
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
|
Quote:
If Terry goes multi-format for other books in the series and does not for the first one, people will be even more pissed then they are now. I'd not be happy if he signed with just Sony either. It's not about getting eBooks just for the device you happen to own. It's about getting eBooks in all formats so you can then have a choice of what device you want to won because the books are there for all of them. |
|
08-22-2008, 11:11 PM | #74 | |
Resident Curmudgeon
Posts: 75,917
Karma: 134368292
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
|
Quote:
|
|
08-23-2008, 12:18 AM | #75 | |
Wizard
Posts: 1,531
Karma: 8059866
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Canada
Device: Kobo H2O / Aura HD / Glo / iPad3
|
Quote:
I'm not saying that some people won't be drawn into it. I just think more will be scared away. Most people understand that Amazon isn't going to get away with signing exclusive deals and competitors won't react. Publishers will be threatened by it also. When people see this type of exclusive content they are more likely to decide to take a pass on the technology for a while and let it iron itself out. Just look at what happened in the HD DVD vs Blu-ray debacle. When Paramount signed an exclusive deal with the HD DVD consortium some people might have decided they liked Paramount movies so they'll buy a HD DVD player but the vast majority just took a pass on either technology. Sony apparently "won" the war but the last reports I've seen Blu-ray still isn't selling well. A lot of people think that downloadable HD content will be the winner. I agree with Jon. It doesn't matter if it's Kindle, Mobipocket, BBEB or eReader. Exclusive agreements like this are bad for the electronic book industry. My theory on this specific instance is that Terry Goodkind is afraid of e-books. Amazon probably tried to get all his books in Kindle format but he didn't want to lose everything to evil pirates. Amazon says, "Look your first book was published in 1994 how much money do you really expect to make off it in the next x years. Let us pay you that amount up front and then any sales you make on top is a bonus. You can't lose anything and we'll prove people will pay for your book. You get comfortable with it and we'll talk about the rest of the series." Short term it looks like a win/win situation. Long term... well it's shortsighted. |
|
Tags |
duck! |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Terry Goodkind, Schwert der Wahrheit Reihe | blogbook | E-Books | 3 | 11-12-2010 03:12 PM |
Terry Goodkind - SOT | tponzo | General Discussions | 9 | 07-23-2010 02:00 PM |
eBook library 3.0 FINALLY WORKING | mgmueller | Sony Reader | 9 | 12-23-2009 05:01 PM |
Goodkind | pilotbob | Sony Reader | 2 | 11-15-2007 05:30 AM |
Ebook sales are (finally) increasing | Colin Dunstan | News | 4 | 06-21-2004 02:13 AM |