It is the Worst of Times for Reading EBooks

[ZodWallop]

Yes, I think we agree.

Originally Posted by pwalker8

If you remember, the music industry didn't like the fact that most digital music was sold via the iTunes store, so they allowed music to be sold DRM free from Amazon while forcing Apple to use DRM in the iTunes store. They also didn't like the tiered pricing scheme in the iTunes store. The ploy didn't work all that well, and after a year or so, Apple forced them to start selling music DRM free at the iTunes store as well.

The music industry didn't like what Apple was doing and in a desperate attempt, they went to Amazon with a novel solution.

Unfortunately, the publishers didn't like what Amazon was doing and rather than look for a competitor or a novel solution, we got agency. Which means the publishers gain nothing by offering to sell DRM-free books via a competitor.

It would be nice if suddenly both Google Books and Apple Books sold DRM-free books in Kindle format that could easily be transferred by the common user. But I don't see that happening.

In the end, Amazon's Kindle ecosystem seems to be a publisher's best friend when it comes to ebooks.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Yes, I think we agree.



The music industry didn't like what Apple was doing and in a desperate attempt, they went to Amazon with a novel solution.

Unfortunately, the publishers didn't like what Amazon was doing and rather than look for a competitor or a novel solution, we got agency. Which means the publishers gain nothing by offering to sell DRM-free books via a competitor.

It would be nice if suddenly both Google Books and Apple Books sold DRM-free books in Kindle format that could easily be transferred by the common user. But I don't see that happening.

In the end, Amazon's Kindle ecosystem seems to be a publisher's best friend when it comes to ebooks.

True enough, and as long as Amazon doesn't try to squeeze the publishers, they will remain best buddies.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

True enough, and as long as Amazon doesn't try to squeeze the publishers, they will remain best buddies.

As long as?

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by leebase

As long as?

Ever since Amazon caved on the agency model, things have been pretty quiet between Amazon and the big publishers. Have you heard anything about Amazon trying to squeeze the big 5?

[cgsmom]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Amazon Kindle has made some missteps, such as the Voyage and it's silly cover, but overall the progress has been impressive and affordable.

I had to do a double-take when I read that. I loved my Voyage and I loved the cover. I would still be with Kindle if it hadn't died. However, I discovered that I change hands a lot when I read and I didn't want to be rotating my reader every time so I went back to Nook. So far I am happy. Different things for different readers.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Ever since Amazon caved on the agency model, things have been pretty quiet between Amazon and the big publishers. Have you heard anything about Amazon trying to squeeze the big 5?

Well...let’s see. Amazon directly threatened the business of the publishers by putting all of the best sellers on sale for $9.99 while still in the window where publishers were trying to sell the $25 hard backs. Why? To use the books as a loss leader to sell and establish the $400 Kindle ereader.

There was at least once where all the books of a given publisher were taken off Amazon.

Oh, but that was THEN.

Now Amazon is its own publisher. Amazon is a book seller so powerful that one CAN'T not do business with them....all while Amazon has set itself up as a direct competitor.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by leebase

Well...let’s see. Amazon directly threatened the business of the publishers by putting all of the best sellers on sale for $9.99 while still in the window where publishers were trying to sell the $25 hard backs. Why? To use the books as a loss leader to sell and establish the $400 Kindle ereader.

There was at least once where all the books of a given publisher were taken off Amazon.

Oh, but that was THEN.

Now Amazon is its own publisher. Amazon is a book seller so powerful that one CAN'T not do business with them....all while Amazon has set itself up as a direct competitor.

Well, that was then. It's been some four years now.

I do think that the publishers are concerned about Amazon's power and market share. For the most part, Amazon isn't that sort of publisher. They are more of a passive publisher as far as I can tell. They provide the infrastructure for anyone who wants to take advantage of it and is willing to do the work.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Well, that was then. It's been some four years now.

I do think that the publishers are concerned about Amazon's power and market share. For the most part, Amazon isn't that sort of publisher. They are more of a passive publisher as far as I can tell. They provide the infrastructure for anyone who wants to take advantage of it and is willing to do the work.

Not so. In addition to being a platform for independent authors, Amazon has developed its own imprints...markets the work of Amazon's stable of authors above all others. Have you not noticed who's books are in Amazon Unlimited?

Amazon, like Netflix, has huge data about what sells, then uses that data to publish their own content. Have you seen Amazon's growing line of products like Amazon Basics, and Solimo their lotions and potions brand?

Grocery stores have done this forever..selling store brands to compete with the CPG brands they also sell. But no grocery store has ever controlled it’s market like Amazon does. Far more than Walmart does. You can be a CPG company and not sell via Walmart. You really can’t be a publisher who doesn’t sell via Amazon

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by leebase

Not so. In addition to being a platform for independent authors, Amazon has developed its own imprints...markets the work of Amazon's stable of authors above all others. Have you not noticed who's books are in Amazon Unlimited?

The big publisher's books aren't in Kindle Unlimited by their choice.

[John F]

Does Amazon publishing imprints offer full publishing services? Editing, cover design, page layout, slush piles that an editor goes through, ... ?

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by leebase

Not so. In addition to being a platform for independent authors, Amazon has developed its own imprints...markets the work of Amazon's stable of authors above all others. Have you not noticed who's books are in Amazon Unlimited?

...

Hum, I'm not aware of any major imprints that Amazon owns. To the best of my knowledge, their publishing efforts are focused on indies and the stable of indie authors who have bought in to the ecosystem that Amazon provides. It's mostly eBooks and print on demand books.

I am very aware that Amazon pushes their indies authors at every opportunity. It's made their recommended list near uselessness for me.

But even so, the eBook market is much smaller than the paper market. Based on various reports that I've seen, eBook sales was roughly 20% of dead tree sales in 2018 and is in the same ball park as audiobook sales.

[mitford13]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Hum, I'm not aware of any major imprints that Amazon owns. To the best of my knowledge, their publishing efforts are focused on indies and the stable of indie authors who have bought in to the ecosystem that Amazon provides. It's mostly eBooks and print on demand books.

I am very aware that Amazon pushes their indies authors at every opportunity. It's made their recommended list near uselessness for me.

But even so, the eBook market is much smaller than the paper market. Based on various reports that I've seen, eBook sales was roughly 20% of dead tree sales in 2018 and is in the same ball park as audiobook sales.

There are quite a few and they’ve become much more prevalent...my public library has many. Before Author Earnings went away, his statistics showed some impressive growth in their imprint sales. Some are indies they’ve recruited but also a fair amount of former trad pub midlisters who’ve switched. Was interested to see Patricia Cornwell has a new release coming out with Thomas & Mercer in a few months - think she’s the ‘biggest’ name I’ve seen so far.
Some basic information here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Publishing
There have also been several articles recently that the translation imprint, amazon crossing, is now the US lead in producing translations.

[leebase]

Perhaps this link will help: https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/our-imprints.html

16 different Amazon Imprints: "Amazon Publishing is made up of the following imprints that publish books across genres and around the world."

Mind you, even "Indie" authors aren't what they used to be with Amazon's marketing efforts and Kindle Unlimited behind them. Individually an indie author is one thing...but "the Amazon indie market" is quite another.

All while publisher's CAN'T stop selling their books via Amazon.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The big publisher's books aren't in Kindle Unlimited by their choice.

Of course, who would spend all their money developing and marketing authors to then just put them in a slush pile along with all the indie authors from Amazon?

This particular branch of the discussion started against the premise that SINCE the agency kerfluffle, Amazon hasn't been attacking the Big 5. Clearly Amazon has continued marching into the publisher's turf.

It's competition, and competition is welcome. But is it fair competition when a marketplace reaches such dominance that sellers can't survive without doing business with that marketplace. THEN, that marketplace starts putting out it's own competing products into that same marketplace that is hugely dominant?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by leebase

All while publisher's CAN'T stop selling their books via Amazon.

Kind a moot point, really. There isn't a major publisher out there who would even WANT to stop selling their books via Amazon (or B&N, or Waterstones, or Powell's, or W.H. Smith's). It's not as if the advantages of selling your books via Amazon are a one-way street. They WANT Amazon (and all the others) to be wildly successful at selling their books. They just want to be able to dictate pricing.