Re: Amazon Kindle

--- In [email protected], "Kent S. Larsen II" wrote:
> I'm merely trying to state my discomfort at yet another attempt to
go beyond just selling books to a system where a large player uses its
market power to dominate the nascent ebook form.
>

No reason to think this attempt will be any more successful than
others. Sooner or later everyone with a Kindle will find reason to
look outside Amazon's system for content.

> I don't know if Amazon will be successful in this move.

Highly unlikely. They may achieve a strong market share for a while,
and if they do, they'll be inviting strong competition from others
who'll do the job better, faster, and cheaper.

> But I don't like the relatively small cut (35% instead of the 50%
that is more or less standard),

Shrug. They're doing all the hosting, collections, bookkeeping (did
anyone see an audit clause?), and heavy marketing. They're also
providing wireless access for the devices. Other stuff, too.

> nor do I like the proprietary nature of the standard files, or the
fact that the Kindle will display so few formats.

But those limitations have been standard in every dedicated ereader
toy anyone's produced, so they aren't at all unusual.

> And I don't like the fact that Amazon is using a proprietary
identifier for ebooks (ASIN) instead of supporting wider standards
like the ISBN and DOI.
>

?? Fictionwise does the same thing. So did Gemstar and Nuvomedia and
so do most of the outfits that market ebooks with or without ereader
hardware.
With or without an ISBN, a book gets a unique in-store stock number in
almost any retailer's system.
 
> On the other hand, I do like Amazon's system for allowing new ebooks
to be submitted. Its so simple that I believe the number of available
ebooks will rise rapidly.
>

Yup, and many will appear without the benefit of edits.
Amazon's assembling a true slush pile. Wouldn't surprise me at all if
they start sending 'Get Published!' promotionals for an in-house paper
press soon.
 
> Despite the things I don't like, I probably will still participate.
Not participating only hurts me, not Amazon, and I think there will be
various pressures on Amazon to open its system eventually, even if it
becomes the dominant standard in the industry.
>

If it does become dominant, that dominance will be very temporary.
Others will let Amazon do all the legwork, troubleshooting, and
pioneering, then they'll barf up their own hardware versions.
It's 'King of the Hill' and even the biggest kids get tired eventually.

> We'll see how this all shakes out. Perhaps the Kindle will help make
ebooks a significant format for books.
>

There you have the real reason that Kindle is a Good Thing. It can
succeed or fail financially, and since the Kindle can eat Mobi books,
failure of this biz model won't matter much to anyone but Amazon.
But - succeed or fail - Amazon and its Kindle will expand OUR ebook
marketplace, and perhaps expand it greatly.
Nuvomedia was known for what before it came out with Rocketebook?
No idea.

Gemstar was known for TV stuff when it bought Nuvomedia with the idea
of presenting the world with electronic guidebooks and more. They
strangled themselves with proprietary crap and poor customer service.

But Amazon is known for BOOKS, before all else, and it's big enough to
absorb some hefty losses while it develops an ebook market we can ALL use.
Ed Howdershelt - Abintra Press
Science Fiction & Semi-Fiction
http://www.AbintraPress.com
My Fictionwise Ratings: http://tinyurl.com/26v45



------------------------------------------------------
Post a message:   ebook-community [[at]] *
Unsubscribe:      ebook-community-unsubscribe [[at]] *
Switch to digest: ebook-community-digest [[at]] *
Switch to normal: ebook-community-normal [[at]] *
Put mail on hold: ebook-community-nomail [[at]] *
Administrator:    ebook-community-owner [[at]] *

(* == yahoogroups.com)
------------------------------------------------------- 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:[email protected] 
    mailto:ebook-community-fullfeatured-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    ebook-community-unsubscribe-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/