It looks like the battle between Macmillan and Amazon is really heating up: Macmillan, which refused to sell their ebooks on the Kindle for $9.99, saw their titles pulled from Amazon. Amazon then responded with a very passive-aggressive note accusing Macmillan of having a monopoly on their own titles and then stating that they would carry Macmillan books at Macmillan’s prices. But that still hasn’t happened.
Here’s what has happened, though:
Macmillan has put out an ad in the New York Times reading “Available at booksellers everywhere except Amazon.”
Macmillan got a standing ovation from independent booksellers at a conference.
Duane Swierczynski has put up a satirical post on his blog about Amazon taking his books hostage.
And Rupert Murdoch, who owns HarperCollins Books, has said that the $9.99 price point is too low for him, too. Are we about to see publishers revolt against Amazon and the Kindle?
Meanwhile, Steve Jobs just leans back in his throne made of iPhones and laughs like this: Mu-hu-hu-ha-ha-ha.
The Microsoft article sounds accurate from what I recall hearing from ex-boyfriend. They couldn’t seem to support the project… But you think by now they’d have entered the fray. Did the antitrust lawsuit really do that much damage to their competitve edge? I get that they decide to stick to software instead of hardware, I guess…but at the time they seemed pretty cocky that they would lead the charge in this ebook battle.
Ex-boyfriend did say to me at the time (I owned a bookstore)”Don’t worry, it won’t happen for another ten years.” He was right.
@51, oh, you’re THAT Michael Wells. I’m sorry, I’m very slow. I bought a lot of books in your store once upon a time, when I lived on the Hill. Now I feel dumb for arguing with someone who’s a lot closer to the real world of bookselling than I am — though I’m a “bookseller” too, if you count the guy carrying the big box into Third Place (and then carrying it right back out again, mostly). Hunh! And I sold my first two books on Amazon’s seller program yesterday (they take a HUGE bite out).
I’m interested in this debate from both sides — I’m a dedicated real-book person, a frequent, nearly constant small bookshop patron, and also a mostly-frustrated Kindle owner. I think it’s an interesting discussion. I just wish “it” didn’t have to jump in and poo in the water…..
Fnarf – at this moment you’re probably a much more active bookseller than I am. The discussion about the future of the book, bookselling, publishing and writing affects every one of us not just those in the biz. in fact, most of the people in the biz are far behind the general reading public on the new world of bookls. Trust me on one…
Also- I do have way too much time on my hands right now which is why I’m slogging through every day…
Fnarf @42: I keep seeing this talking point about “the costs of typesetting” popping up when in reality anyone who knows the Kindle or ePub format knows that “approving proofs, layout, making sure it’s readable and doesn’t break paras mid-thought” isn’t a part of the process.
It’s a convenient lie that seems logical on first blush and cuts the debate short before people realize that what’s being sold is generally a text file with chapter hyperlinks and maybe a nice greyscale (soon to be color) jpeg for a “cover.”
This is not a huge design cost, folks. I can’t speak to the cost of copy-editing, but the actual design of most eBooks is not that expensive or complicated. And yes, I worked for four years for a major publisher in an eBook/web related position.
A friend’s response to Scalzi’s latest: http://doctorideas.blogspot.com/2010/02/…
Scalzi’s perspective is very biased, a fact he admits here, but a disturbing amount of people are quoting his word like gospel. His situation is an exception rather than a rule and a lot of his points aren’t exactly correct.
Personally, I’m fine with paying $9.99 for eBooks.
What I’m not down with is how every hardback book I pick up at a bookstore is !!$25!! That’s always a no-go for me. I like to read books, I like to own them, but I’m tired of storing them–my house has limited space left at this time for more dead-tree media, so for probably 75% of what I read, the Kindle app on the iPhone is just fine. I always have my phone with me, so I find myself reading more than the old days.
It’s an interesting discussion but until the iPad hits, nothing is going to happen.
But as to Fnarf’s remark about “no typesetting.” That’s not complete. Yes you can use plain text files at Pfroject Gutenberg but publishers are also going to have a lot more fun with ebooks on the iPad. I am porting City Comforts to it and the new ebook format will be very much a different kind of book…it won’t be static, for example. Also sorts of embeds and live links and maybe even video. Plus editions can be changed every month or so.
Fnarf doesn’t believe anything exists until it’s on Google or a wiki.
Don’t confuse him with reality.
I thought the point of paying double for a hardback copy instead of waiting for paperback was not for the sturdier exterior but so you could read it as soon as it came out. Why can’t ebooks be priced based on how recently the book came out? If the hardback is $25, then charge $19.99 for the ebook. Then, a year later, charge $13.99 for the paperback and $9.99 for the ebook.
Will in Seattle is scared of facts, documentation and citation.
Will, “the plural of anecdote is not data.”
I’ll bet you lunch that, a year from now, the vast majority of eBooks that are being sold FOR MONEY IN THE USA will be on either an iPad or an iPhone.
I made a bet with someone else about the elections after they kept telling me certain things were impossible.
You’re welcome to try me.
Just an average lunch, not Flying Fish. OK, Jigae? I’ve made a lot of cash from IPOs and various stocks on bets like that. It’s why I bought Ford in March 09.
I’m not saying you’re wrong about the iPad. I’m merely stating you have a huge aversion to backing up your “facts.” it’s obnoxious, childish, and weird.
Check out this link: http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2010/01/gam… It’s from the blog Pub Rants, written by a YA literary agent. I find her blog particularly interesting and helpful in that she often details the nitty-gritty financial details of her negotiations on the author’s behalf.
At this point in time, everyone has pretty much acknowledged that the publishing industry (along with every other industry) is going through a paradigm shift from physical to digital. It’s this phase right now, with one foot in either tub, that’s got everyone nervous — the authors, the publishers and the consumers.
The publishers want to cover the marketing costs and any buy-back returns of the print editions, especially in these pro-digital times. The consumers (understandably) are getting tired of paying upwards of $25 – $40 for a new (print) release, and want reasonable prices — but the $9.99 locked in price on the digital may be driving up the prices on the print versions. The authors just want to pay the bills and put food on the table.
Also, the iPad? Eh, I’ll take a dedicated e-reader with a front-lit screen. These back-lit screens hurt my eyes and give me a headache after a couple hours. Plus, the Nook and the Sony E-readers have that E-ink page display, which is also easier on the eyes when you’re actually sitting and reading a book for several hours.
Maybe the people buying the iPad don’t read for hours anymore. Or maybe the back-lit screen doesn’t bother them. I just turned 30 last week, so I don’t think it’s my age. I love books — I was always the kid in the corner, reading, when everyone else was watching tv or playing sports. Whenever the computer or tv hurts my eyes, I put on my reading glasses and curl up with a nice book.