catsittingstill (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
catsittingstill) wrote2010-01-31 05:40 pm
catsittingstill) wrote2010-01-31 05:40 pm
2 800 lb Gorillas were wrestling in the bathtub... or why it's not a good time to buy books
By now people who follow this kind of thing are aware that Macmillian (which includes Tor, which publishes some of my favorite authors)'s books have been pulled from Amazon's listings. This was originally over a disagreement about e-book pricing, but both e and paper books are gone.
You can still get them from "other sellers"--secondhand bookstores and so on that sell through Amazon. But you don't get Amazon's free shipping and such.
I hardly know what to think.
On the one hand, Amazon wants to sell e-book new releases at 9.99 and McMillian wants Amazon to charge 15.99. (Note that this is just for new releases; Macmiillan says it wants to drop the price later, to as low as 5.99. Also note that Macmillan is not actually all that good about bringing out its books in e-book form at all, so I don't know why they even care, but they do.) Okay, I know which price I, the reader, like better--and as for the later price drop, Amazon already does that.
On the other hand, McMillian wants to squeeze more money out of each e-book sale, some of which will theoretically go to authors (though why it couldn't pay royalties to authors based on the wholesale price, which Amazon is still paying, I don't know). I know a handful of authors, like them, and would be thrilled to see them make more money. I know many more authors only through their work, like them too, and would be thrilled to see them make more money, and possibly be able to write more books because they don't have to work part time to keep bread and beans on the table.
I frequently sympathize with the underdog, but both companies seem...more gorilla-ish than underdog-ish to me. The underdogs are the readers and the writers.
I do not fool myself that gorilla A, in moving to keep e-books at 9.99, is really all that concerned about me personally or consumers in general. Gorilla A wants e-books at 9.99 because that's what gorilla A thinks is best for gorilla A at this time. Nor do I believe that gorilla B is all that concerned about authors; gorilla B wants flexible pricing because that's what gorilla B thinks is best for gorilla B at this time.
I do think there's going to be a lot of water on the floor and that the gorillas won't be mopping it up.
And darn it, I got a couple of Amazon gift certificates for Christmas. I was planning to spend them on Kindle books. Now I'm not sure if I want to, because I don't want to reward Amazon for how it's behaving. OTOH not spending the gift certificates is rewarding Amazon because they already have the money and don't have to shell out any product for it. I suppose I could use them to buy paper books, but ...darn it, I really like books that weigh nothing and take no space.
I wish I could convert them to Baen gift certificates. Grump.
You can still get them from "other sellers"--secondhand bookstores and so on that sell through Amazon. But you don't get Amazon's free shipping and such.
I hardly know what to think.
On the one hand, Amazon wants to sell e-book new releases at 9.99 and McMillian wants Amazon to charge 15.99. (Note that this is just for new releases; Macmiillan says it wants to drop the price later, to as low as 5.99. Also note that Macmillan is not actually all that good about bringing out its books in e-book form at all, so I don't know why they even care, but they do.) Okay, I know which price I, the reader, like better--and as for the later price drop, Amazon already does that.
On the other hand, McMillian wants to squeeze more money out of each e-book sale, some of which will theoretically go to authors (though why it couldn't pay royalties to authors based on the wholesale price, which Amazon is still paying, I don't know). I know a handful of authors, like them, and would be thrilled to see them make more money. I know many more authors only through their work, like them too, and would be thrilled to see them make more money, and possibly be able to write more books because they don't have to work part time to keep bread and beans on the table.
I frequently sympathize with the underdog, but both companies seem...more gorilla-ish than underdog-ish to me. The underdogs are the readers and the writers.
I do not fool myself that gorilla A, in moving to keep e-books at 9.99, is really all that concerned about me personally or consumers in general. Gorilla A wants e-books at 9.99 because that's what gorilla A thinks is best for gorilla A at this time. Nor do I believe that gorilla B is all that concerned about authors; gorilla B wants flexible pricing because that's what gorilla B thinks is best for gorilla B at this time.
I do think there's going to be a lot of water on the floor and that the gorillas won't be mopping it up.
And darn it, I got a couple of Amazon gift certificates for Christmas. I was planning to spend them on Kindle books. Now I'm not sure if I want to, because I don't want to reward Amazon for how it's behaving. OTOH not spending the gift certificates is rewarding Amazon because they already have the money and don't have to shell out any product for it. I suppose I could use them to buy paper books, but ...darn it, I really like books that weigh nothing and take no space.
I wish I could convert them to Baen gift certificates. Grump.
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