Comments on: Amazon/Lexcycle acquisition is bad for ebook classics

By: Kids stories

Kids stories — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:21:49 +0000

Spot on Paul, great post. It wouldn’t surprise me either if they have worsened things more then you mentioned as Joseph Gray said.

By: Alessandro Cima

Alessandro Cima — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:03:46 +0000

I wouldn’t worry too much about this. After all, writing an ebook reader app for the iPhone or iPod Touch is a pretty simple matter. As Amazon destroys Stanza, another developer will write the app over again and connect it to the free book services. No problem.

Just dump Stanza and move to the next app.

By: Steve Jordan

Steve Jordan — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:36:44 +0000

Did no one read e-books on PDAs or cellphones before Stanza? Does everyone in the world use an iPhone? Did Stanza ever roll out an app for devices other than iPhones and PCs? Did PCs have no way to read e-books before that?

I realize that the Stanza purchase will shake up Stanza use… but there are other e-book outlets and readers besides Stanza and Amazon. They carried on before, and they will carry on afterward.

This is no more than a blip that seriously impacts one device at this point (or, more accurately, a future point). And I think the long-term impact will be access to the Amazon catalog on more devices than before… which is what most people have been clamoring for from the beginning.

For the rest, ePub will provide the Other Format, the MP3 of e-book formats that will likely outlive AZW, whether Amazon likes it or not. Classic and PD lit (not to mention indies) can continue to be made available outside of Amazon channels via ePub.

By: pond

pond — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:26:31 +0000

Hear, hear. The only quibble I might have is that public domain cannot be locked up by its very nature. Amazon would have no hope of any monopoly aspirations were it not for the fact that publishing in its entirety relies upon the monopoly of copyright.

Should Amazon stop offering public domain titles through Stanza (as seems likely), somebody else will step up to the plate.

Remember all of these can be formatted in plain old HTML and will display very nicely on iPhone via mobile Safari.

Next up: what will the battlefield look like for ebook apps on the Android and Palm Pre, should they win any significant market share?

By: Rich Adin

Rich Adin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:02:22 +0000

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for Amazon to knock Fictionwise off the Stanza list, now that Fictionwise is owned by Barnes & Noble.

By: Michael Pastore

Michael Pastore — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:10:11 +0000

Well expressed, Paul.

Barnes and Noble is a case that proves your point. For years they have been publishing and selling public domain classics, printed on low-grade paper, for a very low price. (Yes, Barnes and Noble is the publisher, editor, and bookseller all in one.)

Other small publishers might think about selling these books; but they cannot do it for anywhere near the low B&N retail price.

By: Mike Cane

Mike Cane — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:37:37 +0000

Paul, this is the best post you have done for TeleRead. My hat’s off to you.

By: Brad

Brad — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:15:47 +0000

Great post Paul! I pretty much agree with you here, except that I also tend to worry about the format wars a little more.

Amazon is a corporate giant, and corporate giants are usually more concerned with the bottom line. So you are right, Amazon has no reason not to change Stanza – especially the business model.

Fictionwise, Feedbooks, Smashwords, and all the other smaller ebook providers won’t make Amazon any money. So it’s not a matter “if” they’ll change Stanza, it’s only a matter of when and what they’ll change.

Great post. Keep up the good work!

By: Joseph Gray

Joseph Gray — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:19:42 +0000

Paul, I do believe you’ve nailed it. On a more pessimistic note, I wouldn’t be surprised if Amazon did even worse things than what you suggested.