I am going to do two things in this rebuttal. First, I would like to thank this site’s -ireadereview.com- authors for their tireless efforts at bringing us great pieces; second, I am going to state quite clearly that I vehemently disagree with this author’s core argument regarding the long term unsustainable nature of $9.99 and under pricing. I have seen pieces from Newsweek to the New York Times that clearly highlight that a $9.99 e-book has close to the same profit spread of a $26 hardcover. At first...

Until recently, I was like many of my fellow readers, in that I owned a single e-reading device. I made the conscious decision to pass on free public library books to be able to purchase contemporary books at $9.99 and under. However, three things drove me from my happy walled garden: first, I began working on a digital library for my school; second, I began to notice that the initially atrocious quality of Google books has been slowly improving; and lastly, a recent posting over at ireaderreview highlighted the arrival of the $99 reader. I quickly seized the golden opportunity...

I have been an avid reader of Teleread for about two years now and have contributed pieces since last year. In this brief span of time, I have become a full fledged supporter of developing a well-stocked national digital library. In an earlier piece “Death, Senescence and E-books” I asked whether it wouldn’t be prudent to create free or low cost access to e-books and e-readers for long-term hospital patients. In that brief period of time my conviction was sealed and I now find myself in a position to take on a relatively small, but challenging role in advancing the...

The United States saw unprecedented expansion between the 19th and early 20th century as a result of pro-expansionist policies. These policies -regardless of how avaricious they were- are something which many historians would consider a necessary evil. The losers in this precipitous land grab, by most accounts, where the Native Americans who originally had settled lands west of the Mississippi River. However, there was also another group of losers in this massive race west: the American settlers. By most accounts their lives on newly settled lands were bleak, often hanging on by the gifts or punishments of unpredictable weather trends....

The promise of the digital era lays in its growing ability to shed old limitations and obstacles. However, there are many problems which must be addressed as our societies enter this new epic period. I have recently finished reading William Easterly’s excellent book “The White Man’s Burden.” In it he argues that foreign aid must take on a more decentralized form in order to allow for verifiable results. At this point you may be asking yourself: how does this all tie in with e-books? I believe that e-books are a rare combination of traditional media with its depth and substance...

This weekend Kindlers witnessed the resurgence in popularity of one of the most aggressive Agency pricing advocates: HarperCollins. In a brilliant move which has left some Agency pricing cynics –including this writer- flabbergasted, HarperCollins has repaired some of its tarnished reputation. In case that you were out and/or missed it, HarperCollins gave away 21 Kindle e-books for free. These were not your standard run of the mill e-books either; for instance HarperCollins gave away an Agatha Christie novel along with a vast majority of the highly acclaimed Lemony Snicket series of books. Even I, one of the biggest critics of the...

Publishers’ arrogance has hit a new mark as of late with their “feel good” news conference. This moronic stunt even surpasses their possible use of resale price maintenance: an action that occurs when a creator literally tells a distributor how much to sell a product for. It is ground which Chris Meadows covered in full detail earlier when he voiced his concerns regarding its implementation within the e-book world. We have finally arrived at the day when the e-book consumer will be robbed by some of the biggest thugs in the world. Cynics have cited that the price differential between...

The focus over the last couple of weeks –rightfully so- has been cast on the battle between Amazon and Macmillan. It appears that as the dust settles, the collateral damage is more widespread than initially thought. Barnes and Noble has recently begun raising its e-book prices leaving many of its loyal Nookers exasperated. Their sense of betrayal is a theme becoming more and more common in the e-book world as customers are feeling like victims of the classic “bait and switch” tactic: the bait being the purported savings to be found in e-books and the switch being the DRM-laden, increasingly over-priced...

I hope that you are seated for what I am about to say. You’re seated, good. Here goes. Our troops in the field and back at garrison are being done a serious disservice. This oversight and its subsequent repercussions may potentially –if it hasn’t already- limit our armed services effectiveness not only in retention, leadership development but also combat effectiveness. The fix has already been laid out; it’s merely the delivery method that is flawed. What I am referring to is the need for further integration of e-books, digital libraries and e-readers within our military. Presently, the US armed forces have...

This weekend I sat down with a warm cup of coffee and enjoyed one of those rare life pleasures which come around but so often, a great Frank Rich column. As many of you may already know he discussed the sophomoric stunt that Sarah Palin pulled at the recent Tea Party Convention: she wrote notes for a $100,000 speech on her hand. Rich’s overarching theme was that Democrats by focusing on Ms. Palin’s “handwriting” were missing the political “writing on the wall” and as a result being flanked by populist hypocrites. The parallels between this story and the chaotic state...

The repercussions from this weekend’s fracas between Amazon and MacMillan appear to be arising already. In a recent piece entitled “Amazon’s Faustian Bargain” I spelled out a nightmare scenario in which publishers will begin to usurp both Amazon and its customers pricing power. At the time I operated under the assumption –based on rampant and somewhat credible rumors- that Macmillan threatened to withhold its products from Amazon unless it complied with Macmillan's pricing demands: in case you missed all the action, Amazon capitulated. As you may clearly recall Chris Meadows wisely called out Macmillan for possibly advocating and then winning...

Recently the folks at Amazon have been put into a vicious corner. They are trapped between a growing consumer base who they are diligently serving and a recalcitrant supplier who wants to redraw the balance of power. Make no mistake folks the “balance of power” in e-book pricing is finally being firmly challenged by a major publisher. As Chris Meadows wisely reminded us Amazon is currently trapped in an economic death funnel. The only way forward is through Macmillan and there are literally a million plus people pushing Amazon further into this quagmire. If I were Jeff Bezos I would...