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Amazon deletes DRMed edition of ‘The Solomon Scandals’: Hooray!
December 18, 2009 | 9:17 am
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By David Rothman
Responding to a mix of my publisher’s efforts and my own, Amazon has zapped the DRMed edition of The Solomon Scandals for the Kindle.
It existed only because Twilight Times Books had used the Mobipocket Store, which required DRM. Then, against Twilight Times’ wishes and my own, a DRM edition reached the Kindle Store. It wouldn’t go away even after publisher Lida Quillen killed the Mobi edition. The unwanted file competed with our DRM-free Kindle version and lowered its rank. The authorized nonDRMed Kindle edition is here.
Now, with the DRMed edition gone from the Kindle Store, I’ll proudly apply the tag drmfree to my suspense novel there, knowing there won’t be consumer confusion. A paperback is also available. Now to get Amazon to deal with another issue—redundant blurbs in the listings for Scandals.
And speaking of DRM: New York Times columnist David Pogue says his Windows guide was pirated without DRM, but that the sales of his paper edition showed a slight increase. Yes, the lock-in issue is on a few more consumers’ minds, now that some Kindle owners are defecting to the Nook.
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Comments:
Congrats on finally getting this taken care of!
I could wish that Amazon automatically included the DRM Free label as part of the information for each book. I think this is useful metadata about the book. And easily derivable, too.
But if I’m wishing, might as well wish that Amazon supported ePub directly in the Kindle, so I can access my library books on my reader.
Absolutely, Shelley! Programs like Calbre help, but they’re no substitute for natively rendered ePub for the Kindle (ideally without DRM complications). And of course they’re no solution for ePub library books with proprietary DRM to muck things up further.
More and more people are catching on—let’s hope Amazon listens.
As for my Amazon listings, I still have a way to go. The Solomon Scandals trade paperback listing as of now has a picture of the Kindle and an accompanying suggestion to tell the publisher to add a Kindle edition. Problem is, Twilight Times Books already has done one. Apparently this glitch resulted when Amazon withdrew the unauthorized DRM edition. Our trade paperback listing at least has a link to the authorized nonDRMed edition elsewhere. But still no fun. Amazon has wasted more !@%^^ time, in the struggle to get things right!
Thanks,
David