That’s the conclusion Mike Shatzkin comes to. After discussing how ebook retailers are concentrating on building up a huge volume of ebooks in their stores Mike goes on to note how:
Publishers have known for a long time that good deals can be made and large sales can be registered through what we call “specialty retailers”. (The label for these sales in a publishing house, and others such as sales to catalogers or premium sales, is “Special Sales.”) The store that sells the tools and materials to refinish your floors can sell you a book to explain how to do it. The store that sells computers and paper and ink can also effectively sell resume or how-to computer books. The garden supply store can sell books on how to make your roses bloom. …
But the guess from here is that this is about to change and that the change we’ll see in the next few years will obliterate the notion that “all subjects in one place” is a significant marketing advantage, online or in a store. Many book sales, and particularly ebook sales, will move to “contextual” resellers. Your accountant’s web site will sell you the book(s) that help you understand a new tax law or how to ready your business for sale. Your favorite sports web site will sell you the new biography of Alex Rodriguez. And your favorite “Literary Review” newsletter and website will take care of your needs to acquire fiction directly and without your having to shop the vaster stacks of an online superstore.
That is: curated ebook offerings (a click away from the ability to buy lots more content beyond the curated selection) will be featured on every web site with any significant traffic. Delivering purchaseable content — books right now, but ulimately magazines, shorter articles, and relevant audio- and video-content as well — will become a standard expectation of any site (or web community) that aspires to a true mutual embrace with its site visitors. “What I’ve read lately and liked, and why” is a legitimate offering to anticipate from every blogger or commentator with a following.
Mike’s article is quite lengthy and there is a lot more on his blog.
Personally, I like everything running through one storefront; that gives me a better chance of the retailer surviving in case I need to do redownloads later on.Unfortunately, with the death of Fictionwise my purchases have already splintered. It’ll be a bitch when I have to move to a new machine now. Thanks, publishers!
Don’t really solely on the retailer having your stuff for re-download. Most of them don’t guarantee it’ll be there and any of them (although more likely for some than others) could disappear overnight like Paperback Digital did a couple years ago. It’s best to keep your own backup where possible. DRM, depending on type, can complicate this of course.
I won’t admit to not relying solely on them, because that would involve illegal activities. 😉 It’s the principle of the thing, though.