Read about it:
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/justice-files-suit-against-apple-and-publishers-over-e-book-pricing/?emc=eta1
Have you been reading about this? The justice department has actually sued Apple, Penguin, Hachet, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and Macmillan over their e-book pricing. One state attorney general said that the publishers had inflated the e-book prices by as much as $5.
I found this article fascinating. And it basically reiterates what we've been saying all along, that the larger companies are driving up the cost of e-books.
What does this lawsuit mean for us? Hopefully, lower e-book prices. And for some consumers possibly even restitution.
This ruling has been a huge plus for Amazon, who like to keep their prices lower as an incentive to buy and use the Kindle. Because of Apple's 'favorite nation clause' they weren't allowed to lower their prices, asked by these publishers, below the pricing in Apple's bookstore.
On the flip side, some authors are concerned about the large influence Amazon has over the book market. And this most certainly is a concern.
What's your take on the situation?
~*~
Jill Huey is giving away Unbidden, a historical romance today and tomorrow at
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0067DDX1M/ref=cm_sw_su_dp
4 comments:
I believe ebooks are overpriced. I believe Amazon is smart. I believe smart authors don't worry over things they can't change and work on those they can.
You're a smart woman.
As an author, this is a double-edged sword for me.
Yes, I like making money and getting exposure on Amazon. But I do feel that Amazon is slowly gaining a tremendous amount of influence in the industry. I don't think any one entity should have a monopoly, but it looks like Amazon may be headed that way.
However, I must say that competitors are really not stepping up to the plate to try to stop Amazon. For instance, charging $5 more per eBook is downright asinine and doesn't make good business sense at all. With strategies like that, it's no wonder more folks are buying from Amazon.
Also, Amazon is easier for authors to use. The KDP platform is simple and free. It converts Word docs to Kindle format in about 30 seconds. Compare this to Smashwords. Their fomatting guide is 80 freaking pages long!
It took me three weeks to have one of my books approved and loaded onto their platform. This is a waste of time and money for me. Plus, readers with iPads and Nooks experience a delay when waiting to download. I think if some of these problems were corrected, it might make it harder for Amazon to take the lead in this industry. That's just my two cents.
Chanta Jefferson Rand
www.ChantaRand.com
I agree on the double edged sword comment, Chanta. As a reader and author I appreciate Amazon. But monopolies make me nervous.
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