by Sarah Statz Cords
I know, that headline is too twee, but I couldn’t resist the alliteration of “Kindle Kerfuffle.”
Recently it seems that Kindle users have taken to protesting certain publishers’ decisions to either delay (or altogether avoid) publication of their authors’ books as Kindle-ready e-books. Their method of choice? They deluge the titles’ records in Amazon.com with 1-star reviews.
The book that has really brought attention to this tactic is John Heilemann’s and Mark Halperin’s political expose titled Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime. Consider some of the 1-star reviews from Amazon:
“I haven’t read this book, and I most likely won’t because by the time Harper Collins releases it on the Kindle, it’ll probably be less relevant.”
“No Kindle version. By February 23, almost all will be published in magazines and newspapers. Why buy it then?”
“There is no reason to delay release of any book on the Kindle. Why can’t the publisher simply charge the same amount for the Kindle Edition for some period of time, before reducing it. That way, those Kindle owners who want to read books when they are first released can choose to do so, with no harm.”
And there’s a ton more, like that, as well as discussion forums on the subject. I know this is a bit off our usual topics, and more an issue of reader/publisher relations than reader/library relations, but I still found lots of food for thought here. I thought it was very telling that waiting for something a month or six weeks makes it obsolete. (I don’t know if I agree with that–the 2008 election is long over, after all, so what’s the real hurry with this title in particular?) I also find lots of interesting possibilities here on just how authors and publishers make money (if they do at all)–a book is a lot of work to write. Regardless of what the print vs. e-book margins are, doesn’t it seem to anyone else like the Kindle price of $8.61 is a bit low for ANY book? (I’ve not read this title, but by the time you write a book, edit, and hopefully, if it’s nonfiction, index it, shouldn’t it be worth a little bit more, even, than the hardcover Amazon price of $15.39?)
This leads me to wonder about the whole format and business of publishing in a way I never really have before. Maybe we should switch to a system of hot topics being produced as shorter articles that could be available in Kindle right away, and simply eschew ever publishing such titles as “books” at all? (After all, if it’s going to be obsolete in four weeks…) But how would we provide access to such titles in our libraries?
Frankly, I don’t know what to think. Do you?
Tripp,
I must say I’m a Luddite when it comes to music, too. I’m still in love with CDs.
Your concerns about the Kindle are very similar to mine. First of all, I worry about the barrier of $259 just for the Kindle. I am not destitute (luckily; and not yet, anyway) but that is WAY more than I am willing to shell out without even having a book to show for it. And you know, as with other technology, it will break down and become obsolete quickly. Who needs that? I will never, never get over the ease of use that a book provides, no matter how nice they make any ebook. It will still demand choosing which one, downloading books, figuring out formats, replacing worn-out hardware. I am SO not in the mood.
I know the ebooks are coming, which is another reason I am distressed to see such proprietary fights and such heavy-handed tactics as actually removing books from Kindles (as happened with Macmillan books over the weekend). What happens if a book you used for study or work and marked up with text and notes (which I believe Kindle touts as an advantage) is suddenly wiped off your reader? Ridiculous. All in all it seems like we are moving toward cheap bandwith access for all with nasty hardware and proprietary costs hiding in the background. That seems like the wrong direction.
I think your point about more sub-par books coming is a good (if sad) one as well. Thank you for commenting.
Sarah,
Although I have completely embraced the digitization of music, I remain a reluctant Luddite when it comes to the Kindle or other means of reading digitized books. There are a couple of factors in play for me. On the one hand, I really like the portability of music that devices like the Ipod provide. With the shuffle function and the song capacity I now approach music differently than I once did. Yes, I pay less attention to the music I have, since I now have more than I can really digest and yes, I miss the CD art, but the benefits outweigh the losses.
I don’t think the benefits of the Kindle would outweigh the costs, for me at least. When I travel I take a fair number of books with me. Would it be nice to cut five to ten pounds out of my luggage? Sure, but not that great. I also know that the Kindle is genuinely a better reading experience for some, for example, those that find black text on white paper to be distracting. For me, the tactile experience of the book is a large part of my enjoyment of reading. The Kindle would cut away from that.
There is also a larger point about the business impacts of digitization. In both the music and book business the publishers (or record label in music terms) have served a gate keeping function. I would argue that this was a negative function in music. The concentration of power in a few labels led to a homogenization of music that reduced what listeners heard. I would argue that the book publishers are probably publishing too many books. While a bad song only costs you three minutes, a bad book can cost you a week. I fear a world of digitized self publishers blasting out scads of sub-par books. It is hard enough to find a good one among the dross today. It could be much worse.
Keith,
Thank you for the information about Kindle in Canada, as well as for the articles about the iPad and Amazon pricing. I for one think this entire thing says a lot about Amazon–and not much of it is good, at least from a proprietary standpoint. Although I can’t say Apple has thrilled me that way either. But I guess in the brave new world we’ll all have to pick our separate platforms and go with it. Seems like a step backward from the democracy of the book format, but maybe that’s just me and my Luddite nature.
May I ask what makes the Kindle more pleasant for you as a reading experience? I know the ability to take lots of books in one on plane trips is a big plus, but are there other functions you like?
Ran across this article: http://comicsworthreading.com/2010/01/30/amazon-pulls-first-second-books-other-macmillan-titles/ It looks like Amazon does set a price point for their Kindle books.
Kindle books in Canada are more expensive. The selection is also much more limited but that’s because of regional publishing rights and the fact that it’s only been in Canada for a few months.
They now have Kindle applications for PC and iPhone. Not a fan of reading a book on the PC or iPhone though. Reading books on the Kindle is a pleasant experience, more so than physical books in my opinion.
Apple just revealed their iPad (http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/01/27/apple.ready.to.unveil.tablet.and.more/). Maybe the competition will force Amazon to improve their service.
Keith,
I can’t even think who would enforce such a rule (charging more, charging less) unless it is an Amazon-enforced rule that publishers must charge a certain percentage less for e-books. Does anyone else, or anyone in publishing, know if this is a rule or policy?
The proprietary thing bugs me too. I am unschooled in the ways of all things e-reader, though…at this point, is there any kind of “generic” e-book that lets you buy e-books from Amazon and get them from Overdrive? (Like an mp3 player rather than an iPod?) I would imagine the new Apple Tablet is going to be highly proprietary too.
In a way, that issue is what annoys me about online books in general. Man, I do not have the time or interest to figure out what format or software I have to have to read a book. I just want to crack a book. That, I understand. But I’m trying to get with this brave new world…and might I ask how things are different for Kindle in Canada? Do they charge less for e-books there?
Is there a rule that prevents publishers from charging more for Kindle books? I use the Kindle in Canada so it’s a little bit different here.
The issue that bugs me with the Kindle is its proprietary format (.azw) that prevents it from being compatible with Overdrive. Overdrive is often used by libraries to deliver e-books. It’s frustrating for library patrons that have a Kindle (I know there are ways around this but it’s a pain for the average patron).