Comments on: Bloggers: Amazon will eat your lunch

By: On Amazon, the Kindle, and Indie Publishing - Novelr - Making People Read

On Amazon, the Kindle, and Indie Publishing - Novelr - Making People Read — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:28:18 +0000

[...] arguments, and their writers (see: Eoin Purcell’s spot-on coverage) highlight a major problem with the initiative: Amazon seems to have forgotten how the power [...]

By: eoinpurcell

eoinpurcell — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:07:15 +0000

Litlove,

Thanks for the comment, though I cannot imagine you doing anything ignorantly!
Eoin

By: litlove

litlove — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:25:08 +0000

What a good post. This is the sort of thing I might have signed up for, ignorantly, if you hadn’t just pointed out the problems. Thank you!

By: eoinpurcell

eoinpurcell — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:54:55 +0000

the 12 or 15c that Amazon charges users for personal documents is their consumer rate, I strongly suspect that this fee would be much lower on real terms.

Even however if it was not, assuming that each blogger cost them 1mb per month to transfer that is still only 15% if they charge $1 or 7.5% if they charge $1.99.

Compared with costs of 30-45% for bricks and mortar retailers we still have a considerable gap.

I’m not suggesting Amazon for this for free, just for a more balanced fee!
Eoin

By: switch11

switch11 — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:11:20 +0000

good post. one thing you miss is that whispernet delivery costs amazon 12 cents per mb. so there is a cost for delivering to the kindle that goes out of amazon’s 70% share.

By: Susan

Susan — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:22:39 +0000

Thanks for going over this Eoin. I’d heard about this, but reading long TOS or contracts can numb the brain, and I just couldn’t see why people would pay to ‘kindle’ something they could read online for free. Interesting points–thanks!

By: Gerard Cunningham

Gerard Cunningham — Sun, 17 May 2009 20:55:19 +0000

Eoin, writers rarely appreciate the control their copyright gives them until they’ve signed away rights and it’s too late. And I don’t just mean bloggers.

By: eoinpurcell

eoinpurcell — Sun, 17 May 2009 20:39:32 +0000

Gerard,

They may also be desperate authors but as bloggers they control a publishing tool of immense and often under appreciated power!

Still, I see where you are coming from!

Eoin

By: eoinpurcell

eoinpurcell — Sun, 17 May 2009 20:38:40 +0000

Niall,

I’m not sure about that. Maybe if alongside the blog they get something extra like early delivery, extra content or community participation that the blog doesn’t provide online!

But even if they will, this is surely not the way to do it!
Eoin

By: eoinpurcell

eoinpurcell — Sun, 17 May 2009 20:37:31 +0000

It sure will be Kieran!

PS That choc-caramel looks amazing!