Category Archives: commentary
Here’s how a local bookseller tried to get my future business
In my recent counter-tirade against the emotional outbursts that booksellers are frequently guilty of when they should be discussing retail strategies, I mentioned that the last time I contacted a local bookstore to offer feedback on what I want as … Continue reading
Posted in business, commentary, ebooks, news, online, publishing
Tagged Amazon, booksellers, bookstores, competition, customer service, ebooks, feedback, local, retailers, small business
2 Comments
The biggest threat to local bookstores? Crazy booksellers and their fanboys
Last week, Amazon tried to train consumers to openly treat local retail stores as showrooms for Amazon merchandise. It was a ballsy but ethically shaky move; I believe customers who participated helped Amazon steal resources and sales from competitors for … Continue reading
Posted in business, commentary, news, publishing
Tagged Amazon, booksellers, bookstores, consumers, corporations, ebooks, little guy, local, publishers, rants, shopping, slate, tirades, values
1 Comment
It’s the Day Against DRM; does anybody care?
Why isn’t the Day Against DRM a bigger deal among ebook consumers? Continue reading
Posted in commentary, DIY, ebooks, featured, news, online, software
Tagged activism, copyright, defective by design, digital rights, dmca, drm, ebooks, fsf, laws, restrictions
1 Comment
Are readers growing more concerned about DRM? (Please?)
A highly informal survey hints that maybe DRM’s biggest enemy is the growing popularity of ebooks — the more you read, the more likely you are to be annoyed by lending and platform restrictions. Continue reading
Dear Hachette, you’re doing it wrong
Hachette disables all highlighting in Kindle books, tells authors that piracy is to blame for low royalties, and brags about it to the press. Wtf? Continue reading
Posted in business, commentary, ebooks, featured, publishing
Tagged anti-consumer, clipping limits, digital, disabled, ebooks, highlighting, kindle, lies, piracy, pirates, publishers, royalties, scams
2 Comments
Ebook prices in 2004 vs 2011: what’s changed?
On Monday I wrote in a post that I think prices for ebooks have gone down since 2004. Over on Teleread, a couple of readers called bullshit on that statement and argued that actually prices have been creeping up thanks … Continue reading
Posted in authors, business, commentary, ebooks, publishing
Tagged agency, big six, digital publishing, ebooks, history, kindle, prices, pricing
10 Comments
Do printed library books really fall apart after 26 uses? (No, they don’t.)
Yeah, I’m still posting about HarperCollins’ new ebook library policy. It’s not just that it’s such a damned greedy, destructive move to make against libraries, the publishing equivalent of clubbing a highly literate seal. It’s that HarperCollins is using this … Continue reading
Posted in books, business, commentary, libraries, news, publishing
Tagged checkouts, ebooks, greed, harpercollins, library, licenses, licensing, lifespans, overdrive, print vs ebook, videos
3 Comments
Why social reading apps are doomed to fail
I’ve been testing out some social reading apps on the iPad in recent weeks, and while I hope to post something more in-depth in the near future, I read some items today that corroborate a general disappointment I’ve been feeling.