Amazon

A monopoly believes it is permanent

A monopoly believes it is a permanent fixture in its industry. An Internet e-commerce company worries obsessively that it can be destroyed at any time if it doesn’t stay fast and smart. The contrast between Amazon and big publishing could not be more stark.

— Passive Guy

Today’s Bargain Book: Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Today’s Bargain Book: Wicked by Gregory Maguire

In Maguire’s detailed Oz re-imagining, the Wicked Witch of the West is more than just a villain; she’s also an intelligent, headstrong opponent of Oz’s establishment class, one whose inflexible demands for justice make her a prime political target as she grows in power.

Here’s how a local bookseller tried to get my future business

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 a customer, I was ignored. I thought it might be nice to publish that email [...]

The biggest threat to local bookstores? Crazy booksellers and their fanboys

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 very little compensation. It was, at the very least, retail dirty pool. But then—even though [...]

Amazon Silk, or Amazon Browses the Web So You Don’t Have To

Amazon Silk, or Amazon Browses the Web So You Don’t Have To

The Kindle Fire doesn’t come with a normal web browser, but with something Amazon is calling Amazon Silk, which is Amazon’s attempt at improving page rendering speed, browser responsiveness, and hardware limitations. Amazon has launched a blog about Amazon Silk, but so far the blog just displays a PR-written post and a Googlefied “here’s how [...]

Amazon says, “Kindles for everyone, even the poor!”

Amazon says, “Kindles for everyone, even the poor!”

Someone at Amazon must have figured out that things aren’t looking good for the middle class, because the four new Kindle models announced today are all ridiculously cheap, both compared to previous Kindles and the competition. Before the end of this year, someone shopping for an ereader device will be able to choose from five [...]

Here’s an RSS feed for Amazon’s new Kindle Daily Deal

If you’re a bargain hunter when it comes to ebooks, there’s now a new source for discounted titles: Kindle Daily Deal at amazon.com/kindledailydeal. It’s similar to the Gold Box daily specials that Amazon has offered for years now, but focused exclusively on one-day discounts of a single Kindle ebook each day. Amazon says it will [...]

Like audiobooks? There’s a way to get $100 off a Kindle through Audible

Those $99 refurbished Kindles are nice, but if you want a really cheap Kindle, and you’re thinking about joining Audible, the best combo offer is one that isn’t that easy to find these days: sign up for a year of Audible Gold at $14.95 a month, and get a $100 code that you can use [...]

Amazon launches “Kindle Indie Books” section on Kindle Store

Yesterday, author Brendan Gannon noticed that Amazon rolled out a new section called “Kindle Indie Books” on the Kindle Store. It’s not another publishing imprint (I guess they couldn’t use the term “indie” otherwise), but rather a human- and machine-curated selection of popular indie and self-published titles. To get on the list, you have to [...]

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