(Source: thelifeguardlibrarian)
Target to stop carrying Amazon Kindle hardware due to 'conflict of interest'?
"[I]t’s pretty hard to see how someone could destroy bookselling by selling tons of book."
Is Amazon Destroying or Democratizing Literature?
THAT IS THE QUESTION.
"Before the Internet opinions about books were a relatively scarce commodity in our culture, and they came from a relatively small group of sources. We didn’t have access to hot and cold running book reviews twenty-four seven, and therefore we weren’t exposed to millions and millions of passionately held, diametrically opposed opinions about books. The wild diversity of readerly responses was not all up in your grill all the time. You went to school, and somebody told you that The Great Gatsby was a masterpiece, and if you didn’t like it, well, something was wrong with you, not it."
– Lev Grossman, “Beyond the Good and Awful: Literary Value in the Age of the Amazon Review” (via thelifeguardlibrarian)
(via thelifeguardlibrarian)
"Compared with online retailers, bookstores present a frustrating consumer experience. A physical store—whether it’s your favorite indie or the humongous Barnes & Noble at the mall—offers a relatively paltry selection, no customer reviews, no reliable way to find what you’re looking for, and a dubious recommendations engine. Amazon suggests books based on others you’ve read; your local store recommends what the employees like. If you don’t choose your movies based on what the guy at the box office recommends, why would you choose your books that way?"
–
Farhad Manjoo, “Don’t Support Your Local Bookseller: Buying books on Amazon is better for authors, better for the economy, and better for you”
Ooo, girl. You done it now.
(via thelifeguardlibrarian)
"There is no point in fighting them or explaining to them that we should be able to coexist civilly in the marketplace,” she wrote me. “I don’t think they care. I do think it’s worthwhile explaining to customers that the lowest price point does not always represent the best deal. If you like going to a bookstore then it’s up to you to support it. If you like seeing the people in your community employed, if you think your city needs a tax base, if you want to buy books from a person who reads, don’t use Amazon."
– Ann Patchett via @NYTimes Amazon’s Jungle Logic
With 5% Discount, Amazon Triples Use of Controversial App
#Amazon is the devil.
Evil: Amazon Launches Christmas Attack on Local Shops(via @Gawker)
Apparently concerned that it’s not already doing enough to undermine local physical retailers across the country, Amazon.com announced it will pay customers $5 to go into a local store, scan an item, walk out, and buy the same item on Amazon.
Why #Writers Should Embrace #Amazon’s Takeover Of The #Publishing Industry #amwriting
I hate everything about this article. You know, before Amazon, there were other companies that published books too. And frankly, did a better job.
Kindle + Library Card = Free Books
Amazon announced today that Kindle and Kindle app users can now check out electronic books from 11 thousand local libraries around the United States.
You know, like we do with analog books. Except this time you receive the book via WiFi or USB.
Unlike analog books you can make margin notes and highlights and librarians won’t give you the stink eye for doing so.
Visit your local library’s Web site to see if it’s participating in the program.
(Source: futurejournalismproject, via thelifeguardlibrarian)
"Why weren’t publishers elated? What’s wrong with a company that returns only 10 percent of the books it buys and might eventually eliminate the cost of print production? Well, it doesn’t help that Amazon, which has been on an intense buying spree (print-on-demanders BookSurge; book networking site Shelfari), lists publishers as its competitors in SEC filings. Editors and retailers alike fear that it’s bent on building a vertical publishing business—from acquisition to your doorstep—with not a single middleman in sight. No HarperCollins, no Borders, no printing press. Amazon has begun to do end runs around bookstores with small presses."
–
Have We Reached the End of Book Publishing As We Know It? — New York Magazine
More to horrify you…
The iPad, the Kindle, and the future of books: The New Yorker
I know I’ve posted this article before but I feel that strongly about it. It’s long and you may get bored but it is very worth a read if you care about e-readers, the Amazon/Apple fight-to-the-death or the future of publishing. Seriously.
kuyagabby replied to your link: Class Action Suit Filed Against Apple & Five Publishers Over eBook Pricing - eBookNewser
speaking of Apple … did u know that they are soo powerful they made the Samsung Tab banned in Europe?!
Doesn’t surprise me. I’m not saying Apple is perfect. I’m saying that Amazon is worse.
