So let me get this straight.
Amazon would like to offer a Netflix-like subscription to unlimited ebooks for its Prime members. Business sites are all over the publishing companies to comply–after all, what’s a little monopoly between friends?
But as an author this stinks to high heaven. You know, that place where Borders is chilling on a cloud and crying into its celestial beer.
See, there’s no mention of author benefit–everyone is talking about the publishers and how they need to get with the times. But how, exactly, would we be compensated for this? Since it’s for their Prime members, who as Netflix has seen, would howl over a price hike, it’s possible this will just be lumped in, wrecking ebook sales and contributing further to the idea that the ideal cost for a book is $0.00. Not to mention the number this does on libraries.
Now, I get that ebooks are happening whether anyone likes it or not. And I get that subscriptions have worked for other media–I use my Netflix like anyone. But there’s a reason Netflix has a quite limited streaming selection, and it’s losing, not gaining, content. This is not because Netflix hates you and wants you to suffer. It’s very hard to get those licenses because it’s not a very good deal for the content creators and distributors. And it costs a lot of money to manufacture the level of quality content people expect. Now, it’s axiomatic that the middleman sucks and should be shot (except The Middleman, who is awesome) but to be quite frank, they serve a purpose, and while I’d like to see their tactics changed, I would not like to see them vanish entirely. They are also human, and in publishing they do the great good work of sifting wheat from chaff, editing and packaging the wheat and making sure the wheat can spell, while getting shit on from every side. (I would also like to see real competition for Netflix, who is a middleman, too, don’t be fooled. They’re just a very hands-off middleman. But until you can write a check to Matt Weiner for Mad Men, you are still using a middleman. However, as I’m going to say a lot, no one company should be the single portal for information of any type.)
So, let’s hear how this is anything but a grab for more rights for less money? Will Amazon be paying lump sums for licenses? Will authors see even one cent of that? Will we be paid per download? If they aren’t charging much more than Prime services already cost, who will be paying us? Anyone? Bueller? What about books already in print? Will we be paid for joining the service or just told our major problem is obscurity and we should be grateful?
But the business rags don’t care about that stuff. They’re too busy bizarrely cheerleading Amazon’s attempt to become an almost total media monopoly. And in a stroke of PR genius, Amazon has indie authors on their side, convinced Amazon is their friend, a champion of the little people, and a stand-up guy, willing to stick it to the mean old publishers. (Who sinned in not publishing literally everyone and deserve to be skewered, I guess?)
Hoggle is Hoggle’s friend. Amazon is no one’s friend. They want to control the ebook market. They’re pissed they don’t control the music and movie market to the extent they’d like to. They are nearly there with books, and having destroyed bookstores, they’re now after libraries and quite possibly just really interested in becoming the only publisher there is. Don’t think no one over there has thought of simply replacing the whole publishing apparatus with Amazon.com. And a lot of people would wave their pom-poms for that.
The fact that a company that tried to punish Macmillan simply for not kowtowing to them immediately is considered worthy of trust is laughable. These guys are thugs. It’s an awfully nice industry you got there. Shame if anything should happen to it.
I don’t actually feel like helping them to my own detriment, and don’t see why I or anyone else should be jumping at what looks like a shitty, shitty deal for content creators, libraries (I do not want libraries to die, you guys. And they let you borrow unlimited books FOR FREE. And pay for their copies. In fact, library sales are a huge part of a book’s life, particularly in the YA and children’s market. Oh and BY THE WAY. Poor people can use libraries. Not just us geekelites who can afford ereaders and subscriptions.) If I see people actually discussing what authors get out of this beyond that age-old gold standard EXPOSURE ZOMG! I’ll listen. For awhile. But here’s the rub.
To some extent this is already a thing. Libraries, yes, but also Baen Webscriptions and other services. Why not let Amazon in on that game?
It’s different because it’s Amazon. This is a company that has shown itself to be unscrupulous in its dealings with publishers time and time again. It’s being friendly to authors now, but it was friendly to publishers and bookstores for awhile too. Amazon is way more than an 800 pound gorilla. They want to be the only way you access books. That is good for no one. No one source should have that much power, or else you end up in a situation where if, say, Amazon doesn’t like queers, they can kill all their books and no one can say anything. They don’t think erotica should get ranked with “normal” books? They don’t. Amazon wants to remotely delete something you paid for? It’s deleted. This has already happened. More power to those people? I don’t think so. No single company should have the influence they want. You think it’s bad that there’s so few publishing companies? At least there are six.
Amazon knows they have the market share and presence to make competition basically a grassroots joke. They do not care. They do not care about you and they do not care about your (or my) indie cred and to be quite frank they could give a shit about books. That’s your dream. They’re happy to sell anything, it doesn’t matter what it is. (Clearly. I just bought a chicken nesting box from them. They just want to be where you shop, and by and large they are succeeding. Awesome?) This is about control of information and money. And I may have to knuckle under when my contracts come due but I do not have to be their cheerleader in the meantime.
I’m not saying they’re evil–well, maybe a little, but no more than any company. They simply want to grow. You know, like any organism. Without heed for the survival of any other organism. They will probably get this because no one, not least our rusty-ass anti-trust laws, stands up to them with any conviction. But to be honest, I am puzzled at people’s desire to be fish flakes for the Sarlaac. I am continually horrified at the rush to love and defend Amazon because of their current stance on self-publishing. Emphasis on the current. Yay! My book is on Amazon and I get 70%! Fuck everyone else! No, literally fuck them. Let us take to our blogs and cheer, just squeal with delight, for every job lost in a library or publishing company, large or small, every janitor at Random House and editor at Harper Collins, every librarian who gets kids to read, because Amazon loves us with its big fuzzy heart and will always, always treat us with dignity and fairness. Just show me where to sign that exclusive contract. And if I need an agent, why, Amazon can be my agent! They’re sure to give themselves a good deal. (Again, already happened.)
And the publishers had better just sign where they’re told to. After all, those dinosaurs had better get with the times. And the times, it seems, are called by Amazon. It’s the Year of the Unlimited Free Ebooks Brought to you by Amazon.com, as our late great David Foster Wallace would say. Enjoy it.
And as far as self-publishing, which can be and is laudable and valuable, well, give it time. It’s early yet on that beachhead, kids. If the last 15 years of the internet taught you anything, it should be that nothing open and good lasts forever, and corporations trend ugly over time. (I’m looking at you, Google.) It has not been enough to consume bookstores, libraries, publishing companies, and any author not selling direct to Amazon are next. Amazon was a friend to all of these once. Trust me, you don’t want to live in the world Amazon wants to build.
Thanks for the great post Cat. Assomeone who loves books and liberies for all the reason you meantioned, i’ve “gotten with the times and just perchesed aNOOK. I want liberies to survive and they will…. ihope. Academics and childern all need them.
I did have one question though. How do you prefer your readers purchess your work. Paper backs a great but that generally meansgoing through a middle man. Who is your middle man of choice when locally owned bookstores are as rare as unicorns.who do you prefer to get your paperbacks from. In the arena of ebooks, who and how are youchoices. I feel that the ereaders have the oprotunity to alllow for the most amount of profit to go to the author directly, im i correct in this assumtion?
Thank you for all your great work and amazing stories. I’ve been a big fan for a few years now and love every thing youve written. 13 ways of looking at space/time broughtme to tears on multipule occations. Thank you thank you thank you.
I’ve been mulling over this proposed plan myself, trying to figure out how on earth Amazon intends to sell this as a viable addition to their services.
What I did notice in the report I read was that it seems they may be limiting this to “older works” … there is no clear definition of what an “older work” is, but suffice it to say that I don’t see that being much more than the Jane Eyre’s and Wuthering Heights… in which case, why bother? Because most of those eBooks are available for free now anyway.
And if not … how on earth are they going to pay for this? Because they MUST pay authors and publishers to make their books available for free, won’t they?
The only other thing I can think of is … an Amazon Prime membership puts a subsidized price on all ebooks … which again seems counterproductive to the business of selling books.
I don’t know … I am intrigued to see how they are going to sell this one all round.
Thanks for your perspective. It gave me yet another angle to view this whole issue from.
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Well done. I don’t think anything else needs to be said, except that this should be an open letter to Amazon signed by ever single author and reader who is royally pissed that this is happening. George Orwell is nodding and saying I told you so.
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Right on!
Amazon’s ‘trend’ has been visible for anyone to see for quite some time now; unfortunately, looking behind the curtain has been discouraged by all the ‘good’ things they’ve done.
Which is, in and of itself, also a hoary old trick that’s been pulled time and again by any company that’s seeking domination of a market segment.
Very soon, (very soon), authors will be receiving invitations to ‘write for’ Amazon; no ownership of the content will accrue to the author – but they will get a nice, steady (small) check, and they will get to see their product offered in the biggest market, and some few will be promoted to stardom to add incentive and hope for the drudges now pecking out a living in basements all across the land.
It doesn’t surprise me to see a patronage-like system coming into place and I’ll suggest that one counter to the Amazonian-Inevitability is for authors to set such a system up for themselves, direct to their audience. (Support my work and get…) Offer ‘lifetime’ subscriptions, offer a stake in the latest novel, offer ‘ownership’ of a series; insiders pay one lower price for finished content (and get perks), outsiders can bundle a ‘supporting membership’ into their first purchase.
Then, judiciously ‘USE’ Amazon when and where it benefits, with limited ‘entre’ material. Take those masses back.
Thanks for posting your post!
I have to say, the idea of offering stakes and ownership of a novel in that way does not appeal to me. I eventually get my rights back from a publisher. I have a contract that says what each of us expect and an agent to protect me. I do not actually want to have to do those kinds of things with my work–the integrity and authenticity of it will inevitably suffer.
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Nonsense. Amazon prime accounts for about 4% of their customer base.
http://www.quora.com/What-percentage-of-Amazon-subscribers-pay-79-year-for-the-Amazon-Prime-Service
Sure it might grow their prime base from a model like this, AND it will also increase Kindle sales, but if authors see no value in publishing – then where would amazon be in 10 more years?
The plusses as I see it are:
1. You get more readers, people who wouldn’t have given your book a second glance may now read it and then tell others about it. Book stores are dinosaurs, they are quaint and inefficient models of retail. Most, if not all retail will be online one day.
2. You get more exposure as an author. If your e-book is popular you will have more leverage negotiating your compensation package with the publisher when you publish your next book. If the argument is Amazon will strongarm publishers to give the content to them for next to nothing, lets remember one thing: Amazon is a retailer. And retailers rise and fall. Publishers hold the keys to the castle, they don’t have to give amazon anything. But e-book sales have already exceeded printed ones on amazon, there’s no inventory, there’s no printing costs, there’s a file and a Kindle. It’s a more efficient model from every single standpoint: environmental, convenience, cheaper.
3. The only content Netflix is losing is STARZ, which has happened several times in the past already. Netflix shot themselves in the foot raising their rates, they stock price tumbled almost $30 a share downward today.
4. “Amazon could ban content like Erotica or Queer books” – more scaremongering. My friend is a best selling NY Times author and she writes Erotica, and a lot of her books sell best on Kindle. She’s made MORE money since e-books came out. And if they did BAN that sort of content, an entrepreneur would QUICKLY capitalize on their stupidity and create a website that sold JUST those sorts of books to the people who want them. It’s not a strong argument to say “WELL THEY COULD DO IT”.
5. E-books are the wave of the future, it’s a moving train, get on it or get rolled over by it. Ask musicians if they’re crying about the 99 per cent song model on i-tune 10 years later, some are, but most are making more money than they ever could on the old model of “gigging in shitty clubs” and “dropping demo taps on fans. Even with pirating rampant music companies and musicians are making more money than ever. Artists who would never have been noticed are now getting their songs bought Internationally.
6. There will always be printed books. Paper ain’t going anywhere, even if the publishing model of “squoosh a forest flat, print data on it, read it, throw it away” continues.
7. Amazon lost money on their web portal for 10 years before they showed a profit. If the worry is Amazon will do to books what Ebay did to online auctions, you might have a point there. But to fault a company for being successful – I don’t get that at all. It might temporarily skew competition in their favor, but that also drives a future competitor to take market share from Amazon down the road.
8. Innovation changes everything: In 10 yesars they might develop technology that beams books directly into the synaptic pathways of your mind. Sounds like to me, that sort of innovation could kill a Kindle and all e-books the way CD’s killed LPs – oh wait, no, you can still buy Vinyl LPs and in fact they’re making a bit of a comeback. The thing is, no one knows what the next model for books could be. Technology changes so fast these days that in 20 years your smart phone could be hard wired into your brain.
I’m sorry, I don’t buy your case against this proposed model on Amazon (which hasn’t even happened yet). I do respect your view, even if I think the fear is completely off the mark.
S.A.
Nonsense.
Amazon prime accounts for about 4% of their customer base.
http://www.quora.com/What-percentage-of-Amazon-subscribers-pay-79-year-for-the-Amazon-Prime-Service
Sure it might grow their prime base from a model like this, AND it will also increase Kindle sales, but if authors see no value in publishing – then where would amazon be in 10 more years?
The plusses as I see it are:
1. You get more readers, people who wouldn’t have given your book a second glance may now read it and then tell others about it. Book stores are dinosaurs, they are quaint and inefficient models of retail. Most, if not all retail will be online one day.
2. You get more exposure as an author. If your e-book is popular you will have more leverage negotiating your compensation package with the publisher when you publish your next book. If the argument is Amazon will strongarm publishers to give the content to them for next to nothing, lets remember one thing: Amazon is a retailer. And retailers rise and fall. Publishers hold the keys to the castle, they don’t have to give amazon anything. But e-book sales have already exceeded printed ones on amazon, there’s no inventory, there’s no printing costs, there’s a file and a Kindle. It’s a more efficient model from every single standpoint: environmental, convenience, cheaper.
3. The only content Netflix is losing is STARZ, which has happened several times in the past already. Netflix shot themselves in the foot raising their rates, their stock price tumbled almost $30 a share downward today.
4. “Amazon could ban content like Erotica or Queer books” – more scaremongering. My friend is a best selling NY Times author and she writes Erotica, and a lot of her books sell best on Kindle. She’s made MORE money since e-books came out. And if they did BAN that sort of content, an entrepreneur would QUICKLY capitalize on their stupidity and create a website that sold JUST those sorts of books to the people who want them. It’s not a strong argument to say “WELL THEY COULD DO IT”.
5. E-books are the wave of the future, it’s a moving train, get on it or get rolled over by it. Ask musicians if they’re crying about the 99 cent per song model on i-tune 10 years later, some are, but most are making more money than they ever could on the old model of “gigging in shitty clubs” and “dropping demo taps on fans. Even with pirating rampant music companies and musicians are making more money than ever. Artists who would never have been noticed are now getting their songs bought Internationally.
6. There will always be printed books. Paper ain’t going anywhere, even if the publishing model of “squoosh a forest flat, print data on it, read it, throw it away” continues.
7. Amazon lost money on their web portal for 10 years before they showed a profit. If the worry is Amazon will do to books what Ebay did to online auctions, you might have a point there. But to fault a company for being successful – I don’t get that at all. It might temporarily skew competition in their favor, but that also drives a future competitor to take market share from Amazon down the road.
8. Innovation changes everything: In 10 years they might develop technology that beams books directly into the synaptic pathways of your mind. Sounds like to me, that sort of innovation could kill a Kindle and all e-books the way CD’s killed LPs – oh wait, no, you can still buy Vinyl LPs and in fact they’re making a bit of a comeback. The thing is, no one knows what the next model for books could be. Technology changes so fast these days that in 20 years your smart phone could be hard wired into your brain.
I’m sorry, I don’t buy your case against this proposed model on Amazon (which hasn’t even happened yet). I do respect your view, even if I think the fear is completely off the mark.
S.A.
(sorry for two posts, I corrected some spelling and other points – I didn’t want to assume my author friend made more with kindle sales than printed books, but since all her titles are now on Kindle I can only assume she’s doing well since she owns her house and more recently, a horse).
This is terrifying. Are we heading toward a dystopia? Is it just a matter of time before we’ll all be taking a soma break while we live a life governed by what we can and cannot read?
I’ve worked in a library for over 5 years and although we’ve been doing the best we can to change with the times and offer the technology our patrons have come to expect, what Amazon is planning to do would be catastrophic to all of our hard-work. We’ve already done away with the vast majority of our reference materials (thanks to the internet), and if it wasn’t for our schools pushing students toward libraries, a lot of our services wouldn’t be needed.
And like you said, the POOR (or nostalgic rich) can get access to real, tangible books! For free! If Amazon’s first step toward controlling the book market is giving unlimited digital access to its “Prime” members for “one monthly price,” I fear what’s to come for the rest of us who wish to hang onto our pages.
I think J.K. Rowling is showing the future with her Pottermore site and proprietary e-book model.
What if authors or publishing houses set up e-book divisions that offered their author’s books in the same way iTunes offers music? Apple holds no copyright on the published songs, they just take a portion of every sale.
Joann Rowling with her billionaire author clout was able to set the terms with Sony for her ebooks. In fact, if Amazon and B&N don’t agree to her policies – they won’t be allowed to sell what is certain to be the biggest selling ebook of all time. She has a unique take on DRM (Digital Rights Management) which includes her desire for lending (both personal and library) to continue. http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/06/pottermore-details/
If more of the bestselling authors would follow suit, then eventually a marketplace would be created that could subvert the monopoly Amazon is building towards.
As a bonus – it could help the Publishing industry move into a new era and would keep the tether between printed and epublished books.
Thanks for a great article!
Cat,
Given that you have these opinions about Amazon (which, BTW, I agree with), why do you _ever_ buy _anything_ from them?
“I just bought a chicken nesting box from them”
Best,
Alan
Sometimes the ease of it gets the better of me. Mea culpa.
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