Shhh. It's Amazon. They're doing it for the benefit of customers. Honest.
I say the publishers consult with their authors and pull books from Amazon and start selling them elsewhere. It will hurt in the short term but benefit in the long term.
I agree but the DOJ would say this is anti-competitive behavior and go after the publishers again. I've always wondered why the reseller gets to do whatever they want to (as long as it's Amazon) while the publisher and author are held hostage. If the author wants to sell their book for $1000 why should a reseller have the right to drop that price? Would Amazon actually pay this author $1000 and turn around and sell it for $9.99 just to push it's garbage products?
The problem with people today is they treat everything as having the same value. All books, all music, all movies are of equal value. Of course this only lasts until they want to sell something, then its value is much more than anyone else's.
The typical counter argument to Amazon's tactic here is that consumers may benefit in receiving cheaper books, but this fundamentally doesn't understand how a quality book comes to be.
The idea that a publisher can be cut out of the equation ignores the significant role of publishers in the development of books. The rule is never let the author edit their own work and there is good reason for that. Plus the roles of publishers extend well beyond the skill set of everyday authors: mass production, logistics, media launches, selling in titles to chains etc. This is not something that amazon can replace.
For example independent editors are costly and publishing anything of value takes a significant amount of capital, planning, time, revisions and most importantly, external overview. Publishers give authors these things, publishers take chances on new talent. This is a valuable role that Amazon can't replace.
If Amazon keep this up , you'll still have books, but you'll have significantly fewer "great" books. Once the pipeline dries up you'll have publishers that are solely in the business of making money. Who wins then? the publishers who put out "safe" and repetitive genres. (i.e. trashy romance novels, or the equivalent paranormal variety to appeal to teens.) Then the opposite happens to reference books: Textbooks are expensive, but textbooks without specialty publishers are insanely expensive.
If you have ever wondered how the big music labels came to be producing rote musical acts, you're watching the answer now with books. Unlike music however, the drastically reducing cost of technology won't magically give new authors the capital and oversight they need to finish a book.
Indeed the agency model could have fixed much of this, but we won't really see anything like that for years now.
I agree but the DOJ would say this is anti-competitive behavior and go after the publishers again. I've always wondered why the reseller gets to do whatever they want to (as long as it's Amazon) while the publisher and author are held hostage. If the author wants to sell their book for $1000 why should a reseller have the right to drop that price? Would Amazon actually pay this author $1000 and turn around and sell it for $9.99 just to push it's garbage products?
The problem with people today is they treat everything as having the same value. All books, all music, all movies are of equal value. Of course this only lasts until they want to sell something, then its value is much more than anyone else's.
Yes, the DOJ will do Amazon's bidding. That's why the publishers should independently pull their books. No phone calls, no paper trails with other publishers. Once one of them do it, the others will wait and see and independently do the same.
Academic question: Is this sort of change a bad thing? Should be stop progress? Remember when there ere general stores or corner stores where you could buy pretty much anything
The key to your point is that the general or corner stores gave way to specialty stores (specific to the type of goods, like shoe stores) but they were still local and easy to travel to. Once these local stores are gone then EVERYONE will need to order online and wait for delivery. Problem is, there are many occasions where a consumer can't wait for delivery, even next-day delivery.
The key to your point is that the general or corner stores gave way to specialty stores (specific to the type of goods, like shoe stores) but they were still local and easy to travel to. Once these local stores are gone then EVERYONE will need to order online and wait for delivery. Problem is, there are many occasions where a consumer can't wait for delivery, even next-day delivery.
This is where I believe in capitalism. If there is a market then it can work, if not, and we require such local facilities to exist then we then use government to shore up areas where capitalism isn't effective.
Amazon, especially with the introduction of the Fire phone, is slowly but surely killing small business across the country. Consumers will walk into a local store to see, touch & feel the object they are shopping for and then will use their Firefly app to order online.
Between Amazon and Walmart it's definitely getting more difficult for small businesses to stay in business.
Academic question: Is this sort of change a bad thing? Should we stop progress? Remember when there ere general stores or corner stores where you could buy pretty much anything or when Sears would deliver anything, including pre-fab homes, via the mail that you picked out of a catalog? (Maybe [@]Dick Applebaum[/@] remembers the latter )
And here's what it looked like when you got it:
[VIDEO]
Perfect example is a shoe store.
1) Walk in.
2) Get perfectly fitted by a professional
3) Ask to try on "one last pair"
<span style="line-height:1.4em;">4) Salesman walks into the stock room to retrieve "one last pair" thinking he made a great sale</span>
5) Meanwhile, consumer scans UPC with Firefly, finds much better deals
6) When salesman returns, fake an "emergency" and walk out, only to order on Amazon.
It happens multiple times daily in the shoe store across from my shop and it's putting him out of business.
On the one-hand that's a clever use of the technology. I had only conceived of it for creating a grocery shopping list at home with ease. On the other hand that shoe store is not a charity so it's unethical to take up the employee's time under the guise of being a customer when you have no intention of doing so.
Maybe he should get a cell jammer so they can't check Amazon's prices.
I agree but the DOJ would say this is anti-competitive behavior and go after the publishers again. I've always wondered why the reseller gets to do whatever they want to (as long as it's Amazon) while the publisher and author are held hostage. If the author wants to sell their book for $1000 why should a reseller have the right to drop that price? Would Amazon actually pay this author $1000 and turn around and sell it for $9.99 just to push it's garbage products?
The problem with people today is they treat everything as having the same value. All books, all music, all movies are of equal value. Of course this only lasts until they want to sell something, then its value is much more than anyone else's.
Sad to say but people today know the price of everything but the value of nothing.
Amazon is the Wal-Mart of today, except they don't convert local jobs to low paying ones. They eliminate them completely. This is a slippery slope. Under no circumstances should a publisher allow Amazon to reprint their titles.
Does the DO have the ability to do anything about action occurring in the EU and the UK or are people just ranting without reading the article. Or have I just misread the article?
Amazon is the Wal-Mart of today, except they don't convert local jobs to low paying ones. They eliminate them completely. This is a slippery slope. Under no circumstances should a publisher allow Amazon to reprint their titles.
Amazon, in its own unique way, is actually even worse than that. The vast majority of "amazon" jobs are through temp agencies, only.
Between Amazon and Walmart it's definitely getting more difficult for small businesses to stay in business.
Academic question: Is this sort of change a bad thing? Should we stop progress? Remember when there ere general stores or corner stores where you could buy pretty much anything or when Sears would deliver anything, including pre-fab homes, via the mail that you picked out of a catalog? (Maybe [@]Dick Applebaum[/@] remembers the latter )
On the one-hand that's a clever use of the technology. I had only conceived of it for creating a grocery shopping list at home with ease. On the other hand that shoe store is not a charity so it's unethical to take up the employee's time under the guise of being a customer when you have no intention of doing so.
Maybe he should get a cell jammer so they can't check Amazon's prices.
This is what killed the music instrument stores. I worked for two that got run out of retail because people would do just that. The manufacturers would give these online stores discounts that the mom and pops couldn't get close to.
The key to your point is that the general or corner stores gave way to specialty stores (specific to the type of goods, like shoe stores) but they were still local and easy to travel to. Once these local stores are gone then EVERYONE will need to order online and wait for delivery. Problem is, there are many occasions where a consumer can't wait for delivery, even next-day delivery.
This is where I believe in capitalism. If there is a market then it can work, if not, and we require such local facilities to exist then we then use government to shore up areas where capitalism isn't effective.
It can be sad, though and a loss of history ...
In 1969, we brought our first house in Fox River Grove IL -- northwest of Chicago (a small town with one stop light, log cabins, etc.). One of the first things we needed to buy was a lawn mower. Rather than drive 40 miles round trip to a Sears store, Lucy suggested we check out the local hardware store. The salesman said "Yeah, we have all kinds of lawn mowers" and lead us down into the basement. What a sight -- like being in the catacombs or the sewers of paris -- like a horizontal mine with shafts branching of into the darkness in every direction.
It turns out that during Prohibition, there was a Dance hall nearby that was frequented by the Capone mob. If there was a raid by the police or the Feds, the mob would head for the basement of the dance hall and exit in any of several places -- including the building that preceded the hardware store.
Prohibition was in effect between 1920 and 1933. During this time, the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal. Like many restaurant and roadhouse owners of the day, Louis Cernocky didn't always obey the law. Obtaining bootleg liquor put him in contact with the Chicago mob, and he became a liquor distributor for Al Capone's gang. Louis' Place became a friendly haven for Chicago-based gangsters.
Prohibition agents raided the restaurant from time to time. The buildings were built on the old foundations and cisterns of the Johnson farm, which led agents to believe that there were secret underground vaults beneath the surface.
And yet, the worst DOJ in the history of DOJs, a DOJ with a total disregard for the law and the constitution, are going after Apple.
Agreed... The DoJ set it's sights on Apple in a farce of a trial where the Judge determined they were guilty before even the first witness deposition was heard, and yet they aren't even lifting a single finger to go after a truly evil monopoly, Amazon.
Just like Samsung, I've banned any and all things Amazon from my household, including purchasing anything from them, instead trying to support my local economy and small business competing against them. Even if I have to pay a few percentage points more for the same product, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing my money isn't lining their coffers, or contributing to a SMB's bankruptcy.
Between Amazon and Walmart it's definitely getting more difficult for small businesses to stay in business.
Academic question: Is this sort of change a bad thing? Should we stop progress? Remember when there ere general stores or corner stores where you could buy pretty much anything or when Sears would deliver anything, including pre-fab homes, via the mail that you picked out of a catalog? (Maybe @Dick Applebaum remembers the latter )
On the one-hand that's a clever use of the technology. I had only conceived of it for creating a grocery shopping list at home with ease. On the other hand that shoe store is not a charity so it's unethical to take up the employee's time under the guise of being a customer when you have no intention of doing so.
Maybe he should get a cell jammer so they can't check Amazon's prices.
You're going to see store managers putting tear-away tabs on boxes to cover the UPC code. To be removed only by sales clerk at purchase counter.
But Amazon operates with such a small profit margin that they are allowed to be unethical and have government ordained monopolies¡
Amazon, especially with the introduction of the Fire phone, is slowly but surely killing small business across the country. Consumers will walk into a local store to see, touch & feel the object they are shopping for and then will use their Firefly app to order online.
Perfect example is a shoe store.
1) Walk in.
2) Get perfectly fitted by a professional
3) Ask to try on "one last pair"
<span style="line-height:1.4em;">4) Salesman walks into the stock room to retrieve "one last pair" thinking he made a great sale</span>
5) Meanwhile, consumer scans UPC with Firefly, finds much better deals
6) When salesman returns, fake an "emergency" and walk out, only to order on Amazon.
It happens multiple times daily in the shoe store across from my shop and it's putting him out of business.
I find it amazing that Amazon is at such odds with the Book Publishing world and also the creators of the books they sell. I see nothing in Amazon that reveals a positive view of the future of the industries that it lives off, nor of the world as a sustainable place for creators, workers and consumers alike. Amazon has turned ecommerce into something very ugly. I like convenience and low prices as much as the next guy but what Amazon is practicing is more akin to a scorched earth policy for its own benefit. It is a horrible company.
Amazon is the Wal-Mart of today, except they don't convert local jobs to low paying ones. They eliminate them completely. This is a slippery slope. Under no circumstances should a publisher allow Amazon to reprint their titles.
Amazon, in its own unique way, is actually even worse than that. The vast majority of "amazon" jobs are through temp agencies, only.
Ya' know ...
Wouldn't it be interesting if a startup business was used to "Showroom" Amazon ...
It is fairly trivial to harvest product model numbers, pictures, prices, reviews, suppliers, etc. from any web site ... then relink to another site ... which offers better prices/service and beats Amazon at its own game ...
Comments
Shhh. It's Amazon. They're doing it for the benefit of customers. Honest.
I say the publishers consult with their authors and pull books from Amazon and start selling them elsewhere. It will hurt in the short term but benefit in the long term.
I agree but the DOJ would say this is anti-competitive behavior and go after the publishers again. I've always wondered why the reseller gets to do whatever they want to (as long as it's Amazon) while the publisher and author are held hostage. If the author wants to sell their book for $1000 why should a reseller have the right to drop that price? Would Amazon actually pay this author $1000 and turn around and sell it for $9.99 just to push it's garbage products?
The problem with people today is they treat everything as having the same value. All books, all music, all movies are of equal value. Of course this only lasts until they want to sell something, then its value is much more than anyone else's.
And yet, the worst DOJ in the history of DOJs, a DOJ with a total disregard for the law and the constitution, are going after Apple.
The typical counter argument to Amazon's tactic here is that consumers may benefit in receiving cheaper books, but this fundamentally doesn't understand how a quality book comes to be.
The idea that a publisher can be cut out of the equation ignores the significant role of publishers in the development of books. The rule is never let the author edit their own work and there is good reason for that. Plus the roles of publishers extend well beyond the skill set of everyday authors: mass production, logistics, media launches, selling in titles to chains etc. This is not something that amazon can replace.
For example independent editors are costly and publishing anything of value takes a significant amount of capital, planning, time, revisions and most importantly, external overview. Publishers give authors these things, publishers take chances on new talent. This is a valuable role that Amazon can't replace.
If Amazon keep this up , you'll still have books, but you'll have significantly fewer "great" books. Once the pipeline dries up you'll have publishers that are solely in the business of making money. Who wins then? the publishers who put out "safe" and repetitive genres. (i.e. trashy romance novels, or the equivalent paranormal variety to appeal to teens.) Then the opposite happens to reference books: Textbooks are expensive, but textbooks without specialty publishers are insanely expensive.
If you have ever wondered how the big music labels came to be producing rote musical acts, you're watching the answer now with books. Unlike music however, the drastically reducing cost of technology won't magically give new authors the capital and oversight they need to finish a book.
Indeed the agency model could have fixed much of this, but we won't really see anything like that for years now.
Yes, the DOJ will do Amazon's bidding. That's why the publishers should independently pull their books. No phone calls, no paper trails with other publishers. Once one of them do it, the others will wait and see and independently do the same.
Academic question: Is this sort of change a bad thing? Should be stop progress?
History shows that, on balance, it's good.
More importantly, it's inevitable. Creative destruction at work.
The key to your point is that the general or corner stores gave way to specialty stores (specific to the type of goods, like shoe stores) but they were still local and easy to travel to. Once these local stores are gone then EVERYONE will need to order online and wait for delivery. Problem is, there are many occasions where a consumer can't wait for delivery, even next-day delivery.
This is where I believe in capitalism. If there is a market then it can work, if not, and we require such local facilities to exist then we then use government to shore up areas where capitalism isn't effective.
Sad to say but people today know the price of everything but the value of nothing.
Amazon is the Wal-Mart of today, except they don't convert local jobs to low paying ones. They eliminate them completely. This is a slippery slope. Under no circumstances should a publisher allow Amazon to reprint their titles.
Amazon, in its own unique way, is actually even worse than that. The vast majority of "amazon" jobs are through temp agencies, only.
It can be sad, though and a loss of history ...
In 1969, we brought our first house in Fox River Grove IL -- northwest of Chicago (a small town with one stop light, log cabins, etc.). One of the first things we needed to buy was a lawn mower. Rather than drive 40 miles round trip to a Sears store, Lucy suggested we check out the local hardware store. The salesman said "Yeah, we have all kinds of lawn mowers" and lead us down into the basement. What a sight -- like being in the catacombs or the sewers of paris -- like a horizontal mine with shafts branching of into the darkness in every direction.
It turns out that during Prohibition, there was a Dance hall nearby that was frequented by the Capone mob. If there was a raid by the police or the Feds, the mob would head for the basement of the dance hall and exit in any of several places -- including the building that preceded the hardware store.
Prohibition was in effect between 1920 and 1933. During this time, the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal. Like many restaurant and roadhouse owners of the day, Louis Cernocky didn't always obey the law. Obtaining bootleg liquor put him in contact with the Chicago mob, and he became a liquor distributor for Al Capone's gang. Louis' Place became a friendly haven for Chicago-based gangsters.
Prohibition agents raided the restaurant from time to time. The buildings were built on the old foundations and cisterns of the Johnson farm, which led agents to believe that there were secret underground vaults beneath the surface.
http://www.angelfire.com/chicagolandhistory/louisplace.html
Mmm ... Maybe Geraldo should do a multipart TV special on The Fox River Grove Hardware store ...
Just like Samsung, I've banned any and all things Amazon from my household, including purchasing anything from them, instead trying to support my local economy and small business competing against them. Even if I have to pay a few percentage points more for the same product, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing my money isn't lining their coffers, or contributing to a SMB's bankruptcy.
Between Amazon and Walmart it's definitely getting more difficult for small businesses to stay in business.
Academic question: Is this sort of change a bad thing? Should we stop progress? Remember when there ere general stores or corner stores where you could buy pretty much anything or when Sears would deliver anything, including pre-fab homes, via the mail that you picked out of a catalog? (Maybe @Dick Applebaum remembers the latter
On the one-hand that's a clever use of the technology. I had only conceived of it for creating a grocery shopping list at home with ease. On the other hand that shoe store is not a charity so it's unethical to take up the employee's time under the guise of being a customer when you have no intention of doing so.
Maybe he should get a cell jammer so they can't check Amazon's prices.
You're going to see store managers putting tear-away tabs on boxes to cover the UPC code. To be removed only by sales clerk at purchase counter.
Two words for everyone. "Boycott Amazon!"
Ya' know ...
Wouldn't it be interesting if a startup business was used to "Showroom" Amazon ...
It is fairly trivial to harvest product model numbers, pictures, prices, reviews, suppliers, etc. from any web site ... then relink to another site ... which offers better prices/service and beats Amazon at its own game ...
Mmm ... One-click underpricing!