Sniff….sniff….

Something’s smelling a lot like American car companies?

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Just a guess.

It wouldn’t hurt Amazon as much as it would destroy MacMillan’s loyal retailers. Customers would be thrilled and this action would certainly go a long way toward ending the slow death of book retailing. Indeed, it would probably drive many struggling retailers out of business in a month or two.

The problem with traditional publishers is that they are trying to sustain their traditional channels of distribution by hobbling online distribution. But as the music industry learned the hard way, customers will find a way to get what they want online regardless of what the content providers want.

Traditional book retailers are doomed no matter what industry pundits say. In 5 years brick and mortar bookstores will be as rare as storefront travel agents. Remember them? Not many left. Those book retailers that survive will have to find ways to add value to book selling to attract people to their stores.

And MacMillan would certainly not be helping those that hope to survive by going into competition with them as you suggest.

Also: publishing loves DRM. LOOOOVES it. They think it’s saving the world from piracy.

I bet you that readers would actually put up with the DRM if they did everything else.

@jenn:

it will undoubtedly shift things a little and may set us indies back just a bit; but it will break the bookstore barrier to buying direct from indie writers/publishers, at least.

Yes, it would set us back because they are our direct competition. HOWEVER, in the long run, we would be normalized and yes, have a way into whatever B&M bookstores remain. In the long run, I think it’d be good for us, too.

Not that i’m rooting for MacMillan. Or Amazon. Ok, maybe I’m rooting for Amazon a little, just because they’re putting a cap on the ridiculous pricing of both print and e, which I’ve been bitching about for ages.

But this comes at an excellent time in the publishing dilemma trifecta, when we’ve been discussing distribution (from an independent perspective of course!). When mainstream publishers go direct to consumer, it will undoubtedly shift things a little and may set us indies back just a bit; but it will break the bookstore barrier to buying direct from indie writers/publishers, at least.

Pricing is ridiculous; digital ownership is ridiculous; mainstream authors are spineless for not speaking out against this in the past. It has to take a fuck-you move by Amazon to kick these dinosaurs into gear, really?

apparently so.

~jenn

Also: publishing loves DRM. LOOOOVES it. They think it’s saving the world from piracy.

Just like the MPAA and RIAA did.